It seems that wrestling competitions were commonplace, and perhaps initially among approved sports, being martial in bent or at least a demonstration of combatitiveness. In towns, wrestling was perhaps one of the most popular competitive sports not involving teams. Fitzstephen mentions the matches as a typical pastime on summer holy days. However, the roughness of the contests and their attraction for gambling on outcomes brought wrestling into disfavour with the Church. Furthermore they excited crowd emotions in a disruptive manner that in modern times is more associated with soccer matches.

It is mostly when matters got out of hand that we hear of wrestling bouts. At a time not much beyond that of Fitzstephen, Jocelin de Brakelond mentions what were perhaps Christmastide wrestling matches between the townsmen of Bury St. Edmunds and the abbey's men, which broke down into a free-for-all. Roger de Wendover tells how, on St. James Day in 1222, several teams representing the citizens of London and residents of the various suburbs held a wrestling competition that resulted in the steward of Westminster Abbey, a member of one of the losing teams, seeking revenge via a return challenge on St. Peter's day. That second bout likewise disintegrated into a general brawl.