Drawn up in compliance with the UWW Constitution, the Financial Regulations, the Disciplinary Regulations, the General Rules governing the organisation of international competitions, and all the specific Regulations, the International Wrestling Rules have as their specific objectives to:
- Define and specify the practical and technical conditions under which bouts are to take place;
- Determine the competition system, methods of victory, defeat, classification, penalty, elimination of competitors, etc;
- Determine the values to be assigned to wrestling actions and holds;
- List situations and prohibitions;
- Determine the technical functions of the officials.

Being subject to modification in light of practical observations as to their application and research into their effectiveness, the international Rules set forth in the following document constitute the framework within which the sport of wrestling is conducted in all its styles.