Women's catch wrestling (also known as catch as catch can) is a traditional wrestling style which encompasses several hand to hand combat styles and which is open to continuous evolution. Catch wrestling originates from Britain. Its roots are probably in the Lancashire catch-as-catch-can wrestling style and in the Irish Collar-and-elbow wrestling. Because of its "open-source" nature, ladies' catch wrestling has incorporated techniques from other more or less traditional wrestling styles as well, from all over the world.
Catch wrestling was originally spread by traveling fairs where professional strongmen (and often strongwomen as well) challenged the audience to wrestling bouts for a prize.
The nature of catch-as-catch-can makes it extremely suitable for amateurs. Combatants can secure holds on any body part of their opponent. There are no limits to where one can 'catch' her opponent. That simplifies the rules quite a lot and it also opens a whole bunch of different possibilities for the wrestlers to make headway in the bout. As a beginner, you're pretty much given a free hand to do anything you can to win (except of course to strike your opponent or to pull hair excessively).

While the rules of early catch wrestling were extremely flexible – they would change from venue to venue – according to the on-the-spot agreements between the participants – a few things have emerged as general guide-lines for catch-as-catch-can bouts. A wrestler can secure victory in one of two ways: by pinning her opponent (forcing both her shoulders onto the mat for an agreed amount of time) or by making her submit the bout through a hook (submission hold). Basically, it's your good-old pin/submission style wrestling we're talking about here.
Ladies catch wrestling matches can take place in a ring or more often on a mat and they usually feature a best of 3 format, in order to make sure that the outcome of the bout is not determined by a lucky circumstance. Tapping out signifies submission and choking is mostly barred, together with punches and strikes. Back in the days, rolling onto one's back signified surrender as well.
I had the opportunity to take part in a ladies' catch wrestling tournament a few days ago and I must say I fell in love with the style, although I mostly got womanhandled on the mat.
Many of today's submission wrestlers can trace the origins of their combat style back to catch wrestling. Catch-as-catch-can has always played a prominent role in women's professional wrestling too.

 In female catch wrestling, combatants can wear just about any attire they fancy, although the good old-school shiny hose/lycra leotard getup is probably the best choice for several reasons. Combatants can wear wrestling boots or they can hit the mat bare footed. Ladies catch wrestling rules are rather lax in this respect as well. Wearing knee and elbow-pads is also optional, but highly recommended. You can wear a mask too if you prefer or makeup of just about any kind.
The bottom line: what I love the most about women's catch wrestling is the freedom it offers the combatants, and the virtually unlimited combination of holds and creativity involved. At the end of a 3-fall ladies catch-as-catch-can match, the winner certainly knows she overcame her opponent on account of being more skilled and not because she got lucky here or there.