No weight classes existed for the wrestling competition, held in the Panathinaiko Stadium which meant that there would only be one winner among competitors of all sizes.

Stephanos Christopoulos of Greece faced Momcsilló Tapavicza of Hungary in the first match.

The pair were nearly evenly matched, with Christopoulous declared the winner after Tapavicza retired due to injury.

Georgios Tsitas, a Greek, had a bye in the first round, joining Christopoulos and Schuhmann as the three semifinalists.

In the final, Tsitas faced Schuhmann, and the bout lasted 40 minutes before it had to be postponed on account of darkness, as the sun had begun to set.