You guys ready to talk about a straight-up beast—a man who didn’t just wrestle but dominated the squared circle like a force of nature. Ed "Strangler" Lewis wasn’t just a wrestler; he was a damn institution. A colossus of the early 20th century who made the world believe in the raw, unrelenting power of professional wrestling. If you’re ready to dive into the story of a legend who crushed opponents, revolutionized the game, had the endurance of a superhero and left a legacy that still echoes today, strap in. This is the tale of the one, the only, Ed "Strangler" Lewis. 💪
Born to Rule The Mat
Picture this: June 30, 1891, in Nekoosa, Wisconsin. Robert Herman Julius Friedrich enters the world, a kid who’d grow into a mountain of a man—250 pounds of pure strength and power with a chest measuring a monstrous 56 inches. This wasn’t just a guy; this was a gladiator in the making. By 14, he’s already tossing grown men around in Louisville, Kentucky, under the name Ed Lewis, a nod to 1890s star Evan "Strangler" Lewis and a sneaky way to keep his disapproving parents in the dark. Smart move, young champ. 😎
But where’d that "Strangler" nickname come from? Some say it was a tribute to Evan’s legacy. Others point to a wild story from a match in France where Lewis slapped on a sleeper hold so vicious the crowd thought he was choking his opponent out for real. Either way, the name stuck, and it fit like a glove. This man wasn’t just wrestling—he was shattering the competition’s hopes and dreams.
The Gold Dust Trio: Carving The Industry That Leads To An Ever Lasting Legacy
Lewis wasn’t just a grappler; he was a visionary, a mad scientist if you will. In the 1920s, he teamed up with promoters Toots Mondt and Billy Sandow to form the Gold Dust Trio, a game-changing crew that turned wrestling from one-off barroom brawls into a full-blown spectacle. These guys didn’t just book matches; they created events. Undercards, storylines, feuds that had fans losing their minds—this was the birth of modern pro wrestling as we know it. Lewis was the star, the muscle, and the brains behind it all. He didn’t just win titles; he built an empire. 🏆
And win titles he did. Lewis snagged his first World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship on December 13, 1920, by outclassing Joe Stecher. He’d go on to hold the world title five times (some say up to ten, depending on the record books), ruling the sport for nearly two decades. Over a career spanning four decades, Lewis wrestled in over 6,200 matches—legit shoot fights and worked bouts alike—and lost only 33 times. Let that sink in. That’s not a record; that’s a myth. The man was untouchable. He could go with anybody at anytime he wanted.
The Strangler’s Grip: A Style Like No Other
What made Lewis so fucking terrifying? His catch wrestling prowess. This wasn’t flashy flips or choreographed drama—this was pure unadulterated pain. Lewis was a master of "hooking," using brutal holds to make opponents tap or nap. His signature move? The Strangler’s headlock, a proto-sleeper hold that could put anyone to sleep—permanently, if he wanted. Lou Thesz, Verne Gagne, and others called him the greatest ever, saying he’d only lose when he chose to, to push a storyline. That’s power. That’s control. 😤
One of his wildest moments? September 20, 1934, at Wrigley Field. Lewis faced Jim Londos in front of 35,275 screaming fans, pulling in a record gate of $96,302—a mark that stood until 1952. Or how about 1936, when he took on Lee Wykoff in one of wrestling’s last legit shoot matches? Lewis, nursing a separated clavicle, still fought to a draw. The man was a warrior, plain and simple. Even in 1937, wrestling in New Zealand, he went 4-2 against top talent, only falling to Canadian champ Earl McCready. No one could keep him down for long.
Rivalries and Real Talk
Lewis’s biggest rival? Joe Stecher. These two titans clashed in and out of the ring, even sparking one of wrestling’s first promotional wars when Stecher ran his own shows against Lewis’s Gold Dust Trio. Their most epic battle? A five-and-a-half-hour marathon on July 4, 1916, ending in a draw because neither man could break the other. That’s not wrestling—that’s war if there ever was one. Their feud hit a peak in 1925 when Stanislaus Zbyszko, a Gold Dust Trio star, double-crossed Lewis' camp by legit beating their handpicked champ, Wayne Munn, to humiliate them. Wrestling was wild back then, and Lewis was at the heart of it all. 🥊
But not every match was a classic. In 1933, Lewis faced Ray Steele (a legit wrestler himself) at Madison Square Garden for the title. The two circled each other, barely locking up, and the fans got bored. Sometimes, even legends have off nights. Still, Lewis’s ability to draw crowds, even in controversy, was unmatched. He was the Babe Ruth of wrestling, rubbing shoulders with the Yankee slugger and Jack Dempsey, the era’s biggest stars. Hell, there’s even a photo from April 16, 1935, of Lewis putting Ruth in a headlock. Iconic.
The Later Years: Blind but Unbowed
By 1935, Lewis was semi-retired, frustrated with wrestling’s shift toward “slambang” entertainment over real grappling. But the fire never left him. In 1942, at 51 years old and legally blind from trachoma, a brutal eye condition common in wrestlers, he stepped back into the ring. Think about that—a blind man wrestling. And he kept going until 1948, retiring at 57. That’s not just heart; that’s soul and the will to keep fighting. 💥
Even after hanging up his boots, Lewis’s influence lived on. He trained legends like Lou Thesz, his protégé, along with Danny Hodge, Dick Hutton, and Judo Gene LeBell, passing down his hooking secrets. Thesz became a world champ, carrying Lewis’s torch. The Strangler didn’t just shape his era; he shaped wrestling’s future.
The Final Bell
On August 8, 1966, Ed "Strangler" Lewis passed away in Muskogee, Oklahoma, at 75. Newspapers across the country hailed him as a pioneer who made wrestling a global phenomenon. His health battles—especially the blindness that plagued his final years—never dimmed his spirit. He’d earned millions in the ring and spent it like it was nothing, living life as big as his legend.
Today, Lewis is immortalized in every major wrestling hall of fame: Wrestling Observer Newsletter (1996), George Tragos/Lou Thesz (1999), Professional Wrestling (2002), WWE Legacy Wing (2016), and International Professional Wrestling (2021). His name is synonymous with greatness, a reminder of a time when wrestling was raw, real, and ruled by legit grappling warriors.
Why Does The Strangler Matter
Ed "Strangler" Lewis wasn’t just a champion; he was a revolution. He took a gritty, underground sport and made it what we see today. He fought through injuries, blindness, and changing times, never backing down. He trained the next generation, ensuring his art would live on. In the 1920s and ‘30s, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey and other greats, not just as an athlete but as a myth.
So, next time you watch a wrestling match, remember the man who laid the foundation. The man who strangled doubt, crushed rivals, and built a legacy that’ll never tap out. Ed "Strangler" Lewis—the original powerhouse, the ultimate might. 🏋️♂️
What’s your favorite Strangler story? Drop it below and let’s celebrate this crazed SOB together! 💬
Be amazingly awesome and learn the valued history of the great sport of Catch As Catch Can Wrestling.
No comments:
Post a Comment