Ed Lewis (wrestler)
| Ed Lewis | |
|---|---|
Lewis applies a headlock to Ivan Linow, 1920
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| Birth name | Robert Herman Julius Friedrich |
| Born |
June 30, 1891 Nekoosa, Wisconsin |
| Died | August 8, 1966 (aged 75) New York City |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Ed Lewis |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Debut | 1905 |
Robert Herman Julius Friedrich (June 30, 1891 – August 8, 1966), better known by the ring name Ed "Strangler" Lewis, was an American professional wrestler.
During his professional wrestling career, whose career spanned four decades, Lewis was a four-time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion.
Born in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, Friedrich began wrestling at the age of 14, using the ring name Ed "Strangler" Lewis, in tribute of 1890s star Evan "Strangler" Lewis. It was also stated in the A&E documentary The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling that he was dubbed the Strangler after a match in France where he applied a sleeper hold, and the French, who were unfamiliar with the hold, thought he was strangling his opponent.
He was the pivotal figure in the "Gold Dust Trio", along with promoters Toots Mondt and Big Billy Sandow, a travelling road show that was the precursor to wrestling tours, and which revolutionized professional wrestling by creating undercards, promoting full events instead of one match shows. They also developed the first professional wrestling storylines, creating worked feuds between wrestlers. Because of the legit skills Lewis possessed, the Trio could put the title on who ever they wanted, because Lewis had the ability to defeat anyone who would not follow the script.
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