• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Bios

Ed Lewis

Nickname: Strangler

Height: 5' 10"

Weight: 265 lbs

From: Nekoosa, WI

Birthday: Jun 30th

Pro Debut: 1904

Aliases: Bob Friedrich, Robert Friedrich

Feds Worked For: TSW, AWA, Al Haft Sports (IL/OH), All Star Wrestling (NE), Championship Wrestling USA (OR), Eastern Sports Enterprises (CT/NJ/NY/PA), Georgia Championship Wrestling (GA), International Wrestling (Canada), Maple Leaf Wrestling (Canada), Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (NC/SC), Mid-Pacific Promotions (Hawaii), Midwest Wrestling Association (OH), Mississippi Valley Sports Club (MO), New York State Athletic Commission (NY), NWA Hollywood (CA), Pacific Northwest Wrestling (OR), San Francisco (CA),Southwest Sports (TX), St. Louis Wrestling Club (MO), Upstate Athletic Club (NY)

Finisher: Sleeper Hold

Signature Moves: Headlock

Career Highlights: -AWA (Boston) World Champion (2x)
-American Champion
-MWA Champion (2x)
-NWA Florida Champion
-NYSAC Champion
-World Champion (6x)

Affiliates: Lou Thesz, Billy Sandow

Notable Feuds: Stanislaus Zbysko, Orville Brown, Joe Stecher, Jim Londos, Dick Shikat, Freddie Beel, Jack Leon

Other Facts: -Real name was Robert Herman Julius Friedrich
-Was a sports star at the University of Kentucky until he quit school to play professional baseball
-Began wrestling at the age of 14 using Ed "Strangler" Lewis instead of his real name of Robert Frederich in tribute of 1890s star Evan "Strangler" Lewis, and because his parents did not approve of him wrestling.
-Won his debut match in Madison, WI against Fred Beel.
-July 4, 1916: Lewis was involved in the longest pro wrestling match on record; a 5 hour match against Joe Stecher that resulted in a time-limit draw.
-Was in a famous verbal war with boxing champion Jack Dempsey, but the two never fought; Dempsey later admitted he never did fight Lewis because he knew he couldn't beat him.
-Credited with inventing the sleeper hold.
-With Toots Mondt and Billy Sandow, they formed the “Gold Dust Trio”, who are credited with creating much of the “Worked” aspects of modern professional wrestling, including the idea of the “Screw-job finish” and the “programme”.
-Went into semi-retirement in 1935, but came out in 1942, despite being legally blind from trachoma..
-Lived in Tulsa after retiring from wrestling in 1947 until his death in 1966
-Named goodwill ambassador for the NWA in 1949.
-Served as a referee for Sam Avey in Oklahoma City during the 1940s.
-Helped to train Bob Ellis, Danny Hodge, Dick Hutton, Gene LeBell, Gus Sonnenberg, Lou Thesz, and Vince Lopez for pro wrestling
-According to Lewis' own notes, he appeared in over 6,200 matches (with only 33 losses) in his 44 year career and earned over $3 million.
-During his retirement, he was a restaurant operator, rancher, and director of a health club. He also acted in such movies as "Stranglehold" and "That Nazty Nuisance"
-Passed away on August 7, 1966 in Muskogee at the age of 76 of natural causes. He was blind at the time of his death.
-Buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA
-Posthumously inducted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 1996
-Posthumously inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1999
-Posthumously inducted into the International Wrestling Institute and Museum Hall of Fame in 1999
-Posthumously inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2002
-Posthumously inducted into the Legacy Wing of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016
-A Wisconsin state historical marker commemorates his achievements in his hometown of Nekoosa.
-Featured in the books "Shooters: The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling" in 2012 and "Ed 'Strangler' Lewis: Facts Within A Myth" in 2015
-Posthumously inducted into the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2021