Ed “Strangler” Lewis Wins Title in 1920

Hnub Monday, Hlis ntuj nqeg 13, 1920, Ed “Strangler” Lewis won the first of six World Heavyweight Wrestling Championships from Joe Stecher. Txog nws yeej lub npe los ntawm nws biggest rival thiab lag luam yeeb ncuab yuav tsum tau tshwj satisfying.

Ib lub xyoos ua ntej no match, Stecher and Lewis met in a match lasting over three hours. Lewis made a mental error in rushing for Stecher, leej twg raug reeling los ntawm ib tug Lewis’ headlocks. Lewis sim tsuab khawm nws tab sis twb ntes tau tua-khwb thiab ces muab pov tseg rau lub caij nplooj zeeg.

Lewis trained for over a year with the intent of not being caught unaware by Stecher or losing due to fatigue. Nyob hauv lub rematch, Lewis beat Stecher after 1 teev thiab 41 feeb. Lewis ground Stecher into defeat with his powerful side headlock. Lewis used to use a carotid artery choke known in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a bulldog choke but it was outlawed, li ntawd, nws tsim cov headlock.

While mat finishes were mostly prearranged at this time, Lewis and Stecher legitimately detested each other. Thaum lub sij hawm, cooperation was impossible between the men. Later in their careers, they would wrestle in prearranged bouts.

After Lewis defeated Stecher, nws ua dab tsi paub yog li cov hmoov av kub Trio qib Billy Sandow thiab Toots Mondt. Lawv zwm transitioned kev wrestling rau “ua haujlwm” zaj dabneeg kab uas muaj menyuam mus saib txheej txheem ntawm finishes.

Lawv nyiam nrog quag tshiab vim hais tias yog ib tug neeg twg tsis mus nrog rau cov dab neeg kav, Lewis yuav tuav lawv pab real. Qho no thiaj li yuav tom lawv 1925, thaum lawv muab siv rau ib football neeg uas ua ntawv hu ua “Loj” Wayne Munn.

Lewis yog ib celebrity thaum 1920 los ua ntej pro wrestling kis thaum ua hauj lwm thiab ua ob lub fringe lom ze. Saum ntuj 12, 1921, tus Bismark Tribune khiav txog zaj dabneeg Lewis thiab nws tus poj niam, Dr. ADA Scott Lewis, tsa ceg tus ntxhais Babada muaj scientific txoj kev.

Zaj dabneeg txheeb li cas Babada tau mus tom 6. a.m. thiab mus pw tom 8:30 p.m. Nws txiv qhia kom nws ce. Nws tseem ris nws nrog nws, thaum nws mus khiav. Nws niam tau kom nws tau txais tus tshis mis peb zaug ib hnub twg. Yog ib lub bizarre tag nrho txoj kev nyob noj Babada nqaij npuas kib roj. Cov niam txiv Lewis ntseeg yog ib qhov zoo kawg thiab zog noj.

Hmoov tsis, no lub neej yeej tsis mob Lewis twb sib yuav thiab sib nrauj tsib zaug. Touring as a wrestler put his marriages under great strain.

Ed “Strangler” Lewis yug Robert Julius Herman Friedrich hauv lub xeev Wisconsin rau lub rau hli ntuj 30, 1891. Nws yeej lub ntiaj teb Heavyweight Wrestling Championship muaj ntaub ntawv ntawd rau lub sij hawm. He was considered by both Lou Thesz and Gene LeBell, neb ob leeg uas nws xav tias nws pab qhia, as the greatest “shooter” or legitimate wrestler.

Nws kawm LeBell tom qab qauj muag los ntawm trachoma, uas nws nqa ntawm wrestling moj mats. Thaum lub sij hawm nws muaj ntawv cog lus mas, yog tsis muaj. Nws tuag nyob New York City rau lub yim hli ntuj 8, 1966 thaum muaj hnub nyoog 75.

Lewis laug ib txojsia lasting. Yog ib lub npe tseeb kawg raug, uas nyob hauv cov era ntawm ushered “ua haujlwm” ntais ntawv, thiab xyaum cov tiam tom ntej ntawm champions.

Koj yuav tawm ib saib los nug cov lus nug txog qhov no los yog tej tsev xa rau kuv Facebook phab thiab Twitter profile.

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