అతను ఎడ్ కాకముందు “Strangler” లూయిస్

రెజ్లింగ్ చరిత్రకారులు ఎడ్ "స్ట్రాంగ్లర్" లూయిస్ లేదా ఫ్రాంక్ గోచ్‌లను గొప్ప అమెరికన్ ప్రొఫెషనల్ రెజ్లర్‌గా భావిస్తారు. ఫ్రాంక్ గోచ్ యొక్క ప్రారంభ కెరీర్ గురించి మాకు కొంచెం తెలుసు, ఎడ్ "స్ట్రాంగ్లర్" లూయిస్ యొక్క ప్రారంభ కెరీర్ గురించి మాకు చాలా తక్కువ తెలుసు.

లూయిస్ పద్నాలుగు సంవత్సరాల వయస్సులో కార్నివాల్‌లలో క్యాచ్-యాజ్-క్యాచ్-కెన్ రెజ్లింగ్ నేర్చుకున్నాడని వివిధ ఆధారాలు పేర్కొన్నాయి. Lewis was born Robert Friedrich on June 30, 1891, in tiny Nekoosa, Wisconsin. లో 1900, Nekoosa boasted a population of 745 people.

వలన 1910, when Friedrich wrestled his earliest professional wrestling match I can find, Nekoosa had doubled in population to 1,500. The town population never rose above 2,700.

మంగళవారం, డిసెంబర్ 27, 1910, Friedrich wrestled “Babe” Abel of Madison, Wisconsin in a best two-out-of-three-falls match. The men wrestled at Brook’s Hall in Nekoosa.

One of the myths about Friedrich is that Friedrich changed his name to Lewis to keep his parents from finding out that Friedrich was wrestling professionally. However, Friedrich wrestling in his hometown argues against this theory. It is impossible to believe Friedrich could keep his profession a secret from his parents after wrestling under his real name in his small hometown.

Friedrich wrestled a legitimate contest in this match. Friedrich needed one hour, fifty-five minutes to pin Abel for the first fall. Even with a 15-minute intermission, Friedrich only need forty-nine seconds to slam an utterly exhausted Abel for the second fall and match in two straight falls.

లో 1913, Friedrich changed his name to Ed “Strangler” Lewis in honor of the original “Strangler”, ఇవాన్ లెవిస్. Evan Lewis was a fellow Wisconsin native, who was born in Ridgeway, Wisconsin and lived in Dodgeville, Wisconsin.

Friedrich started using Ed “Strangler” Lewis when he travelled to Kentucky to wrestle in early 1913. From that point until his retirement, Friedrich wrestled as Ed “Strangler” Lewis. 1920 సమయంలో, Lewis earned more money from professional wrestling than any other professional athlete not named Jack Dempsey.

లో 1910, Friedrich was just an up-and-coming local star. Grandiose things were in store for the Wisconsin native.

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Sources: The Daily Tribune (Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin), డిసెంబర్ 28, 1910, p. 4

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