Lewis Drops Title to Sonnenberg

Ed “Strangler” Lewis is one of the top two American professional wrestlers of all-time.  While Lewis was a legitimate submission wrestler, who could beat anyone in a wrestling contest, he worked almost exclusively in prearranged exhibition matches.  In 1929, he took part in a match with professional football player turned wrestler, Gus Sonnenberg.

Sonnenberg was on the Providence Steam Roller, when the team won the NFL Championship in 1928.  Sonnenberg joined Providence in 1927, when he met Boston wrestling promoter Paul Bowser.  Bowser saw star power in Sonnenberg.  He trained Sonnenberg on how to “work” matches for professional wrestling.

Sonnenberg quickly  rewarded Bowser’s faith by becoming a big box office star.  One of the early news reels covered the Lewis-Sonnenberg match.  Lewis was the current World Champion but the third biggest box office draw behind Sonnenberg and Jim Londos, arguably wrestling’s biggest star.  Londos was aligned with rival wrestling promoters.

Sonnenberg’s finishing move was the “flying tackle”, one of the early cooperative finishes in wrestling.  Sonnenberg didn’t have a wrestling background.  He was completely dependent on his opponents to lead him through the match. Sonnenberg would also be helpless if the opponent chose to “shoot on him” or turn the match into a legitimate contest.

Watch the highlights above to see how a professional “sold” the effects of a move.  Lewis looked so exhausted at the end of the first fall, Sonnenberg looked like a legitimate threat.  The title credibly changed hands because Lewis made Sonnenberg look so strong.

New readers may ask, why would “Strangler” Lewis lose the title, if he could easily defeat Sonnenberg.  The answer is always the same in professional wrestling, money.  Lewis was part of the Bowser promoting group, so he received part of the box office money.  Sonnenberg was a bigger star, so Lewis could make more money with Sonnenberg holding the World Championship.  Lewis also had another motive.

The effects of trachoma, which wasn’t treatable at the time, was slowly blinding “Strangler” Lewis.  The disease spread through the dirty mats wrestlers often worked on.  By 1929, Lewis could only see the outlines of objects.

Lewis wanted to start winding down his career at nearly 40 years of age.  However, he would be called on several times in the 1930s to legitimately beat wrestlers, who had grown arrogant and unwilling to cooperate with promoters.  Lewis, past his prime, could still legitimately beat any of the other wrestlers, if they refused to cooperate.

In 1929,  a preliminary wrestler aligned with the other big box office star, Jim Londos, would attack Sonnenberg in the street.  The wrestler wanted to expose Sonnenberg’s lack of wrestling ability.  The incident was mentioned in a few papers but the attack largely failed to expose Sonnenberg.

Paul Bowser was smart enough not to match Sonnenberg with any wrestler with the ability or desire to double-cross Sonnenberg after the “Big” Wayne Munn disaster.  Londos’ team resorted to desperate tactics to embarrass Sonnenberg and his backers.  Sonnenberg dropped the title to Ed Don George in December 1930.

Let me know what you think of the wrestling in this short news reel.  Also, note Lewis’ physique.  It is a reminder that looks have nothing to do with actual grappling ability.  You can leave a comment or ask a question about this or any post in the comment section below or on my Facebook page or Twitter profile.

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