Zbyszko and Lewis Start Riot

On April 7, 1914, 22-year-old Wladek Zbyszko met 22-year-old Ed “Strangler” Lewis would meet in the first of many matches between the two men.  They would cooperate in a number of worked or “prearranged” matches.  Lewis in fact dropped his American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship to Wladek Zbyszko in 1917.  In the early 1920s, Lewis would drop his World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship to Wladek’s older brother Stanislaus Zbyszko.  In their first match though, neither man was feeling cooperative.

Wladek Zbyszko won several European Greco-Roman Wrestling tournaments before coming to the United States in 1913.  Wladek at 212 pounds was significantly smaller than his older brother.  He would late fill out to 225 pounds.

Ed “Strangler” Lewis started wrestling at 14 years of age.  Born Robert Herman Julius Friedrich, he took the name Ed “Strangler” Lewis to honor fellow Wisconsin grappler and Friedrich’s hero, Evan “Strangler” Lewis.

Whether the match was a “work” or a “shoot”, legitimate contest, Wladek Zbyszko and Ed Lewis had tension between them leading into the match.  Word in wrestling circles focused on both men being willing to brawl if the other took liberties.

Wladek Zbyszko, a Polish wrestler, benefited from a strong local Polish community in Detroit, Michigan.  Lewis, a resident of next door Wisconsin, also had several supporters present.

Lewis enjoyed a size advantage.  Beginning his career in the 220 pound range, Lewis retired as a 5’10”, 265 pound crusher.  In this match, he enjoyed a 10 plus pound advantage over a smaller but strong Zbyszko.

According to reports of the match, both men employed rough tactics for 20 minutes without either man scoring an advantage.  The men pulled and tugged on each other, landed forearm blows, heeled each other with the palms and Zbyszko reportedly poked Lewis in the eye.

After 20 minutes of this rough and tumble match, Ed Lewis disregarded his feared “stranglehold” for a powerful right hand to the jaw.  The blow struck Wladek Zbyszko momentarily senseless.  Lewis moved in for more damage.

Luckily for Zbyszsko, the Polish fans began to rush the ring and attempt to attack Lewis.  Lewis’ supporters began brawling with the Polish fans.  Several newspaper reporters claimed the fights in the crowd surpassed the fight in the ring.

 A squad of Detroit Police cleared the ring and ringside area.  Initially, the referee disqualified Lewis and awarded the match to Zbyszko.  Lewis cried foul and accused Zbyszko of trying to gouge his eye out.  Lewis claimed he struck Wladek in self-defense.  After some debate, officials declared the match a no contest.

Whatever bad will existed between the men dissipated over the years.  They began to cooperate with each other in their matches.  While Lewis may have struck Zbyszko to build up future matches, the result and reactions lead me to conclude their youth led them to an actual brawl.  The rough tactics they used on each other were definitely real.

Do you think it was a contest or a prearranged outcome?  Why or why not? 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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