Robert Herman Julius Friedrich[2] (June 30, 1891 – August 8, 1966), better known by the ring name Ed "Strangler" Lewis, was an American professional wrestler and trainer.

Considered to be one of the most iconic and recognizable sports stars of the 1920s, often alongside boxer Jack Dempsey and baseball player Babe Ruth, Lewis notably wrestled in over 6,000 matches (many of which were real contests) and lost only 32 of them.

One of the most legitimately feared grapplers of all time,[4] Lewis was known for his catch wrestling prowess and trained many future champions, most notably Lou Thesz, Danny Hodge, Dick Hutton and Gene LeBell.

Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Born in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, to German parents, Friedrich was an active youngster, participating in amateur wrestling, basketball and track.

In 1931, Lewis and partner, Billy Sandow, signed former Notre Dame All-American running back "Jumping Joe" Savoldi to his first professional wrestling contract.

After winning the AWA World Heavyweight Championship in April 1931, he faced Henri Deglane in May for a title defense in Montreal in a two-out-of-three falls match.

On September 20, 1934, Lewis wrestled Jim Londos in front of an audience of 35,275 at Wrigley Field, and drawing a record gate of $96,302, which would stand until 1952.

He beat Floyd Marshall, John Spellman, Glen Wade and Rusty Wescoatt, and lost twice to the Canadian champion Earl McCready, who was then established as the top wrestler in New Zealand.