Ed Lewis

And then Joe Acton defeated Bibby for it.

And then Evan the Strangler Lewis defeated Acton.

And it was really Evan the Strangler Lewis that established the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.

as a clear and distinct championship.

And Lewis would hold the title from 1887 until 1895.

Martin Farmer Burns was born in 1861 in Iowa.

He was a very skilled catch wrestler.

It took him a while to get known nationally, but he gave Evan the Strangler Lewis some of his toughest legitimate matches.

I, uh...

I think she's been taking lessons from Strangler Lewis.

I

don't see any ghost.

This move angered Strangler Lewis and Billy Sandow, but they awaited an opportunity to even matters up.

It came the next year in Los Angeles.

Bowser, believing he had placated Lewis and Sandow, matched Lewis with George for the heavyweight title.

The pair met April 14, 1931, drew one of the biggest gates in history of wrestling and one of the greatest upsets in matdom occurred when Lewis threw George to regain the title.

Bowser, needless to say, was enraged, but had to make the best of an unfortunate occurrence.

The screams continued.

They were issuing from DeGlane's throat.

The surprised Lewis released his hold and sprang to his feet.

And that's how Tony and I came across each other.

And Tony also was asking about the Evan Strangler Lewis book.

And Tony, you've got a copy of that coming on PDF.

So you should have it actually as you hear this podcast this week.

But not only would he not defend the title outside of Greco-Roman wrestling, he would not take a match, a mixed styles match, with a skilled catch wrestler like Acton or Evan Strangler-Lewis, or Edwin Bibby for that matter, because he wasn't going to risk even one fall under catch rules where he could be caught in a submission and injured.

He never wrestled Acton.

And he only wrestled Evan the Strangler Lewis in catch-as-catch-can wrestling bouts.

Never would he do a mixed styles bout where Lewis could wrestle him under catch-as-catch-can rules.

Who are you betting on?

Strangler Lewis.

Oh.

Say, Pop, I just had a big fight with Mr. Benny about Barbara Sandwich.

He would hold the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.

For a brief time, I think he won it from Ed Strangler-Lewis in Kentucky.

And then he lost it to Dr. Benjamin F. Roller, probably in Kentucky as well.

But it could have been Chicago.

Oh, oh, no thanks.

Uh, suppose I don't know you'd turn out to be a female Strangler Lewis, huh?

[laughs]

Huh, just trying to get better acquainted, here I get slammed against my own wall.