Robert Herman Julius Friederich (June 30, 1891 – August 8, 1966) was an American Professional Wrestler as Ed "Strangler" Lewis. He debuted in 1905 and wrestled all over the world. He was a pioneering promoter as part of the Gold Dust Trio with promoters Toots Mondt and Big Billy Sandow. He retired in 1948 and died in 1966. He was a 4x World Heavyweight Champion, the true and original version of the title, not to be confused with the Big Gold Belt in WWE. He was the inaugural and 2x AWA (Massachusetts) World Heavyweight Champion (not to be confused with the American Wrestling Association), a 1x New York State Athletic Commission World Heavyweight Champion and a 1x MWA (Kansas City, KS) World Heavyweight Champion. He was inducted into The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996 and the WWE Hall of Fame Legacy Wing in 2016.
"Ed Troper Lewis":
- Badass Teacher: Among the wrestlers he trained were Lou Thesz and Gene LeBell.
- Carpet of Virility: Type 1, as shown above.
- Finishing Move: Sleeper Hold, Headlock
- Named by Democracy: The French gave him the Red Baron "Strangler" because that's what they thought he was doing to his opponent when he applied a Sleeper Hold. His ring name is actually a tribute to an earlier wrestling star Evan "Strangler" Lewis, so the name they gave was completely appropriate.
- Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: The Gold Dust Trio created some of the first storylines in wrestling history, including the prototype of a promotional rivalry with Joe Stecher.
- Stone Wall: He influenced the use of this fighting style in Catch Wrestling.
