1. Ed The Strangler Lewis
If one man represents the bridge between what wrestling was and what wrestling is, then it is surely Ed The Strangler Lewis. Born Robert Friedrich in 1891, Lewis adopted his name (read: stole) from Evan Strangler Lewis (although it is also possible that he gained it from an article written about him in the French press). Ed Strangler Lewis won his first World Championship in 1920, (the same championship that his namesake had once held back in the late 19th century). From there, he became one of professional wrestlings first mega stars. Throughout the 1930s, The Strangler, together with his punishing (and genuinely feared) sleeper hold would lose and regain his title at will, successfully manipulating the business from behind the scenes, as well as from between the ropes. Lewis joined with promoters Billy Sandow and Joseph Toots Mondt (who would later become Vince Srs business partner in the WWWF and is thus a grandparent of todays WWE) to form The Gold Dust Trio, three men who revolutionised professional wrestling (and made a lot of money by doing so). From that point on, the trio booked the matches (the same way that matches are booked today) and incorporated elements of boxing, together with a faster, harder style of combat. They decreed who was on top and who would win and lose and they promoted (and thereby effectively controlled) the World Heavyweight Championship. The trio were, in effect, the first true wrestling promotion and their product (which consisted of, to quote Mondt, slam bang Western style wrestling) became the blueprint for literally everything that professional wrestling is today. Arguably the most gifted technical wrestler who ever lived, Lewis was a pure, logical athlete with a no-nonsense attitude and a rough-and-tumble legitimacy (that soon cleared up any doubts fans may have had as to wrestlings authenticity). He was also highly charismatic and able to go from town-to-town to promote his matches, regularly drawing huge crowds for the time. Essentially, wrestling may not have become a work (and subsequently an art form) without the influence of The Strangler, not only because of the trios accumulated backstage power, but also because he was such a good wrestler (and so universally feared) that he could literally beat anyone whenever he wanted. Because he was effectively unbeatable in a real fight, promoters could book him to drop a championship belt, knowing full well that he could win it back at any time. In addition, if any other star went into business for himself and tried to stretch The Strangler or steal his title, they would be roundly trounced within a matter of minutes. Without The Strangler, wrestling as we know it simply would not exist. If that doesnt justify his place here, then I dont know what does! ...So there you have it. I hope that you have enjoyed reading this list (and that you arent too mad if your favourite wrestler didnt make the cut). In fact, so many names were originally included and then taken out (Im still annoyed that I couldnt include The Sheik, Dynamite Kid, Andre or The Rock) that I shall have to do a second list in a few weeks time in order to atone for my sins. If you enjoyed this piece, please keep an eye out for it. - CQ