MUCH-TRAVELLED WRESTLING ACE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 232, 30 September 1944, Page 6 (Supplement)

MUCH-TRAVELLED WRESTLING ACE

ONE of the most colossal characters in all of wrestledom is Ed. "Strangler" Lewis. The 2651b, 53-year-old ace of the world's mats was a visitor to Vancouver last month, after completing a 14 weeks' tour of U.S. Army, Navy and marine bases, travelling night and day and giving two-hour shows every night Lewis talks of 36 years of wrestling, explains that he retired about five years ago, stayed out of action for three years and finally weighed 3651b. "I came back then," he says with a chuckle, and his large head, nestling comfortably enough on a neck that takes a 20-size collar, nods in fuh agreement with himself. He has travelled five times around the world, wrestled in India before thousands of the faithful. . "Over there the Maharajahs have their own stables of wrestlers, something like rich men have stables of horses here," explained Lewis. However, in Calcutta and Bombay there are private promoters of wrestling

shows and, of course, it is the biggest sport of all. "Are wrestlers harder to figure than horses?" we asked. "I don't think so—l never could beat the horses," was the answer.