Robert Herman Julius Friedrich, better known by the ring name Ed "Strangler" Lewis, was an American professional wrestler and trainer. During his wrestling career, which spanned four decades, Lewis was a four-time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion and overall recognized officially as a five-time world champion. 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 and lost only 32 of them.
William John Potts, was a Canadian professional wrestler best known by his ring name "Whipper" Billy Watson. He was a two-time world champion, having held both the National Wrestling Association title and the National Wrestling Alliance title.
Orville Brown was an American professional wrestler. He is a thirteen-time world champion and was recognized as the first NWA World Heavyweight Champion in 1948. Brown's professional wrestling career ended on November 1, 1949, when he suffered severe injuries in an automobile accident.
Peter Sauer, was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Ray Steele. He was born and raised in Norka, a German colony in Russia, in 1900 before immigrating to Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1906. A highly skilled and dangerous catch wrestler, Steele was known for his extensive knowledge of submission holds.
Frank Sexton was an American professional wrestler in the early to mid-twentieth century. Along with Orville Brown, Bill Longson, and Lou Thesz, he was one of the biggest stars of the 1940s. A multiple-time world champion, his most significant run was as the Boston American Wrestling Association (AWA) World Heavyweight Champion from June 27, 1945 until May 23, 1950, when he lost the championship to Don Eagle in Cleveland, Ohio. Sexton died in 1990.
Everett Marshall was an American professional wrestler, who won championship titles in the Midwest Wrestling Association (MWA), National Wrestling Association (NWA) and Rocky Mountains.
Heart of America Sports Attractions, Inc., operating as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance, was an American professional wrestling promotion that ran shows mainly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa. Due to the promotion's main office and base of operations being in Kansas City, Missouri the territory was often referred to simply as "Kansas City". The promotion existed from July 1948 until it closed in 1989. The territory was one of the original territories of the National Wrestling Alliance with two of the six "founding fathers" of the NWA promoting in it.
Leroy Michael McGuirk was an American amateur and professional wrestler, and wrestling promoter. He was involved in professional wrestling for more than fifty years. As one of the longest surviving members of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), he was affiliated with the promotion from 1949 to 1982, where he was a one-time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion.
The MWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Kansas City, Kansas-based Midwest Wrestling Association (MWA). It was the direct predecessor of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship, and a successor of sorts to the early world heavyweight championships. The title was created in 1940, and first held by Bobby Bruns that January.
The AAC World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the Atlantic Athletic Commission in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The title was created in 1957 when Edouard Carpentier defeated the NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz when Thesz could not continue due to a back injury. As it was a professional wrestling championship, the AAC World Heavyweight Championship was not won not by actual competition, but by a scripted ending to a match.
Ken Fenelon was an American professional wrestler, boxer, promoter and referee. He was the first NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion and the first two-time holder of the title which he held for a total of 301 days.
Marshall Wallace Esteppe was an American amateur and professional wrestler. He wrestled primarily throughout the National Wrestling Alliance where he became a three-time World Junior Heavyweight Champion. Following his retirement from professional wrestling, Esteppe became wrestling coach at the University of Missouri. He coached four years voluntarily and is remembered by the university through their "Marshall Esteppe Most Outstanding Freshman" wrestler award, for his role in relaunching M.U.'s wrestling program.
Albert Joe Criswell, better known as Joe McCarthy, was an American professional wrestler who competed in the 1950s and 1960s primarily throughout the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) where he was a former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion. He was a prominent competitor for various NWA territories including Nick Gulas's NWA Mid-America and Leroy McGuirk's NWA Tri-State.
Anton Charles "Tony" Stecher was an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling and boxing promoter and trainer. He was the booker and trainer for his brother, World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Joe Stecher, and later was America's top wrestling promoter. In 1948, Stecher was one of five promoters to back Paul "Pinkie" George in the formation of the National Wrestling Alliance.
Albert C. Haft was a wrestler, wrestling and boxing promoter and wrestling trainer who was a prominent promoter in the United States from the late 1910s until the 1960s, running his operations primarily from Columbus, Ohio. He founded the Midwest Wrestling Alliance and was one of the founding members of the National Wrestling Alliance in 1948.
The MAC World / International Heavyweight Championship was a Canadian professional wrestling championship created and sanctioned by the Montreal Athletic Commission (MAC). While the Commission sanctioned the title, it did not promote the events in which the Championship was defended. From 1935 until 1938, the American Wrestling Association (AWA) controlled the Championship. The AWA World Heavyweight Championship was recognized by the MAC as the world championship until February 1938 when Yvon Robert was stripped of the title after refusing to wrestle Lou Thesz. A separate world title was created specifically for Quebec and, after the Commission granted promoter Eddie Quinn control of the championship, was used as the main singles title for Canadian Athletic Promotions from 1939 to 1963 and finally by the International Wrestling Association / All-Star Wrestling from 1964 until the mid-1970s. In 1975 the championship was abandoned and replaced by the Canadian International Heavyweight Championship.
James Orville Browning was an American professional wrestler.
The World Heavyweight Championship was an American professional wrestling championship created and sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). While the Commission sanctioned the title, it did not promote the events in which the Championship was defended. From 1929 until 1931, the American Wrestling Association (AWA) controlled the Championship. The AWA World Heavyweight Championship was recognized by the CSAC as the world championship until May 4, 1931, when the Commission refused to recognize Henri Deglane's victory over Ed "Strangler" Lewis in Montreal, Quebec, as the title had changed hands via disqualification rather than the traditional pinfall or submission. Lewis remained champion in California, and a separate lineage was created.
Theodore Thye was an American wrestler, promotor and manager in the United States.
