On May 25, 1950, an NWA Bulletin circulated and stated that there had been some confusion regarding the role Ed "Strangler" Lewis was playing in the Alliance. Some members were advertising Lewis "as the 'czar' of wrestling." To clarify his position, the bulletin stated that Lewis was "merely selected at the NWA meeting in November to act as a Good Will or Public Relations man. He was never picked as a czar." It continued: "This is made more ridiculous by advertising him as a czar, then having him referee matches. Would Happy Chandler, the Commissioner of Baseball, be chosen to umpire a ball game?" During the Tulsa NWA Convention in September 1951, it was decided that the world heavyweight champion was to receive 15 per cent of the net house for every appearance he made. From that 15 per cent, Lewis would take 2 1/2 per cent and the NWA President would take another 2 1/2 per cent. Also, when Lewis appeared in a town, he was "to receive the equivalent of preliminary money" from the local promoter. Whether he was in town or not, Lewis was to do all he could to help with publicity. In Muchnick's NWA Bulletin #3 dated November 16, 1956, he explained that Lewis was receiving $7,500 a year from the organization, "as we agreed on at the last meeting," and believed it would be a good idea if Lewis traveled with Lou Thesz again. As he'd previously done, Lewis would be responsible for interviews and to relieve Thesz from many appearances that he'd normally be forced to handle himself. Being the kind of man Lewis was, affable and outgoing, it was a natural fit for the "Strangler." Research by Tim Hornbaker December 15, 2010 |
| National Wrestling Alliance & Ed "Strangler" Lewis |
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