Born in Nekoosa, Wisconsin to German parents, Friedrich was an active youngster, participating in amateur wrestling, basketball and track. Friedrich would end up solely focusing on wrestling, finding success competing in local competitions against other farmers. Friedrich began wrestling professionally at the age of 14, using the ring name Ed "Strangler" Lewis, first in Louisville, Kentucky, partly in tribute of 1890s star Evan "Strangler" Lewis and so his parents wouldn't discover it was him. It was also stated in the A&E documentary "The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling" that he was dubbed the Strangler after a match in France where he applied a sleeper hold, and the French, who were unfamiliar with the hold, thought he was strangling his opponent.