Express Hall of Fame: Legacy Induction

After choosing to split up the eras last year between the Golden, Modern, & Territory eras. However, with the new class slowly coming upon us I decided to take a page out of WWE's book and move to a more legacy award concept. The reason for the move is because I feel as though with using the underling Legacy idea I feel like I could induct more people this year than I did the year before. I decide to induct the legacy inductees first to explain the reason I chose to make the change to the Legacy Induction instead of the Golden Era. 

​Ed "Strangler" Lewis- As we visit back into the past it is hard to not mention the man who invented the sleeper hold. During a match in Europe, Lewis put his opponent in the sleeper hold and most of the fans in attendance believed that Lewis was strangling his opponent and that is not just the first sleeper, but also how he got his nickname. Lewis also played a pivotal roll as a member of the "Gold Dust Trio" with promoter Big Billy Sandow & Toot Mondt. Even though there is more to this trio I will elaborate on another date. Lewis however was the first man to willing drop the title knowing that he could get the title back at another time. Lewis played a major part in laying the ground work for the future of wrestling. 

​Mildred Burke: This female competitor was one of the first ladies to actually fight in a wrestling match and not against other women. According to research Burke actually competed against men in shoot fights and would usually win her matches and would be a leader to find women a spot in wrestling. Though Burke would reign as champion for 20 years she earned her keep as she fought to allow women to be included in the National Wrestling Alliance which would open the door for women to be featured on a large scale. Burke would have a hand in training numerous stars of the 1980's much like Fabulous Moolah, but even though she may have been "blackballed" from major wrestling their is no doubting that she was one woman who laid the first bricks in building the legacy of women's wrestling. 

​Jim Londos: The man known as the "Golden Greek" was also basically the innovator of the gimmick match. Best known for his physique and looks he would only compete in matches against the ugliest fellow wrestlers he could find. The reason for this was due to Jim's lacking wrestling skills and was used as a way to cover this lack of skill up from the fans and make Jim a reliable source for early promoters. 

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​The next set of legacy inductions will becoming in the coming weeks. Check out last year's small Golden Era class right here.