2021/08/16
Welcome to AustralianWrestling.org!
The website devoted to preserving the history of Australian wrestling.
We're in the process of renovating and moving some things around so some things may look a little strange but the aim is to minimise disruption.
This website was designed in 2012 with a scope of covering present and past wrestling in Australia.
The scope will change to prioritise the older stuff and make that a bit more accessible.
Thank you for your patience.
I also have another website (with my good buddy Greg) The Wrestling Roadshow which has more of a global scope. We have a podcast by the same name too and discuss all sorts of wrestling.
-CD
Mark Lewin
Name: Mark Lewin
Height: - 6'2”/ 188cm
Weight: - 240lb
Born: - March 16, 1937
From: - Buffalo, New York
Trained By: - John Horton
Debut: - 1953
Retired: - 1998
Finisher: - The Sleeper Hold
Also Known As: - Skip Lewin, Skippy Jackson, Eron Carpenter, The Purple Haze
Toured Australia: - 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974.
First made his name as a tag wrestler with Don Curtis, feuding with the hated Graham Bros. They mainly wrestled around New York and Chicago before splitting. Wrestled mainly in Los Angeles and Detroit, in between visits to Australia and New Zealand, Had a 6 month reign as WWA World champion in Los Angeles, defeating Lou Thesz in 1966 and losing it to Kintaro Oki in 1967. Held the IWA World title in Australia on 2 occasions, defeating Prof. Tanaka in 1966, and King Curtis in 1967.
Quickly became one of the most loved wrestlers to ever appear in Australia. In 1971, he was feuding with both King Curtis and the Von Steiger brothers, when he decided to team with Curtis to defeat the Steigers. The team worked so well that Curtis became a face and they later formed the basis of 'the People's Army' against Big Bad John.
Wrestled around Texas and Florida from 1975 on, wrestling as “The Purple Haze” as a heel. Apparently defeated Ric Flair for the NWA title in Auckland in 1983, but the decision was reversed.
Initially retire in the late 1980s, but continued to work sporadically until 1998.
Has two brothers, Donn and Ted, who also wrestled.
Returned to Australia in 1999 as the on-screen Commissioner for High Risk Pro Wrestling.
Titles Held: - IWA World Hwt (2), WWA World Hwt, US Hwt (2), Southern Hwt, Pacific Coast Hwt (2), Americas Hwt, Texas Hwt (3), NWA Brass Knuckles Hwt (5), IWA World Tag [8] (w. King Curtis (2), w. Bearcat Wright, w. Dominic De Nucci, w. Spiros Arion, w. Mario Milano, w. Killer Kowalski, w. Antonio Pugliese), Austro-Asian Tag (w. Spiros Arion), NWA US Tag (w. Don Curtis), Australasian Tag [3] (w. Steve Rickard, w. Al Perez, w. Spiros Arion), International Tag (w. Whipper Watson), Canadian Tag (w. Steven Little Bear), American Tag (w. The Spoiler), Texas Tag (w. Dick Steinborn), NWA World 6-Man Tag (w. One Man Gang & Killer Brooks)
Credit: Mark Dalgleish, Wikipedia, Libnan Ayoub's 100 Years of Australian Professional wrestling, Puroresu.com
Photo credit: prowrestling.wikia.com
