Atholl Oakeley facts for kids

Sir Edward Atholl Oakeley (born May 31, 1900 – died January 1987) was a famous British professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He was also the 7th Baronet, of Shrewsbury. Known in the wrestling world as Atholl Oakeley, he was a key figure in bringing professional wrestling back to the United Kingdom. He became Britain's first heavyweight "all-in" wrestling champion in 1930 and held that title until 1935. He also won the European heavyweight championship in 1932.

About Atholl Oakeley

Early Life and Education

Edward Atholl Oakeley was born in Rhoscolyn, Anglesey, Wales. He was the oldest of four children. His parents were Major Edward Francis Oakeley and Lady Everilde Anne Beaumont. He was also a cousin to Sir Charles Richard Andrew Oakeley.

Edward went to Clifton College for his education. After that, he attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He then joined the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry as an officer.

Finding His Strength

When he was younger, Edward was attacked by a group of bullies. This experience inspired him to learn how to defend himself. He started practicing amateur wrestling and working on his strength.

There's a story that he drank 11 gallons of milk every day. He supposedly did this to build muscle, following advice from a famous wrestler named George Hackenschmidt. However, Hackenschmidt later said there was a misunderstanding about the amount.

Life After Wrestling

After he stopped wrestling professionally, Sir Edward wrote some books. One book was about the author R.D. Blackmore and his famous book Lorna Doone. It was called The Facts on which R.D. Blackmore based Lorna Doone.

He also wrote a book about his own life and wrestling career. This book was an autobiography titled Blue Blood on the Mat. Sir Edward passed away in January 1987.

Wrestling Career of Atholl Oakeley

Bringing Wrestling Back to Britain

Sir Edward was one of the main people who helped bring professional wrestling back to Britain. In late 1930, he teamed up with Henri Irslinger. Together, they started promoting "all-in" professional wrestling matches.

He made his wrestling debut on December 15, 1930. He wrestled under the name Atholl Oakeley. In his first match, he won against Bert Assirati, a wrestler he had helped train.

Real or Show?

At first, Irslinger and Oakeley said their wrestling matches were real sports competitions. They wanted people to believe that professional wrestling was not planned. This might have been true for some matches back then.

Oakeley himself said that the decline of his wrestling promotion was because "worked" (planned) matches became more exciting. He even claimed that one event had two million fans, which was likely a story to make wrestling seem more exciting. He also claimed to have wrestled an opponent who was 9 feet tall!

Becoming a Champion

The British Wrestling Association (BWA) was run by Irslinger and Oakeley. They held a tournament to find Britain's first British Heavyweight Champion in a long time. Oakeley won this long tournament and became the champion.

He also held the British Light Heavyweight Championship for a while between 1930 and 1932. The BWA shows became very popular. There were at least 40 regular places for wrestling matches in London alone.

European Success and Retirement

In the early 1930s, Oakeley traveled around Europe. During this time, he also won the European Heavyweight Championship.

He had a very busy wrestling schedule, competing in over 2,000 matches in just five years. Because of this tough schedule, Oakeley stopped wrestling in 1935. When he retired, he gave up his British Heavyweight Championship title.

After retiring from wrestling, he focused on promoting matches. He continued to promote wrestling until 1954. That's when the British Wrestling Association closed down. Later in his career, Oakeley also trained Lord Alfred Hayes to become a professional wrestler.

Championships and Accomplishments

• British Wrestling Association
  • British Heavyweight Championship (1 time, first)
  • British Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• European Wrestling
  • European Heavyweight Championship (1 time)