Also known as Alex Lundin
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Home Alone
Fate dealt a cruel blow to Alex Lundyn and his family. Alex had a decade of experience wrestling in Australia and New Zealand when he arrived in Britain in 1939. The plan was for a short stay to engage in a few wrestling matches and then return to his Australian home to his wife and young son.
Sadly, things did not work out as planned. On September 3rd war was declared and Alex was stranded; Britain was to be his home for the next five years.
We have a verified birth name of Oskar Olup and date of birth 22nd November, 1893 but his place of birth is less certain. In Britain he was consistently billed as Estonian, and it was said he left his home country following the First World War and had been trained to wrestle by Carl Pojello. So Estonian, Finnish, or more likely that he was American born, as Graeme Cameron has told us, with Scandinavian heritage.
He started wrestling professionally in the United States, in Chicago, turning pro in 1924 and working there for the first five years of his career.
In August, 1929 he arrived in Australia, where for the next ten years he was billed as Finnish. For ten years he was a well known name nationally throughout Australia, with visits to New Zealand and returns to the United States.
In September, 1939 we find him living in lodgings in Kings Cross. He wrestled in Britain throughout the war years whilst also serving as an Air Raid Warden in London, and training to become a clerk. In 1942 he told the local press that he was tired of wrestling and needed a change.
In Britain opponents included Bengal Engblom, Milo Popocopolis, Charlie Green, Jack Pye and Man Mountain Benny. In a business not known for under-statement we were amused to see Alex billed as “Near heavyweight champion of Estonia.”
On 1st October, 1946, the M.C, announced to fans at Ramsgate that Alex Lundyn would not be appearing, because he was on his way home to Australia. There are no records of any further wrestling in Australia.
Alex Lundyn died in Sydney on 22nd October, 1973.
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