Mark Lewin

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Mark Lewin was a professional wrestler.

Contents 1 Career 2 Profile 3 Championships/Accomplishments 4 Trivia

[edit] Career

Mark Lewin broke into wrestling in the late '50s and had great early success in a matinee-idol babyface tag team with Don Curtis, headlining in major territories like New York and Chicago. The team's brief heel turn was a shock to its many fans. The team split up in the early '60s and Mark embarked on a singles career.

In 1963, Mark first tried out the "Maniac" Mark Lewin persona, which he would alternate consistently with his 'normal' babyface persona for the rest of his career. He wrestled in Australia in the 1960s and 1970s with great success. He frequently formed a tag team in Australia with King Curtis Iaukea. He also spent time in Detroit working against The Sheik and fellow wildman, Terry Funk. Lewin also wrestled in Vancouver with NWA All Star Wrestling, where he feuded with the likes of Gene Kiniski and "Bulldog" Bob Brown and twice won the Pacific Coast Heavyweight title.

He found a lot of success in World Class Championship Wrestling in the late 1970s and early 1980s before going to Florida Championship Wrestling, where he joined Kevin Sullivan's "cult" as The Purple Haze, another variation of the 'Maniac' gimmick.

Lewin retired in 1996.

[edit] Profile

• Height:6'2"
• Weight: 220-275 lbs.
• Birthday: February 26
• Hometown: Buffalo, New York
• Trainer: John Horton
• Debut: 1957
• Finisher: The Sleeper
• Managers: Gary Hart, Kevin Sullivan, Skandar Akbar, The Mighty Atlas (Morris Shapiro)
• Other Gimmicks: "Maniac" Mark Lewin, The Purple Haze

[edit] Championships/Accomplishments

• National Wrestling Alliance

National

• NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• NWA Australasian Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Steve Rickard (1), Al Perez (1), and Spiros Arion (1)
• NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version) (2 times)
• NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Northeast version) (1 time) - with Don Curtis

Regional

• NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver version) (2 times)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked him # 265 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.

• World Class Championship Wrestling

• WCCW American Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with The Spoiler
• WCCW Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Killer Tim Brooks & One Man Gang
• WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Championship (5 times)
• WCCW Texas Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
• WCCW Texas Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dick Steinborn

• World Wrestling Association (Los Angeles)

• WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Other Titles

• IWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dominic DeNucci

[edit] Trivia

Mark's brothers Donn and Ted (now a well known author and illustrator) also wrestled. Their sister married wrestler Danny McShain.