Oakeley emerged as the champion after a lengthy tournament. Later on he would also hold the British Light Heavyweight Championship for a period of time between 1930 and 1932. The BWA shows became very popular, with at least 40 regular venues for wrestling in London alone. Oakeley claimed that one event had two million fans in attendance, a claim that was never substantiated as a fact and instead written off as the storyline that often goes with professional wrestling. Oakeley's claim was believed to be as factual as his claim to once have wrestled a opponent. At some point during the early 1930s Oakeley toured Europe, holding the European Heavyweight Championship) Due to the brutal schedule of wrestling over 2,000 matches in his 5-year career Oakeley retired from in ring competition in 1935 vacating the British Heavyweight Championship in the process. Following his retirement he focused on promoting wrestling instead until 1954 where the British Wrestling Association closed its doors. Late in his career Oakeley trained Lord Alfred Hayes for his professional wrestling career.