Wrestling icon Kendo Nagasaki has been left feeling ‘frustrated’ after Hanley’s Victoria Hall shot down his hopes of hosting his last-ever live bout. Peter Thornley – the man behind the infamous Kendo mask – holds a Guinness World Record for being the oldest professional wrestler on the planet at the age of 83.
Originally from Crewe, he began his career with a debut match hosted at the Victoria Hall in 1964. Since then, he has held hundreds of matches in the venue.
The showman was planning to do one last ‘swan song’ at his old stomping grounds before retiring and moving to Blackpool. But he has now been knocked back.
Peter, who has lived in a mansion near Alton for years, expressed his disappointment: “I’ve got a long history with the Victoria Hall. I did my first ever show there back in 1964, so I think it’s fitting to do my last one there as a celebration of my history. I’ve been hundreds of times and fought a lot the greats there; I’ve beaten Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, and even Andre the Giant – who was crowned the eighth wonder of the world.
“We put this idea to them, and they just gave a short response: ‘Sorry, we cannot accommodate this event. Have you tried speaking to the King’s Hall?’ It’s a bit like saying to Margot Fontaine, ‘We can’t have you at the Royal Opera House, go to Catford.’
“I’ve got nothing against the King’s Hall, but I’ve only performed there twice. My history is with the Victoria Hall.”
Peter began his career at the Victoria Hall after being introduced to the wrestling world by some close friends.
He explained: “I was a British Judo champion at the time. And I was training to go to the 1964 Olympic Games, because it was the first time the discipline was being introduced there. But I lost my index finger on my left hand, so that stopped my ambition. I was friends with the wrestler Count Bartelli, and he said I should get into the wrestling business. I’m a working class lad from a council house and he said, ‘It’s time for you to make some money.’
“I was always a very physical person so it was a great fit for me. I was what you call a ‘straight wrestler’ because I could actually do it for real. I was the guy that if you got in the ring and tried to mess about with me, you’d be making a big mistake.”
Peter Thornley in his gym, aged 83
The wrestler believes that the Victoria Hall is missing out on the opportunity for the sake of being cautious.
Kendo added: “My basic opinion is that the people who run these venues have become very dull. I think they’re accountants, not showpeople. It’s all about the bottom line and it’s very grey. They’re no longer fuelled by imagination. That’s why town centres are dying – because of these boring people. I’m a showman and I can see that it should be done.
“I was listening to BBC Radio Stoke, and they had a wrestling promoter on there. The presenter said they’ve had all the greats there, and he mentioned Kendo Nagasaki. One of their listeners rang in and said, ‘I was there when Nagasaki beat Count Bartelli in 1966!’ A few other punters rang in too. But the Victoria Hall still seem to think that Kendo Nagasaki isn’t big enough to put on.
“When I performed in 1966, we packed out the entire hall of 1,800 people. People were standing right up in the aisles, and there was a big crowd outside because we just couldn’t get everybody in. The last time I performed at the Victoria Hall in 2005 we still had a good turnout of about 1000 people.
“If this was happening in America they’d make a huge deal of it! I’m not just the oldest wrestler in the UK, I’m the oldest professional in the world! You could generate some real spectacle with that – they’d have it on in Madison Square Garden. But here? Nah, not interested. We’ve gotten too dull.”
Victoria Hall’s operator, ATG Entertainment, told StokeonTrentLive: “With a busy program of scheduled and announced productions at the Victoria Hall, we’re sorry that we couldn’t accommodate Kendo’s final wrestling show at the venue but wish them all the best.”
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