Kendo Nagasaki has become the second-oldest wrestler to ever compete in the ring at the grand old age of 83.
The mysterious masked wrestler wowed fans during the heyday of British wrestling. He was a consistent draw for Joint Promotions and All Star Wrestling and was a mainstay on World of Sport on ITV for decades.
His matches against stars like Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks made him a household name, as did his infamous unmasking ceremony on TV in 1977. Millions up and down the country clamoured to see the man behind the mask, although Kendo Nagasaki later put it back on a few years later.
The British legend retired from wrestling numerous times over the years, most recently in 2008. However, he announced later this year that he was returning to the ring one final time to make sixty years since his debut in wrestling, all the way back in 1964.
There were concerns regarding his return to action. At 83-years-old, he can’t have been in any shape to wrestle. With the wear-and-tear his body suffered during his career and the fact he was about 30 years removed from his last full-time run in wrestling, there was very little expectation from the man who has enjoyed his free bus pass for the past 23 years.
That did not stop Kendo Nagasaki. Last night at Croydon’s Fairfield Halls, Kendo Nagasaki set foot in the wrestling ring for one final time. Adorned in his traditional cape and carrying the sword gifted to him by Kenshiro Abbe, he wrestled in a six-man tag team match for the fans of the LDN promotion.
Kendo Nagasaki teamed up with Dead Gorgeous (Ben Nelson & Jordan Nelson) to defeat the trio of DD Crooks, Sanjay Bagga & Stevie Fee. We’re still waiting on specific details for this match, but we do know that Kendo Nagasaki and his team picked up the victory in his final outing.
Kendo Nagasaki wore a special mask for his final match. The Englishman is one of the most prominent LGBT wrestlers in British history and recently came out as bisexual (although he admits that societal pressures made him bisexual, rather than just gay).
For this match, he wore a rainbow version of his mask, which you can buy on eBay with profits going to the Kendo Nagasaki Foundation.
His appearance in the match broke one record. Kendo Nagasaki became the oldest masked wrestler ever, beating Mil Mascaras who wrestled his last match in 2019 at the age of 76. He also has the honour of being the second-oldest male wrestler ever, only beaten by Dory Funk Jr who wrestled in a Double Hell Current Explosion Death Match earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Mae Young’s match against LayCool on Raw in 2010 made her the oldest wrestler ever at the age of 87.
After the match was done, Kendo Nagasaki recreated one of the most iconic moments from his career. The “Japanese” samurai warrior recreated his unmasking ceremony from 1977, removing his mask to reveal himself to be Peter Thornley. He is a former mechanic and car salesman who was adopted as a baby and became one of Britain’s most prominent LGBT wrestlers, and not a maniacal Japanese warrior (as everybody already knew).
To verify his identity, Thornley asked members of the audience to verify the missing finger on his left hand, as well as the strange tattoo that remains on his head. Given that he has had his mask removed multiple times and has done numerous interviews maskless in the build-up to this match, there was no doubt that this 83-year-old man was indeed the real Peter Thornley.
LDN Wrestling are known to honour some of the biggest legends of the sport. They recently played host to George Kidd’s final outing and are happy to pay respect to the stars of the golden age of British wrestling.
