Les Thatcher

Les Thatcher
Thatcher in July 2014
Birth name	Leslie Alan Malady
Born	(1940-10-28) October 28, 1940 (age 76) Cincinnati, Ohio
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Les Thatcher
Billed height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Billed weight	223 lb (101 kg)
Billed from	Victoria, Texas
Trained by	Tony Santos
Debut	July 4, 1960

Leslie Alan Malady (born October 28, 1940), better known by the name Les Thatcher, is an American former professional wrestler who achieved many accolades over his career. He now has a hand in running "Elite Pro Wrestling Training" in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, with other professional wrestlers, Harley Race and Ricky Steamboat.

Thatcher was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, with an Irish father and a French/English mother. He first watched wrestling when he was eight years old while at a friend's house. He said, "The action on that little ten-inch black & white screen just reached out and grabbed me". In his youth, he played basketball, baseball, and football. He started wrestling at his local YMCA as a twelve-year-old. He attended Central High School in Cincinnati.

Thatcher heard about Tony Santos, a promoter and owner of a wrestling school in Boston, Massachusetts. Shortly thereafter, he began training in February 1960.

On July 4, 1960, Les Thatcher made his professional wrestling debut against “Cowboy” Ronnie Hill in Blue Hill, Maine.

In 1966, Thatcher started to work as part of a "cousins" faction. He was a member of the team with Roger Kirby and Dennis Hall. They used this gimmick in various southern territories until 1969.

He won several regional tag team championships with various partners, including Nelson Royal and Roger Kirby. He turned his hand to singles competition and excelled as a junior heavyweight. He was noted for his high-flying dropkicks and sound technical ability.

In 1974, Thatcher started to host and produce Southeastern Championship Wrestling. Throughout his broadcasting career, he has worked with Gordon Solie, Bob Caudle, Lance Russell and Jim Ross. During his announcing/hosting tenure, he worked for such companies as Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and Georgia Championship Wrestling. He helped to introduce concepts that are still common on wrestling programming today.