Peter Thornley
| Birth name | Peter William Thornley |
|---|---|
| Born |
19 October 1941 Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, UK |
| Website | Official website |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Kendo Nagasaki |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Billed weight | 15 st (95 kg) - 18 st (110 kg) |
| Trained by | Geoff Condliffe |
| Debut | November 1964 |
Peter William Thornley (born 19 October 1941) is a retired English professional wrestler who was best known for the ring character Kendo Nagasaki. According to the storyline Nagasaki was a Japanese Samurai with a mysterious past and reputed powers of healing and hypnosis. He was one of the biggest draws of all time in British Wrestling, especially in the mid-1970s and the turn of the 1980s/1990s.
Thornley wore a mask for most of his career, except for several months following a December 1977 televised voluntary unmasking ceremony. He originally retired in 1978 but returned to active competition briefly in 1981 and then more permanently in 1986, remaining active until 1993 and then making sporadic wrestling appearances ever since.
Thornley and his close associates frown on the use of his legal name, preferring that his out-of-character self be referred to as "Yogensha" (Japanese for seer). According to his official website, the Nagasaki character is "in fact, a spirit guide and sensei ... who appears by being channeled through an otherwise ordinary man" i.e. Thornley/Yogensha
Thornley previously discussed the relationship with his character in an interview for TVTimes in 1976 in which he claimed that the Nagasaki character was "... the spirit of a samurai warrior who, 300 years ago, lived in the place that is now called Nagasaki" which he had contacted while in "a trance state" during meditation.
In November 1964 Thornley had his first professional contest against "Jumping" Jim Hussey at Willenhall Baths. Nagasaki's most notable achievement during the 1960s was in March 1966 when he defeated and unmasked Count Bartelli (Crewe-born Geoff Condliffe) at the Victoria Hall in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.
Bartelli had been Nagasaki's mentor and tag team partner (and Condliffe had been Thornley's real life trainer) until they had a storyline falling out over Nagasaki's rough tactics in the ring. During the late 1960s, Nagasaki would feud with Billy Robinson and also with a young Jean Ferre.
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Wikipedia