In the 1970's with the growing Popularity of KUNG FU and related Martial Arts along
with DAVID CARRADINE'S T.V.Series-Wrestling was quick to jump on the 'Bandwagon'!
Probably the Most Successful in British Rings was EDDIE HAMILL-but Oriental Visitors
from the East began to make regular Appearances and one of the Best was JON GUIL DON
who remained Unbeaten in his first 3 Tours of the U.K.
Master of the High Kick this Fighter adapted well to Wrestling and formed a Tag Team-
although erstwhile with the AMAZING KUNG FU!!
I believe ANGLO was lucky enough to see him-sadly I did not-but by all accounts he
caused a bit of a Sensation and was a real Crowd Puller!
He even had one Outing against the Great BOBBY BARNES-I don't know the Result
but if JON GUIL DON got the Verdict-it will have been a Fluke!
Who else Witnessed him in the Ring?-Poster-Photo-Programmes to follow!
MAIN MASK
I believe I saw him a number of times on World Of Sport as Kung Fu wearing a mask before the small amount of visible hair at the back changed colour when Eddie Hammill took over.
I also remember the match with Jon Guil Don on TV, and his misinterpretation of the count.. I thought the bout was against Tug Wilson..
I think he had a tv defeat vs Rocco.He was counted out after being outside the ring longer than the 10 count.Co-Promoter Arthur Green entered the ring to explain that because of Jon's limited English he thought it was a 20 count similar to other countries and simply misunderstood the rules.
I agree, super talented.
But he wasn't from the East, he was from the West: San Salvador.
You said he had three tours, Main Mask - that is news to me. I thought he had one long stint.
I did see him live versus Mo Hunter and it was an incredible bout.IIRC it was at Liverpool Stadium.His tv bouts that I remember were vs Rocco.He also took on the heavies KO'd Steve Haggerty on(I think) tv.For me the most talented wrestler I ever saw.
I recall seeing Jon Guil Don on two Morrell and Beresford shows in the early 70s. He was victorious against both Bobby Graham at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester and Ivan Penzekoff at The Nottingham Ice Rink.
I also saw him at The King George's Hall, Blackburn, where he beat Peter Preston on a Brian Dixon show and Preston cooked his goose in spectacular fashion. His bout with Guil Don was scheduled to be the main supporting contest just before the interval with Mitzi Mueller performing in the main event (I forget her opponent) after the interval but Preston insisted that he was not playing second fiddle to lady wrestlers and insisted on Mitzi going on before the interval with his bout being the main event. Dixon gave way but was extremely unhappy and said that it would be a cold day in hell before Preston worked for him again.
I was seconding Guil Don that night and, although his English was broken, I managed to follow the story he told me of his success the night before. It did not involve his wrestling opponent but did involve a mother and her daughter who were waiting at the stage door, ostensibly for autographs.
the name Jon Guil Don sounds like Hong Gildong, who was a Korean folk hero. There was a movie made about him, I believe in the mid 1980s.