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KENDO IN STAMPEDE

I was around 21 when Kendo did his tour of Stampede Wrestling. I live in Edmonton and the cards were held on Saturday nights. I thought Kendo was fantastic. He had stiff style which suited the Stampede territory and had an impressive persona. I particularly remember a tag match with Kendo and Lord Sloan (George Gillette) vs Dan Kroffat and Bruce Hart. Kendo carried the match as I don't remember Sloan even tagging in. The finish saw Kendo laying a beating on Bruce Hart and Keith Hart came in to make the save and got a beating too. A disqualification as I recall. Good stuff. I was fortunate to be in the only territory in North America where Kendo wrestled. Of all the British wrestled that worked in Stampede (Billy Robinson, Geoff Portz, Les Thornton, Dynamite Kid etc.) he and Dynamite were my favourites.

17 comments

17 Comments

johnnybegood51

Dec 07, 2023

Hi Ron. Yes I was aware of the Stampede circuit. TV host Ed Whalen would often announce what cities would be hosting cards on the weekly TV show. The shows were taped Friday evenings and shown Saturday afternoon. The main cities on the circuit were Calgary on Friday and Edmonton on Saturday. Sunday was a day off. The rest of the week varied over the years but Regina, Saskatoon, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat were usually in the mix.

I'm pretty sure there is footage of Kendo in Stampede but I've never seen it since the original broadcast. As soon as I saw him on TV in 1972, I knew I had to see him in person. I have vivid memories of Kendo pummeling the Hart brothers in a tag match.

In 2015 Vince McMahon bought the Stampede tape library. There was a brief dispute over ownership as Bret Hart was able to prove he owned the video of his Stampede matches. The WWE doesn't release much footage of Stampede matches, usually only when profiling WWE wrestlers who were previously in Stampede. There is a good Facebook page "Ring a Ding Dong Dandy/Stampede fan group" which has a lot of good information and links to videos.

RON HISTORYO....Time Cop,

Dec 07, 2023

Replying to

Big Thanks Johnny and don't forget Heritage if any footage ever shows up.

So you knew all about the scheduled shows everywhere. Did you get the results.

Did you see Kendo v Gordienko at any point.

Your photo , always thought that was Kendo's best mask. Was not keen on the thicker bars and also going blue , purple, red etc. For me Black was menace.

Edited

johnnybegood51

Dec 07, 2023

Replying to

While Kendo and Gordienko were on many of the same cards in Stampede, they did not wrestle each other. Kendo feuded with the Harts, Dan Kroffat, and Geoff Portz. I think they could have had some good matches, but Gordienko was 44 yrs old in 1972 and had slowed down considerably from his earlier visits. Gordienko retired a few years later to focus on a career as a painter.

Edited

johnnybegood51

Dec 07, 2023

Here are a couple of photos from the December 4, 1972 card that featured Kendo. Also on the card was Geoff Portz. His stay in Stampede was far too short but he made a huge impression on me.

RON HISTORYO....Time Cop,

Dec 07, 2023

Replying to

Johnny , I would be interested to know how or if you were aware back in 1972 that roughly 20 plus wrestlers were working six nights a week on the Calgary Loop. Was each city isolated in terms of news or was there perhaps news via magazines or handbills to show what was going on elsewhere. Many pairs were working bouts with each other all week. Did you know that.

Also do you think at this time Kendo Nagasaki was caught on any TV footage and do you think if so , it still exists.

By the end of 1973 back home , I became aware that Kendo was fighting Daddy Crabtree very very often. I actaully saw them at 4 venues in about a seven or eight days and started to get a bit disillusioned that an almost identical bout was happening in multiple venues. A quick bout with Kendo running from the ring with his mask ripped off.

But you are right , The Kendo you saw in 72 was a very impressive performer and at his peak.

johnnybegood51

Mar 27, 2023

David, I think you are incorrect regarding Kendo Nagasaki wrestling for Don Owen's Portland promotion. There was a Japanese wrestler named Sakurada who adopted the name and persona of the original Kendo Nagasaki. I have seen YouTube video of the copycat "Kendo Nagasaki" who wrestled in Portland but it wasn't Peter Thornley. Incidentally, while Sakurada was a copycat, he was a pretty good wrestler in his own right and had a hand in training Bret Hart in Stampede Wrestling along with another Stampede stalwart Mr. Hito.

Powerlock

Mar 29, 2023

Replying to

Sakurada didn't wrestle on the North American continent til November 1976 and bounced around the Texas area for over a year wrestling for NWA and Houston wrestling before heading to Stampede at the back end of January 1978. Sakurada was a Nagasaki copycat in name only he didn't wear a mask ,but wore make up like a deranged kabuki performer but he did like spraying the green mist and using a kendo stick.

here are the various names he wrestled under:

Bret Hart also spent time training under him.

johnnybegood51

Mar 30, 2023

Replying to

It wasn't my intention for comments to veer from the original Kendo Nagasaki topic but I wanted to clarify that the original Kendo Nagasaki's only North American appearances were in Stampede, and that it was the Japanese "Kendo" who wrestled in Portland. As I also mentioned, Sakurada got the idea when he was in Stampede which I was told first hand by Bret Hart. The Japanese Kendo also had a mask although he only wore it occasionally. I kind of wish Sakurada had not copied the idea as it created a lot of confusion.

Powerlock

Mar 30, 2023

Replying to

I think it's right that you did differentiate from the two, it clears up any confusion. I wonder if the mask was worn as a break from the make up, He wrestled pretty extensively across the USA under the various names and I wonder if he changed his look along with the name or the look stayed the same.

Unknown member

Mar 20, 2023

> the only territory in North America where Kendo wrestled Not actually true, he wrestled for Don Owen's PNW. Kendo was pencilled in to go to the AWA and be the next Billy Robinson in late '72 when his aunt got taken deleriously terminally ill and he had to fly back to Blighty to see her off. If not for that, the history on both sides of the Atlantic would have been radically different. Clearly Kendo would have done extremely well in the AWA. It's more than possible that Kendo could have got Nick Bockwinkel's slot as Verne Gagne's replacement as long term world champion 1975-1984. Meanwhile with no Kendo and no mask to pull off, Big Daddy doesn't have an opponent to make himself a star against and Kendo vs Stax/Daddy would never happen as a prototype for Daddy vs Stax and Daddy vs Quinn. Equally however Nagasaki would not have been available to be All Star's flagship in the war with the Crabtrees and a decade earlier Kendo and George would not have been around in 1974 to turn Brian Dixon into a proper professional businessman capable of running a promotion that stands the test of time.

Hack

Mar 10, 2023

Thanks for joining us johnnybegood51. It would be good to hear more of your memories.

Ages ago I told the story of interviewing George just before the Canada visit. He had made a comment along the lines of "I don't know how we are going to get Kendo through immigration in his mask." I dismissed this as ridiculous as obvioulsy he would just pass through with his passport bearing his photo and his actual name. Kendo has told me that in fact he did get into Canada wearing the mask. On landing the wrestlers passed through immigration as a group, he put the mask on and was waived through. Good story. Do we believe it?

Peter

Mar 15, 2023

Replying to

Usually immigration is strict if you are arriving to work

RON HISTORYO....Time Cop,

Mar 09, 2023

Some years ago I researched the tour as best as I could.

https://www.wrestlingheritage.com/kendonagasakistampededays