Over the Years KENDO NAGASAKI Tagged with Many,Many Wrestlers in Tag Combos!
Starting with the Awesome Pairing with COUNT BARTELLI which ran to the Very Nite before
their Epic MASK vs. MASK Contest at VICTORIA HALL HANLEY on 5 MARCH 1966!!
In My View these Two Together were pretty much 'Unbeatable'!-This Teaming Lasted around
12 Months!- Other Tag Combos including KENDO were much shorter in longevity and the Odd
Few were virtually One-Offs!!
But in 1971 The Dynamic in the NAGASAKI World Shifted Hugely because of Two New Factors!
KENDO became a T.V. Sensation and a Manager to look after his Affairs Arrived!
'GORGEOUS' GEORGE GILLETTE was a bit of a 'Sensation' himself!-Portraying a Definitive
Image-He became the NAGASAKI Voicepiece which took the KENDO Phenomenon to another
Level!!-But then in the Mid '70's another 'Twist' in this 'Partnership' Metamorphosised!
They became Wrestling Tag Partners!-GEORGE-with -it seemed-absolutely NO Athletic Skills
whatsoever including Build not to mention any Wrestling Prowess was to be 'Pitched In' against
some pretty rough and ready Characters!
Obviously the 'Plan' was for KENDO to do All the Fighting to minimise the 'Risk' to GEORGE-
But did this even 'Work' as a Tag Match??-Was it any more than a 'Novelty' Spectacle?
Surely GEORGE was NO Threat at all to his Opponents?-So Why go down this Road at all?
They even got as far as a Televised Bout at The ROYAL ALBERT HALL??
Who thinks that this was in any way a 'Credible' Tag Team?
Below I'm Holding One of My CIVIC HALL WOLVERHAMPTON Posters Featuring KENDO/
GEORGE Topping The Bill against The Masked KUNG FU and ALAN DENNISON!
MAIN MASK
George should have been nowhere near the ring never mind getting in it. It demeaned the ruthlessness of Kendo , I wonder if Kendo went colour as tv went colour as most houses had colour by then. It didn't add anything to the persona, it probably made a few fans think that the black stuff was in the washing machine.
You say a cracking bill and the point that most of the champions are there is well made.
But it seems to be thrown together without enthusiasm. "A British Heavyweight title contest" .... so sloppy for such a high profile event.
When we scrutinize the passage from Oakeley to DM (McManus) through the summer of 1953 at the RAH, with spectacular and hyped bouts and serious structure, this just seems like selling off the family silver for a quick fix.
This week we discussed Spider Mascall. Maybe we didn't appreciate him but just look at the low level of presentation when he was gone.
A long bill like that needed to be punctuated with highlights. Not a challenge or return in sight.
Careless use of fonts and apostrophes.
Programme writer needed to be shot.
Symptomatic of the time.
But they knew how to keep the prices high.
In possible defence of the promoter: was he buying into the fact that homosexuality was now legal and starting to become mainstream? Was he trying to engage with homosexual fans and the pink pound?
Frankly, I'd rather have gone to Rhyl.
Hi Adrian, hope all is good with you. No, it was never credible but I guess it had good novelty value but to the purest it was almost as ridiculous and pointless as a Matey Dave post. If memory serves me correctly it was around the time when wrestling started to decline. Nice tee shirt btw.
I thought it looked a very bad idea to include George.
The early Kendo in Black with small bars on his mask had been launched with a violent and ruthless persona. He was a sight to behold , incomparable to later years when he had slowed down. To introduce Colour (Georges idea) let alone George for me was a mistake.
Of course wrestling went into a creativity direction , but one of the reasons some of us are here today is the pure nostalgia of harder times.
A hard game for Hard men found a softer side.
And the Celebrated T.V. Match Programme for The RAH against McMANUS
and LOGAN!
MAIN MASK