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Also in the late 1970s, wrestler "Big" Bill Clarke (also one half of the
Lincolnshire Poachers tag team with "brother" Ron) appeared on shows by UK independent promoter Sandor Kovaks as a version of Kendo Nagasaki modelled directly on Thornley's character. Following considerable legal action by
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Following Clarke's retirement, another wrestler Dale
Preston (real name Dale Broughton) took over the role of King Kendo, wearing Clarke's original costume and still managed by Ryan. During the mid-1990s, this version of King Kendo was frequently in the main event of All Star shows pitted in
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A Japanese wrestler named Kazuo
Sakurada also used a variation of the gimmick in the United States during the early 1980s. Before adopting the gimmick, Sakurada, like Thornley, had wrestled for Stampede and held the North American title there. This version of Nagasaki would wrestle in the
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coverage. This triggered a second period of major success continuing even after the end of wrestling on ITV until
Nagasaki retired again in 1993. Since that time, he has made further comebacks with All Star Wrestling in 2000-2001 and LDN Wrestling in 2008.
129:. He started professional wrestling in November 1964, and became a household name in Britain after his television debut in 1971. He also toured Japan in 1968 (under the alternative ring name Mr Guillotine) and North America in 1972, wrestling for
357:(WAW) in which he was for some time a major heel. Preston as King Kendo also won the RQW Tag Team Championship as half of the tag team 4K with Karl Kramer in December 2013. By the late 2010s, Preston's Kendo had evolved into a
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in 1993 with the authentic
Nagasaki's manager Lloyd Ryan defecting to King Kendo's side, but this was abandoned when Thornley retired for the second time, with Clarke also retiring soon after. Clarke died on 10 October 2018.
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Thornley, Clarke was later renamed as King Kendo, but retained the Kendo helmet, sword, cape and striped mask. In this guise, Clarke would later wrestle
Thornley in a series of loser-lose-mask battles of the Kendos for
561:"Now this Dragon Master has absolutely no connection to Kazuo Sakurada (aka Kendo Nagasaki), who also used this name while in the NWA with Gary Hart and The Great Muta" Madison Carter, Wrestlecrap.com
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remains a household name in his home country, most
American and Japanese wrestling fans primarily associate the name "Kendo Nagasaki" and related imagery with the face-painted version portrayed by
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before having to return home due to a family bereavement. Back home in
Britain, he achieved even greater fame due to his 1975–1977 feud with the tag team of future mutual arch enemies
517:"And so we go to a pre-recorded video narrated by JJ Dillon, introducing his charge, “Black Ninja” Kendo Nagasaki, who is entering the tournament for the North American Title."
105:. The success of both Thornley and Sakurada has spawned an assortment of other wrestlers with characters inspired by, or simply impersonating. the gimmick.
417:. He would later take the gimmick back home to Japan where he has achieved considerable success, including various championships, as the character.
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This article is about the professional wrestling gimmick Kendo
Nagasaki in general. For the individual wrestlers who portrayed the character, see
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A year after
Thornley's original retirement in 1978, a lighter wrestler named Kendo Nagasaki II (played by Nick Heywood) briefly wrestled for
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before curiously losing it to his own alter ego Dale Broughton in 2018 (possibly with a substitute under the mask).
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After retiring in 1978, he briefly came back in 1981 before returning more permanently in 1986 as lead heel of
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on the night Kirk died in the ring in 1987. Clarke and Thornley were scheduled to have a fresh feud in
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incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.
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to the ring. Unlike the British original, Sakurada wore face paint instead of a mask and carried a
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The original and best-known use of the gimmick is by the British wrestler who made his name in
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reenactments of successful feuds in which Thornley's Kendo had been involved, such as against
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character due to his mentoring of young protegé "Kid Kendo". King Kendo also held the
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circa 1981 with Clarke unmasked, usually by Thornley personally, night after night.
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On July 22nd 2012, Thornley reprised the character in a special appearance for
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includes a list of related items that share the same name (or similar names).
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https://www.pwinsider.com/article/132864/kendo-nagasaki-passes-away.html
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featured a masked samurai character named Kendo the Samurai managed by
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television, changing his ring name to The Dragonmaster and joining the
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flag on his chest, but is most likely a Japanese student of Sayama's.
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In 1996, Japanese wrestler Tokimitsu Ishizawa became the masked
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where he held the promotion's North American title, as well as
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521:(2.26.1983) Review, 411Mania, Adam Nedeff January 6, 2020
441:. Nakazaki's real name is unknown; he wears a mask and a
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Since 2012, Preston has revived the character for the
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is the name of a city on the south-western coast of
389:but was later played by other wrestlers including
97:Although the masked British version portrayed by
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657:Index of articles associated with the same name
485:Peter Thornley, MinuteCircle Services Ltd 2018
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308:Still as King Kendo, Clarke would later join
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483:Kendo Nagasaki and the Man Behind the Mask
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255:Like Thornley, Sakurada wore a Kendo
690:Faux Japanese professional wrestlers
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385:. This was initially portrayed by
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70:. The name derives from the modern
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463:"Kendo Nagasaki profile"
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296:King Kendo (Bill Clarke)
178:New Generation Wrestling
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619:"Tim Horner profile"
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685:Set index articles
330:All Star Wrestling
279:Related characters
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182:Kingston upon Hull
166:All Star Wrestling
135:Stampede Wrestling
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501:Garfield, Simon.
393:and Brian Logan.
369:Kendo the Samurai
318:Royal Albert Hall
284:Kendo Nagasaki II
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72:martial art
679:Categories
625:2009-09-12
469:2009-09-12
449:References
443:Union Jack
427:Tiger Mask
387:Tim Horner
265:Asian mist
66:powers of
46:stage name
322:Big Daddy
155:Big Daddy
359:blue eye
239:Mr. Pogo
139:Don Owen
131:Stu Hart
84:Nagasaki
68:hypnosis
54:Japanese
415:Austria
411:Germany
353:-based
351:Norwich
82:), and
76:fencing
60:warrior
57:Samurai
50:gimmick
666:If an
621:. OWOW
507:(1996)
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465:. OWOW
250:stable
88:Kyūshū
659:This
273:Japan
269:Chiba
80:Kendo
41:is a
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377:'s
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257:men
243:WCW
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151:AWA
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