20 Facts About Peter Thornley

Peter William Thornley was born on 19 October 1941 and is an English retired professional wrestler who was best known for the ring character Kendo Nagasaki.

Peter Thornley had originally retired in 1978 but returned to competition briefly in 1981 and then again from 1986 to 1993.

Peter Thornley gave occasional interviews as Kendo Nagasaki, usually photographed fully masked or with his face hidden, and often speaking through a representative.

Peter Thornley's identity became more widely known after a 2002 court case over a land dispute with his neighbour.

Peter Thornley never spoke publicly about being Kendo Nagasaki until the publication of his autobiography in 2018.

Away from the ring, Peter Thornley has been a successful business entrepreneur and had a career in rock management for around a decade from the late 1970s to the late 1980s, managing Cuddly Toys and Laura Pallas.

At the height of his career, Peter Thornley 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 called Nagasaki" which he had contacted while in "a trance state" during meditation.

In November 1964 Peter Thornley had his first professional contest against "Jumping" Jim Hussey at Willenhall Baths.

In 1968, Peter Thornley toured Japan where he was billed under the alternative name Mr Guillotine.

Peter Thornley then went on to tour Canada and the United States during 1972 working for wrestling legend Stu Hart.

In December 1986, Peter Thornley made his masked return to the ring at the London Hippodrome in a "Disco Challenge" ladder match with Clive Myers transmitted on ITV shortly after the New Year as the main event of the first ever edition of ITV wrestling taped at an All Star Wrestling show,.

Peter Thornley returned in May 2000 to accept the Wrestler of the Millennium trophy in a ceremony at Hanley's Victoria Hall.

Peter Thornley represented a team in a match against a team represented by his former manager Lloyd Ryan who had again fallen out with his charge, this time over Ryan's son, young wrestler Damian Ryan.

On July 22,2012, Peter Thornley reprised the character in a special appearance for New Generation Wrestling at the Bonus Arena in Kingston upon Hull.

Peter Thornley agreed to sit for a Blake portrait for the BBC Arena programme, Masters of the Canvas in January 1992.

Peter Thornley remained silent, and the programme featured clips of him wrestling and the famous "unmasking" ceremony in Wolverhampton, 1977.

Peter Thornley's identity had previously been publicly revealed during a 2002 court case over a land dispute with his neighbour.

Peter Thornley married, and his wife Yvette died in 1990.

Peter Thornley is a believer in Zen Buddhism and established his own Buddhist retreat at his private estate, Moor Court, near Cheadle, Staffordshire, which later gained charitable status as 'The Kendo Nagasaki Foundation'.

However, Peter Thornley later faced legal issues which threatened the forced sale of the House, as a result of which he asked Lyn Rigby to either buy or to rent the House.