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Les Thornton

{{Short description|British professional wrestler (1934–2019)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2019}}

{{Infobox professional wrestler

|name=Les Thornton

|image=Les Thornton - 29 december 1975 - WRESTLING PROGRAM NORTH SIDE COLISEUM cover.jpg

|caption=

|names=Les Thornton
Henri Pierlot
Checkmate

|height= {{height|ft=5|in=9}}

|weight= {{convert|225|lb|kg|abbr=on}}

|birth_date = {{Birth date|1934|4|9|df=y}}

|birth_place = Manchester, England, United Kingdom

|death_date = {{death date and age|2019|2|1|1934|4|9|df=y}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=123840|title=LES THORNTON PASSES AWAY | PWInsider.com|website=www.pwinsider.com}}

|death_place = Calgary, Alberta, Canada

|resides=

|billed=

|trainer=Billy Riley

The Snake Pit

|debut=1957

|retired=1991

|website=

|}}

Les Thornton (9 April 1934 – 1 February 2019) was a British professional wrestler who competed in Great Britain, Japan, European and North American regional promotions throughout the 1970s and 1980s including Joint Promotions, Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance.

Professional wrestling career

File:Les Thorton NWA World Junior Heavyweight champion 1984.png

Thornton participated in cricket, football, boxing and rugby as a youth. He served in the British Navy, being stationed in Korea, where he continued boxing. Thornton later played professional rugby before being convinced to give pro wrestling a try by wrestler Bomber Bates. Thornton trained at Billy Riley's gym in Wigan, known infamously as the Snake Pit, where he built his foundation in amateur and catch wrestling.{{Cite web |last=Oliver |first=Greg |date=February 23, 2005 |title=Les Thornton: A life on the road |url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2005/02/23/les-thornton-a-life-on-the-road/ |access-date=2023-05-03 |website=Slam Wrestling}}{{Cite web |last=Mooneyham |first=Mike |date=February 9, 2019 |title=From Snake Pit to America, Les Thornton made his mark in pro wrestling |url=https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/wrestling/from-snake-pit-to-america-les-thornton-made-his-mark-in-pro-wrestling/article_0b6b277c-2bac-11e9-8fb0-4b807b52b531.html |access-date=2023-05-03 |website=The Post and Courier}} During his career, he was considered one of the best junior heavyweights in the world at one time simultaneously holding both the WWF and NWA World Junior Heavyweight titles,{{Cite web|url=https://www.wrestlingnewssource.com/news/56362/Former-NWA-World-Junior-Heavyweight-Champion-Les-Thornton-Passes/|title=Former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion Les Thornton Passes Away|date=February 3, 2019|website=WrestlingNewsSource}} and would later hold NWA title five times. He had matches against Tiger Mask, Gino Hernandez, The Cobra, K J Anderssen, Dynamite Kid, Terry Taylor, Gerald Brisco, Al Madril and Tatsumi Fujinami. As a result of the hostile takeover by the WWF of Georgia Championship Wrestling, Thornton joined the WWF, but in the "Hogan Era" as it stood, Thornton was used as a jobber and would help develop young wrestlers, including Mick Foley.{{cite book | author=Royal Duncan & Gary Will | title=Wrestling Title Histories | publisher=Archeus Communications | year=2006|edition=4th | isbn=0-9698161-5-4 }} Thornton was Mick Foley’s tag team partner in Foley's first ever WWF match against The British Bulldogs. Against heavyweights he fought Harley Race, Billy Robinson, Gene Lewis, Pedro Morales and Dory Funk Jr. He was known for his stiff forearm uppercuts, over the knee backbreakers and suplexes. Near the end of his career, he formed his own promotion in Calgary called Canadian Independent Wrestling Federation (CIWF), which included wrestlers like Ricky Fuji and Big Titan, among others.

Championships and accomplishments

1Records are unclear as to where Thornton was when he received the title for the first time nor is it known as to which NWA affiliated promotion he was wrestling for at the time.

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1999. {{ISBN|0-06-103101-1}}
  • Funk, Terry and Scott E. Williams. Terry Funk: The Hardcore Legend. Champaigne, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC, 2005. {{ISBN|1-58261-991-3}}
  • Johnson, Weldon T. and Jim Wilson. Chokehold: Pro Wrestling's Real Mayhem Outside the Ring. Philadelphia: Xlibris Corporation, 2003. {{ISBN|1-4010-7217-8}}{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}}
  • McCoy, Heath. Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. Toronto: CanWest Books, 2005. {{ISBN|0-9736719-8-X}}

External links

{{Commons}}

  • {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20120714024845/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2005/02/20/936998.html SLAM! Wrestling - Les Thornton: A life on the road]}} by Greg Oliver
  • {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20120718184119/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2005/02/07/923325.html SLAM! Wrestling: Les Thornton - What you DIDN'T know!]}} by Terry Taylor
  • {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028045620/http://www.geocities.com/percivalafriend/friend120803.htm |date=October 28, 2009 |title=The Way It Was - Les Thornton }} by Percival A. Friend
  • [http://www.cwfarchives.com/Wrestler.php?id=371 Championship Wrestling from Florida: Les Thornton]
  • [http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/l/les-thornton.html Profile at OWW]

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{{NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship}}

{{Stampede Wrestling British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship}}

{{Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship}}

{{WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, Les}}

Category:1934 births

Category:2019 deaths

Category:20th-century English sportsmen

Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers

Category:English male professional wrestlers

Category:NWA Americas Heavyweight Champions

Category:NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions

Category:NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champions

Category:Stampede Wrestling alumni

Category:Stampede Wrestling British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Champions

Category:Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Champions

Category:WWC World Junior Heavyweight Champions