| Biography | 'King Kendo' was a wrestling character played by Bill Clarke and not to be confused with Kendo Nagasaki, (Peter Thornley).
In the late 1970s, wrestler Bill Clarke 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 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 All Star Wrestling circa 1981. Still as King Kendo, Clarke would later join Joint Promotions as a journeyman heel, making several appearances on television and frequently wrestling in tag matches against Big Daddy, including teaming with Mal Kirk on the night Kirk died in the ring in 1987. Clarke and Thornley were scheduled to have a fresh feud in All Star Wrestling 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.
Following Clarke's retirement, another wrestler Dale Preston 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 reenactments of successful feuds in which Thornley's Kendo had been involved, such as against Giant Haystacks. Since 2012, Preston has revived the character for the Norwich-based World Association of Wrestling (WAW) in which he is now a major heel. |