10.10.2006, 08:48
10 June 2002
The Independent
London, UK
By Michael Carlson
Obituary: George Gordienko ; Tough professional wrestler and talented artist
In the flamboyant world of professional wrestling, George Gordienko, the former British heavyweight champion, was regarded as the toughest man in the business.
He succeeded despite a lack of self-promoting bluster, perhaps because he never considered wrestling to be his trade, but merely a means of financing his career as a painter. As an artist he was talented enough to have once been shown alongside Picasso, who was Gordienko's idol, an important influence on him, and reputedly an avid wrestling fan himself.
Gordienko was a main-eventer everywhere from Calcutta to Calgary. But despite being groomed for stardom, he was fated never to have that opportunity. In his case fate took the form of the US government.
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1928, Gordienko was a star amateur wrestler and gridiron player when Joe Stecher's Minnesota-based pro wrestling promotion came to town just after the Second World War. Their champion, Joe Pazandak, was unable to take Gordienko down.
Soon he was in Minneapolis, being trained by Stecher, and attracted immediate attention as a pro. In 1947, The Ring magazine said "he has one of the most beautifully developed bodies we have ever seen".
Meanwhile, Gordienko enrolled at the University of Minnesota to study art, but was arrested while distributing Communist literature on campus. He was deported, and never allowed to return. "I never really believed in Communism," he said years later. "I just met some people I liked and joined their party."
He returned to Winnipeg, where he took odd jobs and painted, until Stu Hart coaxed him back into the ring in Calgary in 1953. Hart, whose submission skills were legendary, rated Gordienko as one of the three toughest men he'd ever seen. Soon he was wrestling in Australia and Europe, so highly respected as a "shooter", or legitimate wrestler, that when the American National Wrestling Alliance champion Lou Thesz needed to drop his title, the world's most prestigious, in 1956, he wanted Gordienko as his opponent. Despite lobbying by the promoters, the State Department ban was not overturned.
In 1959 Gordienko won the British heavyweight title from Dennis Mitchell, then began a legendary series of matches with Billy Robinson. The reputation of their bouts was so strong that, nine years later, the two were brought to Sapporo for a "world championship" tournament, where they wrestled a 30-minute draw which Japanese still consider one of the all-time great matches. Gordienko continued to travel, returning frequently to Canada and wrestling in Iran, Iraq, New Zealand and South Africa.
He finally wrestled for the NWA title, in 1969 in Edmonton. The 60-minute draw with the champion Dory Funk, Jnr, was arguably Gordienko's greatest match. He and Robinson reprised their Japanese tournament, with Karl Gotch and Andre the Giant in 1972. In 1974 Gordienko won the NWA Pacific Coast title wrestling as Flash Gordon. In 1976, after having his ankle broken by the German shooter Roland Bock, Gordienko retired to concentrate on painting.
After 15 years in London he moved to a studio outside Milan. In 1990, he returned to Canada, settling in Black Creek, Vancouver Island. What he said of his painting applied equally well to his wrestling career, "I believe we need to free ourselves. I don't follow trends, I just enjoy doing my own thing."
George Gordienko, artist and professional wrestler: born Winnipeg, Manitoba 7 January 1928; died Campbell River, British Columbia 13 May 2002.
The Independent
London, UK
By Michael Carlson
Obituary: George Gordienko ; Tough professional wrestler and talented artist
In the flamboyant world of professional wrestling, George Gordienko, the former British heavyweight champion, was regarded as the toughest man in the business.
He succeeded despite a lack of self-promoting bluster, perhaps because he never considered wrestling to be his trade, but merely a means of financing his career as a painter. As an artist he was talented enough to have once been shown alongside Picasso, who was Gordienko's idol, an important influence on him, and reputedly an avid wrestling fan himself.
Gordienko was a main-eventer everywhere from Calcutta to Calgary. But despite being groomed for stardom, he was fated never to have that opportunity. In his case fate took the form of the US government.
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1928, Gordienko was a star amateur wrestler and gridiron player when Joe Stecher's Minnesota-based pro wrestling promotion came to town just after the Second World War. Their champion, Joe Pazandak, was unable to take Gordienko down.
Soon he was in Minneapolis, being trained by Stecher, and attracted immediate attention as a pro. In 1947, The Ring magazine said "he has one of the most beautifully developed bodies we have ever seen".
Meanwhile, Gordienko enrolled at the University of Minnesota to study art, but was arrested while distributing Communist literature on campus. He was deported, and never allowed to return. "I never really believed in Communism," he said years later. "I just met some people I liked and joined their party."
He returned to Winnipeg, where he took odd jobs and painted, until Stu Hart coaxed him back into the ring in Calgary in 1953. Hart, whose submission skills were legendary, rated Gordienko as one of the three toughest men he'd ever seen. Soon he was wrestling in Australia and Europe, so highly respected as a "shooter", or legitimate wrestler, that when the American National Wrestling Alliance champion Lou Thesz needed to drop his title, the world's most prestigious, in 1956, he wanted Gordienko as his opponent. Despite lobbying by the promoters, the State Department ban was not overturned.
In 1959 Gordienko won the British heavyweight title from Dennis Mitchell, then began a legendary series of matches with Billy Robinson. The reputation of their bouts was so strong that, nine years later, the two were brought to Sapporo for a "world championship" tournament, where they wrestled a 30-minute draw which Japanese still consider one of the all-time great matches. Gordienko continued to travel, returning frequently to Canada and wrestling in Iran, Iraq, New Zealand and South Africa.
He finally wrestled for the NWA title, in 1969 in Edmonton. The 60-minute draw with the champion Dory Funk, Jnr, was arguably Gordienko's greatest match. He and Robinson reprised their Japanese tournament, with Karl Gotch and Andre the Giant in 1972. In 1974 Gordienko won the NWA Pacific Coast title wrestling as Flash Gordon. In 1976, after having his ankle broken by the German shooter Roland Bock, Gordienko retired to concentrate on painting.
After 15 years in London he moved to a studio outside Milan. In 1990, he returned to Canada, settling in Black Creek, Vancouver Island. What he said of his painting applied equally well to his wrestling career, "I believe we need to free ourselves. I don't follow trends, I just enjoy doing my own thing."
George Gordienko, artist and professional wrestler: born Winnipeg, Manitoba 7 January 1928; died Campbell River, British Columbia 13 May 2002.