Also known as Blondie Gordon, Flash Gordon
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A popular blond Anglo-Canadian heavyweight with the looks that could only make him one of the fans favourites. Edward Victor Barker was born in Keighley, Yorkshire, on 10th September, 1915 to parents, Florrie and Ernest.
The family moved to Canada and it was here that he became interested in wrestling. Eddie returned to Britain as a teenager and wrestled in this country from just before the second world war up to the late 1950s.
During the Second World War he served in Europe as a member of the Canadian Royal Highland Regiment, which allowed him to make occasional appearances during the war. Even during the austere years of the 1940s he would enter the ring wearing a silver cape which was enough to make him stand out in a crowd. You’d be hard pushed to find a Flash Barker in a Wigan bus queue.
At times in his career Flash was known as Blondie Gordon and Flash Gordon, but his name was Edward. Prior to the war Barker combined his wrestling career with that of a speedway rider for West Ham and later Crystal Palace. Wrestling came first, but Eddie is still fondly remembered amongst speedway fans of the 1930s.
In 1938 Ed was selected as member of a Canadian speedway team in a moment of creative genius of which any wrestling promoter would have been proud. West Ham speedway promoter, Johnnie Hoskins came up with the idea of a Canadian team. Great, other than that the Canadian team didn’t take part in any international matches, but they did tour Britain meeting local teams throughout the country.
A colourful character who helped establish professional wrestling as one of Britain’s major sporting entertainments Eddie met most of the top names of British wrestling between the mid 1930s and 1952. Following retirement Eddie returned to live in Canada.
Eddie Barker died from a heart attack in Vancouver on 1st January, 2007, aged 91.
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