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Wrestling Artistry
Since 2007 Wrestling Heritage readers have discussed, agreed and disagreed about hundreds of wrestling topics. Where there has been no disagreement have been those occasions when someone has named George Gordienko as the greatest overseas heavyweight to grace British rings.
Ballymoss recalled: “I saw George Gordienko on several occasions when he was at his peak in the 1960’s and never saw him defeated, and that included opponents of the calibre of Albert Wall, Geoff Portz and Gwyn Davies. He was simply magnificent, he had everything, skill combined with being extremely tough and strong. An awesome individual.”
John Shelvey: “The pictures in the magazines didn’t do justice to the man who passed close by me. He was huge and looked so cool, calm and collected! His opponent was Horst Hoffman who was a big guy, taller but not as muscular as George, who in his youth had been a serious weight lifter.”
William R was another enthusiast who was impressed: “Apart from Robinson, Gordienko was the best heavyweight I ever saw both live and on TV. I remember him totally demolishing Pat Roach in two rounds.”
The powerful Canadian was born in Winnipeg on 7th January, 1928, the youngest of three brothers sons of a Ukrainian father and Russian mother. At school he excelled in many sports, especially American Football and trained with weights. An older friend who had recently taken up wrestling encouraged George to join him; the start of an interest that was to lead to him becoming one of the most highly respected wrestlers in the world.
Eighteen year old George, training at the Winnipeg YMCA, met Gordon Nelson and Jimmy Trifunow. a bronze medal Olympian, Empire champion and Canadian Olympic Coach in 1952,1956 and 1960. He turned professional and a chance meeting with Joe Pazandak led to an introduction to Minneapolis promoter Tony Stecher. Under Stecher’s tutorage progress was rapid with George wrestling in San Francisco, Minneapolis, and New York in his first year.
Yet George had another interest. He had attended art classes in Winnipeg and decided to return home and follow his interest. He was out of wrestling for around five years until tempted back by promoter Stu Hart in Canada.
Canada was only the start. From Canada wrestling took him on to Australia, and from there to Italy, France and in 1954, Britain. He enrolled at St Martin’s School of Art where he was taught by Anthony Caro, the celebrated sculptor who was knighted for his work in 1987.
Although he returned to Canada, again to work for Stu Hart, George returned to Britain in 1957, this time for a much longer stay. Ron Historyo: “He started as an eighteen year old sensation in the USA pro game in 1947. That’s ten years ahead of Billy Robinson and Albert Wall and almost two decades ahead of Nagasaki. By the time Nagasaki went to Stampede Gordienko was only wrestling part time. It’s a fair bet he was nearing his peak when we got him in 1957 and probably remained there maybe for another decade.”
He based himself in Britain for the bulk of the next eighteen years, though there were long absences as he travelled to France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Holland, Austria, Greece, India, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, New Zealand, and the Caribbean.
Everywhere he travelled he was renowned for skill, strength and athletic ability, renowned enough to fill the halls without any gimmicks or fancy costumes. George deserves recognition as one of the finest modern day heavyweights of British rings and defeated everyone in sight, possibly equalled only by a young Billy Robinson who was developing fast in the early 1960s. In April 1970 wins over Hans Streiger, Al Hayes and Bruno Elrington saw him winner of the annual Royal Albert Hall Heavyweight Trophy.
There was nothing in his performance to suggest that George considered wrestling to be a mere means to engage in his first love, the appreciation of all forms of art. He travelled the world throughout his long career, seeking out galleries and new subjects to paint himself. He was an artist of some renown, and his work was often featured in exhibitions around the world. When asked about his ambitions the answer always lay outside the world of wrestling and his goal was to become an established and successful name in the world of art.
We last saw George Gordienko wrestling in Britain in 1975, shortly before he moved to Italy to further pursue his love of art. In later life he returned to Canada and settled in Victoria on Vancouver Island, where he died on 13th May, 2002, aged 74.
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