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As the Mountevans era neared its end Peter Bainbridge emerged onto the wrestling scene, a teenage lightweight who brought a touch of excitement to the late 1980s.
In 1986 the wrestling landscape had changed beyond recognition from twenty years earlier. Had Peter turned professional at any time before the early 1970s his career would have been nurtured. Wrestlers were expected to work with more experienced men and learn their trade for at least five years, usually longer, before being allowed any sort of higher profile. Careers were planned over decades with thirty and more years of activity being commonplace. By 1986 things were very different. Most of the established stars were in their twilight years, the traditional post war promoters had retired and audiences were dwindling. Promoters eagerly sought new talent and it was tempting when talent did materialise to curtail the nurturing and catapult novices into high profile matches.
Peter defeated Johnny Lee at the Royal Albert Hall in April, 1987, on All Star Promotions one and only show at Britain’s premier venue. Wrestlers such as Johnny Saint, Big Daddy and Les Kellett had worked for over a decade before a Royal Albert Hall booking. Peter had come to national attention only a few months earlier, on 20th October, 1986, when the Daily Mirror reported that a 14 year old Peter had beaten Bristol’s Danny Collins in his first professional style contest in Bristol. That debut had been on the 16th October and the schoolboy must have wondered just where he was and how he had come to be sharing a dressing room that night with Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks and Dave Finlay. It’s a sobering thought that Big Daddy had already been wrestling professionally for twenty years at the time Peter was born.
Questions were raised in September, 1987, when the education authority discussed whether the then fifteen year old pupil should continue with his professional wrestling career following the death of wrestler Mal Kirk in the ring. The Head of the Education Services said that assurances were being sought that wrestling was safe as they were alarmed by Kirk’s death and the abrupt ending to Peter’s first televised contest when a clash of heads with Gary Clwyd had resulted in a double knock out. Following their deliberation the Education Department gave Peter their blessing.
Within months of turning professional Peter was matched with European lightweight champion Jim Breaks (1) in a championship match at his local Cheltenham Town Hall. And so it was that on 9th March, 1987, that a fifteen year old was crowned European lightweight champion. The reign lasted a matter of days (2), before Breaks was champion again, and the whole thing was repeated the following month. In March, 1988, a third win over Breaks (2) gave Peter the title for another four weeks!
Could it have happened in the old days? We doubt it, and suspect that Peter’s meteoric rise tells us more about the state of wrestling than it tells us about Peter Bainbridge. Our opinions may be unfair to the young wrestler as by 1988 we had long ago lost interest in wrestling and saw only his two ITV matches. Our last recorded match for Peter is in November, 1990, which would make it a career of less than five years.
We can’t help but feel that Peter Bainbridge was born twenty years too late and missed out on many opportunities. We are sure there’s a story to be told and should Peter read this we invite him to get in touch.
(1) Source Ray Plunkett, Wrestling-titles.com states Jon Cortez was the beaten champion.
(2) Wrestling-titles.com
Page added 12/02/2023
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