Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Joe Savoldi 1908
Frank Monte 1939
Dennis Coraluzzo 1953
Jim Dotson 1966
Happy Birthday:
Josh Briggs (33)
Jordynne Grace (30)
RIP Memorial: We stop & remember those who have passed on this day and gave themselves to the business for us, the fans. We salute you and thank you.
William Moody\Percy Pringle\Paul Bearer 3-5-2013 at the age of 58
Jerry Kozak 3-5-2014 at the age of 79
Lord James Blears 3-5-2016 at the age of 92
Rip Oliver 3-5-2020 at the age of 67
The Life and Career of Lord James Blears
He became a beloved icon in Hawaii’s surfing community, a ring announcer, promoter, actor, and broadcaster. His journey from wartime heroism to cultural staple in professional wrestling and surfing exemplifies resilience, reinvention, and passion. Blears’ multifaceted career not only entertained generations but also bridged diverse worlds, leaving an indelible mark on sports entertainment and ocean culture.
James Ranicar Blears was born on August 13, 1923, in Tyldesley, Lancashire, England. From a young age, he displayed athletic prowess, particularly in swimming. He was selected for the British swimming team to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics, but the games were canceled due to the outbreak of World War II. Undeterred, Blears enlisted in the British Merchant Navy at just 17 years old in 1940. Leveraging his knowledge of Morse code, he served as a radio officer aboard various ships.
Blears’ wartime experiences were harrowing and heroic. On March 26, 1944, while serving as the second wireless operator on the Dutch merchant ship SS Tjisalak, en route from Melbourne, Australia, to Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), the vessel was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-8. The survivors were captured by the Japanese crew, and many were executed by beheading. Blears managed a daring escape by jumping overboard, eventually reaching a lifeboat with four other survivors. They attempted to sail to Ceylon but were rescued three days later by the U.S. Navy liberty ship SS James O. Wilder. In gratitude for his rescue, Blears was given a can of peaches, which he commemorated annually on March 29 by eating the same fruit—a poignant ritual that symbolized his survival. This episode not only showcased his courage but also shaped his worldview, influencing his later adventuresome spirit.
Blears’ entry into professional wrestling predated his full-time commitment, as he learned the craft at a local YMCA and debuted in 1940 at age 17, wrestling sporadically during his merchant navy service. After the war, in 1946, he relocated to New York City, sharing an apartment with fellow wrestlers Stu Hart and Sandor Kovacs. Initially competing as “Jan Blears,” he honed his skills in the American wrestling scene. In the early 1950s, Blears reinvented himself as the villainous “Lord Blears,” a haughty British aristocrat complete with a cape, monocle, and cane, managed by his school friend Captain This gimmick propelled him to stardom. Teaming with Lord Athol Layton, he captured the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) in 1953. Leslie Holmes. His success continued in promotions like Worldwide Wrestling Associates and NWA San Francisco, where he held multiple tag team titles, including the WWA International Television Tag Team Championship eight times between 1954 and 1957, and the NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship twice.
Pictured: Lord James Blears, Lord Athol Layton and manager Leslie Holmes
By the late 1950s, Blears had fallen in love with Hawaii during a wrestling tour and relocated there, becoming a cornerstone of 50th State Big Time Wrestling. He won the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship in 1961 and held the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship nine times with various partners. Internationally, he toured Australia in 1957, challenging Lou Thesz for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, and Japan in the 1950s at the invitation of Rikidōzan. After Rikidōzan’s death, Blears helped All Japan Pro Wrestling by scouting talent, and from 1973 to 2001, he served as the on-screen chairman of the Pacific Wrestling Federation.
Blears retired from full-time wrestling in 1965 but remained involved as a commentator for Hawaiian Championship Wrestling and later the American Wrestling Association on ESPN. Notably, he refereed a high-profile match at AWA’s “Super Sunday” in 1983 between Hulk Hogan and Nick Bockwinkel. His contributions were recognized with induction into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2019.
Beyond wrestling, Blears embraced Hawaii’s surfing culture, becoming known as “the voice of Hawaiian surfing.” He commentated on numerous events and appeared in films like The Endless Summer (1966) and North Shore (1987). His passion for the ocean extended to acting roles in TV shows such as Magnum, P.I. and Hawaii Five-O.
Blears’ charisma made him a natural broadcaster, blending his wrestling flair with insightful commentary on surfing competitions.
Blears became a U.S. citizen in the mid-1940s and married Leonora “Lee” Adelaina while living in Chicago; they remained together until her death in 2007. The couple had four children—Jimmy (1948–2011), Laura Lee Ching (born 1951), Carol, and Clinton—all of whom became professional surfers, raised on Hawaii’s beaches. Blears legally changed his name to “Lord Blears,” fully embodying his iconic persona.
In his later years, Blears declined hip surgery and spent time bedridden in a Honolulu hospital. He passed away on March 3, 2016, at Kuakini Medical Center in Honolulu, at the age of 92.
One Thing I Learned About Jerry Kozak
He formed a successful tag team with his brother Nick, got his start in professional wrestling by carrying jackets back to the dressing room for the wrestlers at events in Vancouver, as a way to prove his interest and break into the industry.
Thank You for Reading
I’m Tony Richards, Pro Wrestling Historian, Author and Storyteller. I share pro wrestling historical items in each issue of the Time Tunnel Pro Wrestling History Newsletter. Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my information on select events, matches and insights, please share it with folks you think might like to be a subscriber!
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I live quite close to Wigan, and it's remarkable how much this little town and nearby area spawned so many wrestlers and shaped so much of wrestling's history. One of the things that is interesting in the Daily Chronicle is that in many respects it is also a history of the 20th century, and the world events and changes in societies and cultures whilst in the ring the bell always rings and the referee counts three night after night over the century.
Fantastic issue today Tony! I loved reading about Lord Blears.