Les Thornton

Les Thornton (April 9, 1934 - February 1, 2019) was a retired British professional wrestler who competed in European and North American regional promotions throughout the 1970s and 1980s including Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). During his career, he was considered one of the best junior heavyweights in the world at one time simultaneously holding both the WWF and NWA World Junior Heavyweight titles, and would later hold the NWA World Junior Heavyweight title five times. In the "Hogan Era" of the WWF, Thornton was used as a jobber. Near the end of his career, he formed his own promotion called Canadian Independent Wrestling Federation (CIWF), which included wrestlers like Ricky Fuji and Big Titan, among others.
== Career ==
==Championships and accomplishments==
*Championship Wrestling from Florida
:*NWA Florida Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*Georgia Championship Wrestling
:*NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Tony Charles
*Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
:*NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*Middle Atlantic States Wrestling
:*MASW National Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*National Wrestling Alliance
:*NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)1
*NWA Big Time Wrestling
:*NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Tony Charles
*NWA Hollywood Wrestling
:*NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*NWA Mid-America
:*NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*NWA New Zealand
:*NWA British Empire Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship (New Zealand version) (1 time)
*Pacific Northwest Wrestling
:*NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Moondog Mayne
*Southeastern Championship Wrestling
:*NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*Stampede Wrestling
:*Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
:*Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
:*Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame
*World Wrestling Council
:*WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
*Pro Wrestling Illustrated
:*PWI ranked him # 320 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
1Records are unclear as to where Thorton was when he received the title for the first time nor is it known as to which NWA affiliated promotion he was wrestling for at the time.
==External links==
* Profile
* Les Thornton Profile on Online World of Wrestling
Category:British wrestlers
Category:1934 births
Category:1957 debuts
Category:1991 retirements
Category:Canadian National Wrestling Alliance alumni
Category:World Wrestling Entertainment alumni
Category:National Wrestling Alliance alumni
Category:Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling alumni
Category:Georgia Championship Wrestling alumni
Category:Championship Wrestling From Florida alumni
Category:World Class Wrestling Association alumni
Category:New Japan Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:All Japan Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:Continental Wrestling Association alumni
Category:Pacific Northwest Wrestling alumni
Category:St. Louis Wrestling Club alumni
Category:Central States Wrestling alumni
Category:NWA Hollywood Wrestling alumni
Category:NWA Big Time Wrestling alumni
Category:Continental Championship Wrestling alumni
Category:Stampede Wrestling alumni
Category:Middle American States Wrestling alumni
Category:NWA Mid-America alumni
Category:NWA New Zealand alumni
Category:Male wrestlers
Category:2019 deaths
Category:Wrestlers who have died