NXT General Manager William Regal announced on Twitter on Monday that a long time regular star with World of Sport, Wayne Bridges, had passed away. He was 83 years old.
I’m very sorry to hear of the passing of Wayne Bridges, World Heavyweight Champion ( British Promotions version). A great Heavyweight Pro who had a body builder physique. A lovely man who treated me wonderfully. My deepest condolences to his family.
— William Regal (@RealKingRegal) March 9, 2020
A career athlete, he swam for Great Britain at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, before turning to professional wrestling in 1964, after training with British and World Mid-Heavyweight champion Mike Marino. In 1966, he made his debut with ITV’s iconic World of Sport television program. He would go on to have a 20-year feud with Kendo Nagasaki and major battles with John Quinn.
A star who worked the UK for over 20 years, he also worked in Japan with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) on several tours, in the early 1970s, and again in the early 1980s. Wayne Bridges would be a 3x (British) World Heavyweight Champion, including capturing the title at Wembley Arena in London in 1981.
The Knight family and WAW Are very sad to hear of the passing of British wrestling legend Wayne Bridges our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time
— Ricky Knight (@RickyKnightWAW) March 9, 2020
The staff at LWOPW sends out their most sincere condolences to the entire Bridges family, his friends, fans, and peers. Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
