Lord James Blears

Blears was born in Tyldesley, Lancashire, England in the United Kingdom on 13 August 1923. An accomplished swimmer in school, he was selected for the British swimming team for the 1940 Summer Olympics but was unable to compete given their cancellation due to World War II. == Merchant navy career ==

Blears enlisted in the Merchant Navy in 1940 during World War II at the age of 17. With his knowledge of Morse code he became a radio officer. Whilst serving as second wireless operator on board the , a Dutch merchant ship, his ship was torpedoed by the on 26 March 1944 during a voyage from Melbourne, Australia to Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). The survivors were taken prisoner by the Japanese and the majority were summarily executed by beheading. == Professional wrestling career ==

Blears learned to wrestle at the YMCA, debuting in 1940 at the age of 17. He wrestled sporadically around the world during his wartime service in the merchant navy. Early in his United States career, Blears wrestled as "Jan Blears". He was managed by the tuxedo-wearing Captain Leslie Holmes, a friend of Blears' from his schooldays who had also traveled to the United States. In the early 1950s, Blears relocated to California. In 1952, he formed a tag team with Lord Athol Layton. Managed by Holmes, in 1953, they won the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) in the Chicago-based Fred Kohler Enterprises. In 1957, Blears wrestled in Australia, unsuccessfully challenging Lou Thesz for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on several occasions. In the late 1950s, Blears relocated to Hawaii after developing a fondness for the state during a tour, where he built his career in the Honolulu-based promotion 50th State Big Time Wrestling. Blears had a single reign as NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Champion, defeating King Curtis Iaukea on 25 October 1961. He lost the championship to the Masked Executioner on 13 December 1961. Blears also held the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship numerous times between 1955 and 1964. In the 1980s, Blears provided commentary for the American Wrestling Association's broadcasts on ESPN. At the AWA supercard "Super Sunday" on April 24, 1983, Blears served as guest referee for a high-profile title bout between Hulk Hogan and AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel that saw Bockwinkel retain via a Dusty finish. == Acting career ==

Blears made his first acting appearance in 1950, playing a dramatized version of himself in an episode of The Buster Keaton Show. In 1966, Blears appeared in the surfing documentary The Endless Summer, playing himself. He played himself once more in the 1974 professional wrestling movie The Wrestler. In 1987, he appeared in the surfing movie North Shore. Blears appeared in an episode of Hawaii Five-O in 1977 and in episodes of Magnum, P.I. filmed in Hawaii in 1982 and 1983. == Personal life ==

Blears was born in Tyldesley, Lancashire in the United Kingdom, but moved to the United States in the mid-1940s and ultimately successfully applied for United States citizenship. While living in Chicago, Blears met Leonora "Lee" Adelaina (died 2007 The couple had four children: two sons, James Jr. ("Jimmy") (1948–2011) and Clinton, and two daughters, Laura (born 1951) and Carol. All four rose to prominence as professional surfers, Blears legally changed his name to "Lord Blears". Blears was an avid fan of surfing. He served as commentator and master of ceremonies for many surfing events in Hawaii, earning him the title, "the voice of Hawaiian surfing". == Death ==

Blears declined hip surgery and spent many years bedridden in a private hospital in Honolulu until his death. His friends, including other wrestlers such as Dick Beyer, visited him and encouraged Blears to have his hips operated on but Blears did not want the surgery. Blears's wife Leonora predeceased him in 2007. His eldest child, Jimmy, died in 2011. Blears died on 3 March 2016 in the Kuakini Medical Center in Honolulu at the age of 92. == Filmography ==

Film Television == Championships and accomplishments ==

• 50th State Big Time Wrestling • NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship (1 time) • NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (9 times) – with Gene Kiniski (1 time), Joe Blanchard (2 times), Jerry Gordet (1 time), Herb Freeman (1 time), and Neff Maiava (4 times) • Fred Kohler Enterprises • NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) (1 time) – with Lord Athol Layton • NWA San Francisco • NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (2 times) – with Lord Athol Layton • NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (4 times) – with Gene Kiniski (3 times) and Ben Sharpe (1 time) • Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame • Class of 2019 • Worldwide Wrestling Associates • WWA International Television Tag Team Championship (8 times) – with Lord Athol Layton (2 times), Joe Pazandak (1 time), Sandor Kovacs (1 time), Lord Leslie Carlton (2 times), Henry Lenz (1 time), and Nick Bockwinkel (1 time) == References ==