John Lees (17 January 1930 – 14 November 2021) was an English

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses o ...

and later a professional wrestler who won Mr. Universe in 1957.

Early life and career

Lees was born in the Castle Hall district of Stalybridge in

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...

, to John and Elsie Lees. At age 14, Lees left St Peter's RC School and began working for his father’s building firm. He attended night school during which he studied joinery and bricklaying."John Lees"
at GetBig.com. Retrieved March 21, 2023 While in his early teens, Lees began bodybuilding. His early method of training entailed lifting bags of cement in each hand during work. He also trained with the East Cheshire Harriers athletic club. Lees continued his interest in health and fitness during his

National service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

as a

Physical training instructor Physical training instructor (PTI) is a term used primarily in the British Armed Forces and British police, as well as some other Commonwealth countries, for an instructor in physical fitness. United Kingdom In the British Army, specialist Phys ...

(PTI), during his time spent in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Professional bodybuilding career

Lees debuted in bodybuilding shows in 1949, placing 3rd at Mr. Britain. Four years later, he won the 1953 Mr. Britain. He pursued the Mr. Universe title for four years, finishing in the top three before finally winning the title in 1957. He received the winners' trophy from movie legend

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

Professional wrestling career

Two years after his 1957 Mr. Universe victory, Lees began his wrestling career. Nicknamed "Big", Lees debuted on 22 July 1959 in

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

, wrestling German wrestler James Brown to a draw. From July 1959 to October 1959, Lees wrestled all 59 of his matches for the German promotion ''Internationaler Berufsringkämpfer-Verband'' (IBV) (English translation: ''International Professional Wrestlers Federation''), and enjoyed a successful string of victories, despite no wrestling titles being involved. In his final IBV match held on 14 October 1959, Lees defeated Franz Orlik. From 1959 to 1970, Lees travelled the world, wrestling in

, England,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. Between April and May 1968, while in Japan, Lees worked for the

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

-based International Wrestling Enterprise promotion as part of a 14-night national tour. On 17 April, during the sixth night of the tour, Lees along with Welsh wrestler "Checkmate" Tony Charles challenged reigning champions Thunder Sugiyama and

Toyonobori , known in sumo and professional wrestling as or simply , was a sumo wrestler from Japan. After retiring as a rikishi from sumo, he became a professional wrestler. Career In professional wrestling On December 12, 1954, Toyonobori became a profe ...

for the TWWA Tag Team titles in a Best Two Out Of Three Falls match, but lost after eighteen minutes. On 8 May, during the twelfth night of the tour, Lees teamed with fellow Manchester wrestler

Bill Robinson Bill Robinson, nicknamed Bojangles (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid African-American entertainer in the United States during the f ...

to challenge once again for the TWWA Tag Team Titles held by Thunder Sugiyama and Toyonobori, but were unsuccessful in securing the Best Two Out of Three Falls victory. On 11 May, Lees wrestled his former tag teammate Bill Robinson in a Best Two Out of Three Falls match for the European Heavyweight title but did not win. He finished the tour on 12 May, teaming with Colin Joynson in a losing effort against Thunder Sugiyama and Toyonobori in a non-title tag team match."John "Big" Lees"
at Cagematch.net. Retrieved March 31, 2023 Lees was featured in an article published in ''Northern News'' related an interview with Lees in which he addressed competing with a severely injured elbow as well as the physical demands of the business. In the same article, a pair of photographs show Lees in the ring against an opponent described as an

strongman In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength. More recently, strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, have grown in popularity. These ...

named Felix Kerschitz. Northern News apparently shared these photographs as well as the match result originally reported by another publication called the ''Scots Corner'', indicating Lees scored a victory against Kerschitz by knockout. No date was given as to when this match occurred. With a total of 224 matches, Lees wrestled his final match on 13 August 1970, winning a victory over Hektor van Mullen.

Retirement

In retirement, Lees operated a gym called John Lees Fitness Centre in Stalybridge, until it was destroyed by a fire in 2005. He died on 14 November 2021, at the age of 91. He is survived by a daughter named Tina and two grandchildren.

Competitive history

Lees participated in the following bodybuilding competitions: *1949: Mr Britain - HSL, 3rd *1950: Mr Britain - HSL, 3rd *1950: Mr Universe - NABBA, Medium-Tall, 1st *1952: Mr Universe - NABBA, Tall, 2nd *1953: Mr Britain - HSL, Winner *1953: Mr Europe - 4th *1953: Mr Universe - NABBA, Tall, 2nd *1954: Mr Universe - NABBA, Tall, 2nd *1955: Mr Universe - NABBA, Tall, 3rd *1956: Mr Universe - NABBA, Tall, 2nd *1957: Mr Universe - NABBA, Tall, 1st *1957: Mr Universe - NABBA, Overall Winner

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lees, John 1930 births 2021 deaths English bodybuilders English male wrestlers People associated with physical culture People from Stalybridge