Gary Spiers was a man mountain from New Zealand with Maori blood, over six foot and more than 18 stone. He went from New Zealand to Australia and on to Tokyo, where he mastered Goju-kai karate. The martial arts legend Terry O'Neill went out to Tokyo to interview him and offered him a place in Liverpool, teaching what he knew and earning his living on the doors. He became known for finishing fights quickly and ruthlessly.
Blackpool
This story comes from a book about life on the doors, told by a doorman who worked with him. Spiers and his team were working the door of a big venue on the Blackpool front, a town of stag nights, hen parties and football fans finishing their day out, where doormen earned their money.
Late one night, over a meal in an Indian restaurant after work, other doormen tipped Spiers off. A crew from north of the border were working their way down the front, led by a huge bald man who was knocking out a doorman wherever he went. Then the same crew walked into the restaurant. Nothing happened that night, but Spiers got a good look at them.
"That wasn't a butt"
The next night the big man had heard about the capable Maori doorman on the front, and came looking for him like a bounty hunter. Spiers was sitting at the entrance tearing tickets. The man shoved him in the shoulder and asked if he was "the man". Spiers stood up and said, "No mate, in you go, have a good night." The man shoved him again, harder, and headbutted him full in the face.
Spiers wiped his forehead and said softly, "That wasn't a butt." Then he grabbed the man with both hands, lifted him, ran him five or six metres across the foyer into the wall and, a split second after his head hit the wall, butted him full in the face. As the man slid down the wall unconscious, Spiers finished his sentence: "That's a butt."
The rest of the crew decided against it, and carried their leader out.