Albuquerque Wrestling Results

Albuquerque, New Mexico: January 21, 1963
(Civic Auditorium) … Mr. Kleen b. The Mongol (DQ) (26:30) (Johnny Kace, who was the manager
of the Mongol, interfered) … Sandor Szabo b. Killer Karl Kox (2/3) … Dory Funk Jr. b. Nelson
Royal (reverse jackknife) … Hercules Cortez b. Johnny Kace … The Destroyer b. Bob Sabre …
(promoter: Mike London) … (referee: Ben Sherman) … (4,000+ fans)
Notes: First show in Albuquerque for 1963 and said to be the largest local crown in eight years at
the Civic Auditorium. Said to be Dory Funk Jr.’s professional wrestling debut, but Funk actually
made his debut days earlier in his hometown of Amarillo.

Albuquerque, New Mexico: February 4, 1963
(Civic Auditorium) … World Wrestling Association Heavyweight Champion Moose Cholak b. Mr.
Kleen (22:30) (non-title match) … Wahoo McDaniel b. Killer Karl Kox (DQ) … Rita Cortez b. Judy
Glover (DQ) … Dory Funk Jr. b. The Viking (18:30) … Roy McClarity and Ricky Romero drew (20:
00) … (promoter: Mike London) … (referee: Frank Sals) … (nearly 2,400 fans)

Albuquerque, New Mexico: Monday, February 25, 1963
(Civic Auditorium) … Shohei Baba b. WWA World Heavyweight Champion Moose Cholak (14:02)
(non-title match) … Sandor Szabo b. The Great Togo (2/3) … Wahoo McDaniel b. Ali Ali (16:00)
… Mr. Kleen b. Dan Duffy (4:30) … Dory Funk Jr. b. Pancho Pico (20:05) … (promoter: Mike
London) … (1,910 fans) … (gate: $4,203)
Notes: Cholak was called the “World Wrestling Association Heavyweight Champion.” The
Albuquerque Tribune stated that “Baba missed out in his bid for the National Wrestling Alliance
version of the world heavyweight title Friday in Los Angeles where he met the champion Masked
Destroyer.”

Albuquerque, New Mexico: March 11, 1963
(Civic Auditorium) … WWA World Heavyweight Champion Moose Cholak b. Shohei Baba (2/3)
(referee: Archie Moore) … Mr. Moto b. Sandor Szabo (2/3) … Mr. Kleen b. Dan O’Shocker (8:02)
… Ricky Romero b. Killer Karl Kox (DQ) … Dory Funk Jr. b. Mr. X (19:14) … (promoter: Mike
London) … (referees: Archie Moore, Al Saiz) … (2,000+ fans)
Note: Mr. Kleen was said to be from Albuquerque.

Albuquerque, New Mexico: May 6, 1963
(Civic Auditorium) … Mr. Kleen b. The Mongol (ring surrounded by a six foot wire fence) (12:00)
(Mongol was managed by Nicolai Volkoff) … Don Manoukian b. Enrique Torres (2/3) … Dory Funk
Jr. b. George Romanoff (DQ) … Percy Lecero b. Dan O’Shocker … (promoter: Mike London) …
(referee: Ben Sherman) … (nearly 2,500 fans)

Albuquerque, New Mexico: Monday, May 27, 1963
(Civic Auditorium) … Dory Funk Sr. and Dory Funk Jr. b. George Romanoff and Nicolai Volkoff
(2/3) … Don Manoukian b. Mr. Kleen (2/3) … Ricky Romero b. Don McClarity … Wahoo McDaniel
b. Tokyo Joe (DQ) … Dr. X and Percy Lucero drew … (promoter: Mike London) … (nearly 1,700
fans)

Albuquerque, New Mexico: Monday, June 17, 1963
(Civic Auditorium) … WWA World Heavyweight Champion Moose Cholak b. Fred Blassie (2/3)
(non-title match) … The Mongol b. Sandor Szabo (2/3) … Jose Lothario b. Tokyo Joe (2/3)
(Lothario was a substitute for Ricky Romero) … Wahoo McDaniel and Nikolai Volkoff drew (20:00)
… (promoter: Mike London) … (nearly 2,000 fans)
Notes: Cholak was billed as the “World Wrestling Assn. Champion.” Blassie was called the “former
National Wrestling Alliance heavyweight king.” The local newspaper stated “Blassie is one of five
heavyweights claiming a share of the widely disputed NWA heavyweight title. Now apparently held
by Lou Thesz of La Jolla, Calif. Buddy Rodgers (sic), Verne Gagne and Canadian Gene Kiniski
are other title claimants in the NWA championship muddle.” Blassie was also called the “Pacific
Coast Heavyweight champion.” If Cholak was unable to beat Blassie in two-straight, he agreed to
put his championship on the line later this summer.

Albuquerque, New Mexico: Monday, July 15, 1963
(Civic Auditorium) … Fred Blassie b. Moose Cholak to capture the World Wrestling Association
Heavyweight Title (2/3) … Rocky Monroe b. Dick Dunn … Judy Glover b. Miss Ethel Ramsey …
Jose Lothario b. The Mystery Man (2-0) … (promoter: Mike London) … (referee: Ben Sherman)
… (nearly 3,200 fans)
Notes: This was reportedly the first time a World Heavyweight Wrestling championship traded
hands in Albuquerque. Fans in the crowd nearly rioted several times during the show. Blassie
reportedly made $3,000 for the night’s work, and the newspaper indicated tha the earned $1 for
his first wrestling match. Blassie claimed to make $100,000 a year.

Albuquerque, New Mexico: August 5, 1963
(Civic Auditorium) … Fred Blassie and Rocky Monroe b. Jose Lothario and Enrique Torres (2/3)
(third fall by DQ) … Ricky Romero b. Toro Matsura (2/3) (third fall by DQ) … Cowboy Bradley b.
Tiny Roe … Dory Funk Jr. b. Leon Kirilenko … (promoter: Mike London) … (nearly 2,000 fans)

Albuquerque, New Mexico: August 26, 1963
(Civic Auditorium) … Bearcat Wright b. Joe Stanley (2/3) … Hercules Cortez b. The Golden Terror
(2-0) … Rocky Monroe b. Ricky Romero … Percy Lucero and Mystery Man drew … The Great
Bolo b. Lucky Lucero … (promoter: Mike London)
Note: Monroe was tutored by Fred Blassie.

Albuquerque, New Mexico: Monday, September 16, 1963
(Civic Auditorium) … Rocky Monroe b. Mr. Kleen (Monroe was a substitute for Hercules Cortez) …
Bearcat Wright b. Alex Perez (2-0) … Tiny Roe b. Pancho Diaz (2/3) … Lute Lucero b.
Treacherous Phillips (DQ) (Phillips tossed Lucero over the top rope) … (promoter: Mike London)
Note: Cortez was unable to make the show after being in a car accident near the Los Angeles
airport, where he was scheduled to make a plane flight.

*On Thursday, October 10, 1963, the Albuquerque Tribune stated that Monday’s scheduled
wrestling show at the Auditorium was postponed. Fred Blassie was to wrestle Hercules Cortez in a
non-title match. Blassie notified promoter Mike London the day before that he’d be unable to
wrestle due to a leg infection.

Albuquerque, New Mexico: November 25, 1963
(Civic Auditorium) … WWA World Heavyweight Champion Fred Blassie vs. Edouard Carpentier …
Joe Gump vs. Rudy Kay … Leon Kirilenko vs. Antonio Posa … The Lucero Brothers (Lucky and
Percy Lucero) vs. Grizzley Bear … (promoter: Mike London)
Notes: Show was cancelled. This show was advertised in the newspaper through November 25.
Kay was from Chicago. The Luceros were from Albuquerque. The wrestler able to pin the bear in
that bout was going to win $500.

*The Albuquerque Tribune, on November 26, 1963, stated that Fred Blassie “was stricken with
acute appendicitis yesterday and rushed to Culver City Memorial Hospital in a Los Angeles
suburb. He was to have wrestled here last night against Edouard Carpentier of France. The
match was called off because of the national day of mourning and shortly after the postponement,
Mike London received word of the Blassie incident.” The next show was held on December 9.

*The newspaper on December 31, 1963 stated that Fred Blassie “just recovered from an
appendicitis operation.” He was scheduled to wrestle Monday at the Civic Auditorium against
Edouard Carpentier. Blassie “holds the World Wrestling Alliance championship belt.” He was
running shows once a month.

Research by Tim Hornbaker
January 10, 2008

Albuquerque Wrestling Results - 1963