Birmingham, AL: January 3, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Charlie Keene and Green Shadow beat The Terror and Sailor
Watkins (sub for Bill Canny) ... (ladies) Gladys Gillem beat Mae Weston (2-0) ...
(promoter-Joe Gunther)

Birmingham, AL: January 10, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... The Bat beat Joe Parelli ... (Ladies) Gladys Gillem beat Mae Young
(dq) ... Sailor Watkins beat Charlie Keene ... referee-Red Byrd

Birmingham, AL: January 17, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... The Bat beat Nick Carter ... (Ladies) Mae Weston and Mae Young
beat Rose Evans and Gladys Gillem ... referee-Sailor Watkins

Birmingham, AL: January 24, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... The Bat beat Sailor Watkins ... (LWTM) Mildred Burke* beat Mae
Young ... Charlie Keene drew Joe Parelli

Birmingham. AL: January 31, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... (Area tag team champs) Charlie Keene and Green Shadow drew Joe
Parelli and Sailor Watkins ... The Bat beat Nick Carter

Birmingham, AL: February 9, 1944 (Wednesday)
(City Auditorium) ... The Bat beat Sailor Watkins ... Joe Parelli beat Rex Mobley ... Green
Shadow beat Roy Welch ... NOTE: Promoter Joe Gunther leaves for the military service
on Friday.

Birmingham, AL: February 14, 1944 (Monday)
(City Auditorium) ... Mike Chacoma and Sailor Watkins drew The Bat and Red Byrd (sub
for Steve Savron) ... Green Shadow drew Joe Parelli ... NOTE: Mrs. Manda Gunther took
over for her husband as promoter. Nick Carter became the matchmaker.

Birmingham, AL: February 21, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... (Non title, light heavyweight belt not at stake) The Bat beat Mike
Chacoma* ... Joe Parelli and Jack Larue beat Sailor Parker and Green Shadow (dq)

Birmingham, AL: February 28, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... The Bat and Sailor Watkins beat Mike Chacoma and Green Shadow
(commission verdict) ... Roy Welch beat Sailor Parker (utc)

Birmingham, AL: March 6, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... (World Jr. heavyweight champion) Roy Welch* vs The Bat ... Sailor
Watkins vs Jack LaRue ... Floyd (Red) Byrd vs Harry Lewis

Birmingham, AL: March 13, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Nick Carter and Roy Welch beat The Bat and Sailor Watkins ...
Green Shadow beat Joe Parelli ... referee-Harry Lewis ... NOTE: Nick Carter goes into
service this week.

Birmingham, AL: March 20, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... The Bat beat Roy Welch ... Sailor Watkins beat Joe Parelli ...
Blacksmith Pedigo drew Red Byrd (as Red Smith in results)

Birmingham, AL: March 27, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... The Bat and Sailor Watkins vs Jack LaRue and Jack Purdin ... Red
Byrd vs Sailor Parker

Birmingham, AL: April 3, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... (WJTM) Herb Welch* vs The Bat ... Sailor Watkins vs Roy Welch ...
Jack Curtis vs Sailor Parker ... referee-Jack Purdin

Birmingham, AL: April 10, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... The Bat drew Jack Curtis ... Sailor Watkins beat Green Shadow (dq)
... Farmer Jones beat Leo Jensen

Birmingham, AL: April 17, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Herb Welch and Roy Welch beat The Bat and Sailor Watkins (won
local tag team title) ... Sailor Parker drew Blacksmith Pedigo ... referee-Leo Jensen

Birmingham, AL: April 24, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... The Bat beat Jack Curtis (dq) ... Sailor Watkins beat Joe Parelli ...
Blacksmith Pedigo beat Leo Jensen

Birmingham, AL: May 1, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Prince Emir Badu drew The Bat (60:00) ... Nick Carter beat Sailor
Watkins (dq) ... Blacksmith Pedigo beat Joe Parelli (dq)

Birmingham, AL: May 8, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Jack Curtis and Sailor Watkins beat The Bat and Joe Parelli (dq) ...
Tony Cannella beat Red Byrd

Birmingham, AL: May 15, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Jack Curtis and Sailor Watkins vs The Bat and Joe Parelli ... Rod
Fenton drew The Terror

Birmingham, AL: May 22, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... The Bat beat Prince Emir Badu (dq) ... Rod Fenton beat Joe Parelli
(utc) ... The Terror beat Sailor Watkins

Birmingham, AL: May 29, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Jack Curtis and The Terror beat Prince Emir Badu and Rod Fenton
... The Bat beat Leo Jensen

Birmingham, AL: June 5, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Jack Curtis and The Terror  beat The Bat and Joe Parelli ... Prince
Emir Badu drew Leo Jensen ... referee-Rod Fenton

Birmingham, AL: June 12, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... The Bat beat The Terror (dq) ... Jack Curtis beat Prince Emir Badu ...
Rod Fenton drew Joe Parelli

Birmingham, AL: June 19, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... The Bat beat The Terror (unmasked as Buck Beale of Detroit) ...
Sailor Watkins beat Rod Fenton ... Joe Parelli beat Roy Welch ... (Att.-5,500)

Birmingham, AL: June 28, 1944 (Wednesday)
(Rickwood Park) ... Jack Curtis and Sailor Watkins beat Green Shadow and Joe Parelli
(dq) ... Rod Fenton beat Leo Jensen ... NOTE: A fire at City Hall saw the City workers
take over the City Auditorium, forcing the wrestlers to hold outdoor shows. Joe Gunther
was at the matches.

Birmingham, AL: July 3, 1944
(Rickwood Park) ... The Bat vs Buck Beale ... Green Shadow vs Jack Curtis ... Sailor
Watkins vs Sammy Feeback ... referee-Rev. Jesse Croning ... NOTE: The reverend was
from the church of Later Days Saints in Jackson, MS.

Birmingham, AL: July 11, 1944 (Tuesday)
(Legion Field) ... The Bat beat Sailor Watkins (2-1) ... Joe Parelli and Rod Fenton beat
Leo Jensen and (????) Bennett (lineup had Blacksmith Pedigo) ... NOTE: The card was
rained out Monday. Mrs. Gunther moved her shows away from Rickwood Park, as the
baseball team had home games there on many of the same nights the mat cards were
on. Possibly the name Bennett was just a newspaper error. I don’t have any other cities
for this promotion.

Birmingham, AL: July 17, 1944 (Monday)
(Legion Field) ... Sailor Watkins and Prince Omar beat The Bat and Joe Parelli (2-1) ...
Rod Fenton beat Cecil (Blacksmith) Pedigo (2-0)

Birmingham, AL: July 24, 1944
(Legion Field) ... Sailor Watkins beat The Bat (2-0, dq) ... Rod Fenton drew Green
Shadow (60:00) ... Blacksmith Pedigo drew Prince Omar ... (Att.-5,000)

Birmingham, AL: July 31, 1944
(Legion Field) ... Green Shadow and Joe Parelli beat Nick Carter and Rod Fenton (2-1,
dq) ... Leo Jensen drew The Bat (60:00)

Birmingham, AL: August 7, 1944
(Legion Field) ... Green Shadow beat Jack Steele (2-1, dq) ... Sailor Watkins beat Leo
Jensen (1-1, utc) ... Joe Parelli drew Rod Fenton (60:00, 1-1)

Birmingham, AL: August 14, 1944
(Legion Field) ... (mask vs mask) Green Shadow beat Mr. X (2-0) (unmasked as Jerry
Ratner of Providence, RI) ... Rod Fenton and Leo Jensen drew Sailor Watkins and
George Curtis (60:00, 1-1) ... (Att.-5,000)

Birmingham, AL: August 21, 1944
(Legion Field) ... (ladies) Elvira Snodgrass beat Nell Stewart (2-1) ... Jack Curtis beat Joe
Parelli ... Rod Fenton beat Sailor Watkins (1-1, utc) ... NOTE: This was Nell Stewart’s first
match in her own hometown.

Birmingham, AL: August 28, 1944
(Legion Field) ... (ladies) Elvira Snodgrass beat Ann Miller (2-0) ... Jack Curtis vs Leo
Jensen (nc) ... Sailor Watkins beat Joe Parelli ... NOTE: At first the referee awarded
Curtis the match on a disqualification. The commission changed it to no contest.

Birmingham, AL: September 4, 1944
(Legion Field) ... Leo Jensen beat Jack Curtis (1-1, utc) ... (Ladies) Mae Young beat
Elvira Snodgrass (2-1) ... Rod Fenton drew Pvt. Charlie Keene (seconded by The Bat)

Birmingham, AL: September 11, 1944
(Legion Field) ... The Bat and Pvt. Charlie Keene vs Nick Carter and Rod Fenton ... Leo
Jensen vs Sailor Watkins

Birmingham, AL: September 18, 1944
(Legion Field) ... Sailor Watkins beat Leo Jensen (2-1) ... Buck Beale beat Rod Fenton ...
Joe Parelli beat Sgt. Sammy Feeback

Birmingham, AL: September 25, 1944
(Legion Field) ... The Bat and Joe Parelli beat Buck Beale and Jerry Ratner (2-1, dq) ...
Sailor Watkins beat Rod Fenton (2-1) ... referee-Jack Bloomfield

Birmingham, AL: October 2, 1944
(Legion Field) ... The Bat beat Buck Beale (2-1) ... Sailor Watkins and Jerry Ratner beat
Leo Jensen and Rod Fenton (2-1)

Birmingham, AL: October 9, 1944
(Legion Field) ... The Bat beat Johnny Carlin (2-1, dq) ... Sailor Watkins beat Jack Purdin
(2-1) ... Rod Fenton beat Jerry Ratner

Birmingham, AL: October 16, 1944
(Legion Field) ... Leo Jensen and Rod Fenton beat Al (Swede) Olsen and The Bat (2-0)
... Johnny Carlin beat Sailor Watkins (2-1)

Birmingham, AL: October 23, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... The Bat vs Johnny Carlin ... Herb Welch vs Sailor Watkins ... NOTE:
The card was postponed by Mrs. Joe Gunther, as the Auditorium was not ready by
Monday. The weather was getting too cold for outdoor shows.

Birmingham, AL: October 30, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Jack Curtis beat Rod Fenton (2-1) ... The Bat drew Johnny Carlin ...
(WJTM) Herb Welch* beat Sailor Watkins (2-0, dq) ... NOTE: Pvt. Joe Gunther was at the
show. He was on furlough from Camp Butler, NC.

Birmingham, AL: November 6, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Herb Welch and Jack Curtis drew Rod Fenton and Sailor Watkins (1-
1) ... Jose Rodriquez beat Robert Segura (2-0, dq) ... referees-Johnny Carlin and Leo
Jensen

Birmingham, AL: November 13, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Herb Welch and Jack Curtis beat Rod Fenton and Sailor Watkins ...
Johnny Carlin beat Jose Rodriquez (loser’s name not given in results)

Birmingham, AL: November 20, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Green Shadow and The Who beat Nick Carter and Jack Curtis (2-1)
... Joe Parelli beat Leo Jensen (2-1)

Birmingham, AL: November 27, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Green Shadow and The Who beat Rod Fenton and Sailor Watkins (2-
1, dq) ... Johnny Carlin beat Robert Segura (2-0)

Birmingham, AL: December 4, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... Green Shadow drew Sailor Watkins (1-1) ... Johnny Mauldin beat
Johnny Carlin (2-0) ... Joe Parelli beat Leo Jensen (2-1) ... NOTE: This was the start of a
light heavyweight tournament to name a duration champion while Mike Chacoma was in
the Coast Guard.

Birmingham, AL: December 13, 1944 (Wednesday)
(City Auditorium) ... Herb Welch beat Johnny Mauldin (dq) ... Jose Rodriquez beat The
Who (dq) ... Rod Fenton beat Johnny Carlin (2-1) ... referee-Leo Jensen ... Week 2 of
tournament

Birmingham, AL: December 18, 1944
(City Auditorium) ... (Tournament match) Herb Welch beat Johnny Mauldin (2-1) ... Joe
Parelli and Jose Rodriquez beat Rod Fenton and Sailor Watkins ... (last card of the year)


Research by Don Luce
Birmingham Wrestling Results - 1944