Columbus, Ohio:  Friday, January 1, 1932
(The Auditorium) … John Pesek b. Joe Stecher (62:00) … Everette Marshall b. Barna Ostopo
(dec., 30:00) … Alan Eustace b. Al Baffert (27:25) … Suylaman Bey b. Fred Moran (18:00)
… Joe Pabalka and Charlie Santon drew (15:00) … Henry Jones b. Ray Phillips (dec., 15:00)
… (promoter:  Al Haft) … (referees:  Perry Schad, Ed Beardsley) … (4,000 fans)
Notes:  Al Haft was going to “personally supervise” Pesek’s training for his bout against
Stecher.  The newspaper noted that Stecher was “eleven times winner over Jim Londos.”
Pesek “has gone undefeated since he bowed to Stecher four years ago.” Stecher trained at
the Columbus police department gymnasium and Pesek worked out at the Columbus YMCA.  
It was said that “thousands of dollars for future matches and world recognition as
heavyweight wrestling champion” awaited the winner of the match.  Suylaman Bey was said to
be a Turkish wrestler weighing 190 pounds.  Joe Pabalka was Pesek’s training partner.  Tony
Stecher was quoted as saying that Pesek was Stecher’s toughest obstacle in the latter’s
comeback tour.  Bey was accompanied by Mustapha Pasha, who acted as his interpreter.

Columbus, Ohio:  Wednesday, January 13, 1932
(The Auditorium) … Joe Savoldi b. Hardy Kruskamp (23:53) … Barna Ostopo b. Ray
Richards (36:26) … Ray Carpenter and Mustapha Pasha drew (30:00) … Frank Kovack b.
Julius Strongbow (Strongbough) (10:55) … Jack McCoy b. Pete Dando (9:42) … (promoter:  
Al Haft) … (4,000 fans)
Notes:  The Savoldi-Kruskamp match was billed as a match between former football stars.  
Kruskamp attended Ohio State and Savoldi, Notre Dame.  In the Sunday newspaper before
the match, photos of Kruskamp, Carpenter, and Pasha appeared.  Leslie Grimes failed to
appear for his match against McCoy and was replaced by Dando.  Kovack’s win over
Strongbow was considered an upset.

Columbus, Ohio:  Wednesday, January 20, 1932
(The Auditorium) … Joe Banaski b. Paddy Mack (72:00) … Barna Ostopo b. Sailor Arnold (24:
45) … John Heracle b. Dick Lever (dec., 20:00) … Karl Davis b. Fred Moran (DQ) (18:04) …
(promoter:  Al Haft) … (referee:  Ed Beardsley)
Notes:  John Herach (also spelled Heracle) was said to be German grappler and a “graduate
of Heidelberg Uniersity.” The Paddy Mack-Joe Banaski was reported to be the “first in a
series of matches to determine the holder of the Midwest Wrestling Association’s light
heavyweight title belt.” Banaski was said to be a “former holder of the Midwest light
heavyweight belt.” Arnold was “champion of the navy yard at Norfolk, Va.” Heracle “was far
superior to Lever,” but “didn’t display any great ability.”

Columbus, Ohio:  Friday, January 29, 1932
(The Auditorium) … John Pesek b. Nicola Linoff (27:37) … Barna Ostopo b. Alan Eustace (40:
50) (decision) … Sailor Arnold b. Suyleman Bey (DQ) (15:19) (crowd nearly rioted during this
match) … Karl Davis and Charles Santon drew (20:00) … (promoter:  Al Haft) … (large crowd
in attendance)

*The Sunday, January 31, 1932 edition of the Columbus Dispatch reported that a new
wrestling operation was going to begin staging shows in Columbus under the management of
Tim Nolan.  The Queensbury Athletic Club was going to run operations with affiliation to the
Ed “Strangler” Lewis troupe, and shows would be held at the Memorial Hall beginning
February 23.  Among the names promised were Henri DeGlane, Dick Shikat, Hans Steinke,
Ray Steele, Rudy Dusek, George Zaharias, Gino Garibaldi, Dick Daviscourt, and Jack
Reynolds.

*The Sunday, January 31, 1932 edition of the Columbus Dispatch and an article written by
Frank M. Colley reported that Columbus Mayor Henry Worley was working to place
professional wrestling under the jurisdiction of an athletic commission – and tax the sport.

Columbus, Ohio:  Wednesday, February 3, 1932
(The Auditorium) … Joe Banaski b. Marion Mynster (1:04:40) … Everette Marshall b. Sylemin
Bey (6:10) … Abe Coleman b. Roy “Father” Lumpkin (DQ) (38:30) … Babe Lyons and Bob
Spires drew (15:00) … Tom Galbos and Mustapha Pasha drew (20:00) ... (promoter:  Al Haft)
… (referee:  Ed Beardsley)
Notes:  Banaski and Mynster was both “former holders” of the light heavyweight
championship.  “Two other contenders for the crown” were Pinky Gardner and John Kilonis,
who were scheduled to wrestle in Camden on Monday.  The winner of that match was going
to wrestle the winner of Banaski-Mynster “at a later date with the championship as the prize.”
The title was said to be in dispute and this was working toward settling the controversy.  
Suylemin Bey was known as “Moonlight.”  Roy Galbos was the Western Reserve University
wrestling coach.  Midget Slagle was a piano mover from the “West Side.” The Gardner-Kilonis
match in Camden was postponed the Monday before.  Marshall’s car broke down in
Indianapolis and he failed to arrive until nearly 10:00.

Columbus, Ohio:  Friday, February 12, 1932
(The Auditorium) … Carrol “Pinky” Gardner b. Joe Banaski to capture the vacant MWA World
Light Heavyweight Title (44:12) … Everette Marshall b. Sailor Arnold (14:44) … Dick Lever b.
Suylemin Bey (DQ) (12:29) (decision was reversed after Bey initially won) … Karl Davis b.
Cyclone Burns (16:05) … Bob Spiers b. Julius Strongbow (15:00., dec) … (promoter:  Al Haft)
… (referee:  Ernie Maddox)
Notes:  The Sunday before, the newspaper indicated that Banaski was going to wrestle the
winner of the Pinky Gardner-John Kilonis match for the light heavyweight wrestling
championship.  The trio were the only survivors of an elimination tournament.  Kilonis and
Gardner was going to battle on Monday in Camden.  On Tuesday, it was reported in
Columbus that Banaski was going to wrestle Gardner, the victor in the Camden bout.  
Gardner won two-of-three-falls before a reported 7,000 fans at the Convention Hall.  It was
called an “odd and dramatic finish” with the referee Bob Jones being knocked out near the
end of the bout.  The winner of the Banaski-Gardner match was going to receive the
“beautiful diamond-studded belt, emblematic of the championship.” “Pinky” was spelled
“Pinkie” by the local newspaper.  The match was said to be “one of the fastest and cleanest
matches ever witnessed in Columbus.” Maddox was from Cleveland.  Cyclone Burns was from
Kansas City.

Columbus, Ohio:  Wednesday, February 17, 1932
(Memorial Hall) … Al Baffert b. Barna Ostopo (41:32) … John Kilonis b. Suylemin Bey (4:33)
… Ray Carpenter and Paddy Mack drew (30:00) … Karl Davis b. Hardy Kruskamp (20:58) …
Pete Ladjimi failed to throw Mustapha Pasha twice in 30:00 (Ladjimi won one fall in 19:00)
Notes:  Ladjimi was said to be the “one-time conqueror of Sonnenberg,” and Frank M. Colley
of the Columbus Dispatch noted that he “gives promise of being a valuable addition to the
local grunt and groan colony.” He had “real wrestling ability.” Pasha was Bey’s “running mate.”

Columbus, Ohio:  Wednesday, February 24, 1932
(The Auditorium) … Joe Savoldi b. Al Baffert (39:44) … Karl Davis b. Farmer Lumpkin (30:10)
… Abe Coleman and Glen Wade drew (30:00) … Pete Ladjimi and Sailor Arnold drew (20:00)
… (promoter:  Al Haft)

Columbus, Ohio:  Wednesday, March 2, 1932
(The Auditorium) … Everette Marshall b. Abe Coleman (29:10) … Karl Davis b. Dick Lever
(25:15) … Martin Zikhoff b. Pete Ladjimi (decision) … Babe Lyons b. Julius Strongbow …
(promoter:  Al Haft)
Notes:  Pete Ladjimi was originally booked to wrestle Suylemin Bey, but the latter was
replaced by Martin Zikhoff after Bey was hospitalized at White Cross Hospital for blood
poisoning, caused by a “neglected scratch on the leg.” Smaller crowd in attendance.

Columbus, Ohio:  Thursday, March 10, 1932
(Memorial Hall) … Frank Brunowicz b. George Hills (2/3) … Mike Romano b. Bob Jessen (15:
00) (airplane spin) … Al Cornsweet b. Bill Hassen (12:50) … Earl Hassen b. Bill Jacobson (10:
00) … Swede Thompson b. “Legs” Lades (5:10) … (promoter:  Tim Nolan)

Columbus, Ohio:  Friday, March 11, 1932
(The Auditorium) … Everette Marshall b. Abe Coleman (23:31) .. Pat McClary b. Julius
Strongbow (33 seconds) (airplane spin) … Karl Davis b. Ed Burns (27:00) … Suylemin Bey b.
Joe Banaski (17:39) … Adolph Sandow b. Oky Landon (13:00) … (promoter:  Al Haft) …
(2,000 fans)

Columbus, Ohio:  Friday, March 18, 1932
(The Auditorium) … Everette Marshall and John Pesek drew (2 hours) … Wladek Zbyszko b.
Bob Spiers in 1:46 and Joe Hackenschmidt in 1:40 (Zbyszko offered $50 to any wrestler who
could stay 15-minutes with him) … Karl Davis b. Andy Zikhoff (decision) … Pat McClary b.
Babe Lyons (33 seconds) … Bill Miller b. Larry Straub … (promoter: Al Haft) … (referees:  
Ernie Maddux, Ed Beardsley, Chob Sisson) … (4,000 fans)
Notes:  During the main event, referees Maddux and Beardsley were both knocked out and
were replaced by Sisson.  Hackenschmidt was from Toledo.  Bill Miller was a “former South
High athlete.” Straub was from Aquinas.

Columbus, Ohio:  Thursday, March 24, 1932
(The Auditorium) … Everette Marshall b. Pat McLary (11:07) … Walter Podolak b. Suylemin
Bey (less than 3-minutes) … Paddy Mack b. Fred Moran (DQ) (18:00) … Bob Montgomery
and Glen Wade drew … Sergeant Ray Halderman b. Charlie Santon (decision) … (promoter:  
Al Haft) … (referee:  Chob Sisson) … (3,500 fans)
Notes:  Marshall was outweighed by 29 pounds in his match.  McLary weighed 250 to
Marshall’s 221.

Columbus, Ohio:  Monday, March 28, 1932
(Memorial Hall) … Frank Bronowicz b. George Vasell (20:51) … Charley Fox b. Sailor Billings
(16:26) (bloody match) … Red Morris b. Spud Carter (11:07) … Oscar Coal b. Frank Nower
(DQ) (10:30) … Merle Dolby and Earl Hassen drew … (promoter:  Tim Nolan) … (referee:  Art
Lockwood)
Notes:  Billings was from Toledo and Fox from Cleveland.  Lockwood was from Newark, Ohio.  
Nower was from Cleveland and Carter from Columbus.

Columbus, Ohio:  Wednesday, March 30, 1932
(The Auditorium) … MWA World Heavyweight champion John Pesek b. Walter Podolak (32:
44) … Karl Davis b. Al Baffert (decision) … Fred Moran b. Bob Gearhart (21:00) (Gearhart
substituted for Ray Carpenter, who was sick) … Ray Halderman and John Kilonis drew (30:
00) … Robin Reed b. Roughhouse Packer (25:23) … (promoter:  Al Haft) … (referees:  Chob
Sissons, Ed Beardsley) … (4,500 fans)
Notes:  Pesek was billed as a “claimant of the world’s heavyweight wrestling championship.”  
Walter Podolak was said to be a protégé of Stanislaus Zbyszko.  The show was sponsored by
the Democratic Glee Club.  With his win, Davis earned a match with Joe Savoldi.

Columbus, Ohio:  Monday, April 4, 1932
(Eagles Hall) … Ray Phillips b. Bill Miller (2/3) … Larry Straub b. Bob Blake (14:00) … Joe
Lett and Bud Mitchell drew … Ray Ganson b. Lew Evans … Ralph Banks b. Lew Chester (1:
05) … (promoter:  Joe Snyder)
Notes:  This show was promoted by the “newly-organized” Imperial Club.” The venue was on
North High Street.  700 seats were available for 25 cents each.  Phillips was said to be the
Ohio State Welterweight champion.

Columbus, Ohio:  Friday, April 8, 1932
(Memorial Hall) … Karl Davis vs. Joe Savoldi
Note:  This show was postponed because Davis had suffered a mat burn during training,
which had turned into an infection.

Columbus, Ohio:  Friday, April 15, 1932
(The Auditorium) … Karl Davis vs. Joe Savoldi … Sailor Arnold vs. Barna Ostopo … Marion
Mynster vs. Frank Wolfe … Suylemin Bey vs. Wally Logan
Notes:  This show was postponed because of a “sudden illness” to Savoldi.  Logan was said
to be from Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Columbus, Ohio:  Thursday, April 21, 1932
(The Auditorium) … Everette Marshall b. Barna Ostopo (25:15) (airplane spin) … Marion
Mynster b. Frank Wolfe (19:16) … Karl Davis b. Dutch Hefner (DQ) (21:35) … Suylemin Bey
and Bob Montgomery drew (30:00) … (promoter:  Al Haft) … (referee:  Ed Beardsley)
Note:  Mynster earned a title match against World Light Heavyweight titleholder Pinky
Gardner next Thursday.

Columbus, Ohio:  Thursday, April 28, 1932
(The Auditorium) … MWA World Light Heavyweight champion Pinky Gardner b. Marion
Mynster (39:22) … Glen Wade b. Sailor Arnold (18:40) (airplane spin) … Gordon Arquette
and Robin Reed drew (30:00) … Bob Atlas and Sergeant Roy Haldeman drew (30:00) …
(promoter:  Al Haft) … (less than 2,500 fans)
Notes:  Robin Reed was said to be “one of the most scientific and popular boys ever to
appear in Columbus.”  Haldeman was from Philadelphia.

Columbus, Ohio:  Thursday, May 5, 1932
(The Auditorium) … Everette Marshall b. Wladek Zbyszko (DQ) (Zbyszko continuously used a
stranglehold) (28:36) … Harry Ekezian b. Joe Hackenschmidt (22:18) (bearhug) … Karl Davis
and Joe Montana drew (30:00) (Montana was a substitute for Ad Herman) … Gordon
Arquette and Robin Reed drew (30:00)
… (promoter:  Al Haft) … (referees:  Chob Sisson, Ed Beardsley)
Notes:  Harry Ekizian was a newcomer and was said to be a “three times heavyweight
champion of the United States Navy.” He would later be known as Ali Baba.  Montana was
from Camden, New Jersey.

Columbus, Ohio:  Wednesday, May 11, 1932
(The Auditorium) … John Pesek b. Wladek Zbyszko (21:05) … Karl Davis b. Martin Zikhoff
(20:45) … Gordon Arquette b. Harold Simms (16:59) … Dutch Hefner b. Bob Montgomery (12:
57) … Julius Strongbow b. Babe Lyons (10:36) … (promoter:  Al Haft) … (3,500 fans)
Notes:  Davis attended North High School in Columbus.  Zikhoff was from Cleveland and
Hefner from Sherman, Texas.  Montgomery was said to be from New Orleans.  Arquette was a
Yakima Indian wrestler.  Zbyszko was called a “three times claimant of the world’s
heavyweight wrestling championship.” This show was originally scheduled to be held at Haft’s
Acre, but it was shifted to the Auditorium shortly before the program.  The Columbus Athletic
Commission suspsended Hefner indefinitely for “unnecessary roughness” based on his
actions during his bout with Montgomery.

Columbus, Ohio:  Tuesday, May 17, 1932
(Parsons Plaza Arena) … Lew Palestine vs. Swede Thompson … The Masked Marvel vs. Hal
Spang … Tuffy Gaines vs. Cleve Welch (Welsh) … (sponsored by:  Southway Post of the
American Legion)
Notes:  The show was scheduled for Monday, but was rained out.  The Masked Marvel was a
“coast welterweight” who held “a decision over the speedy Robin Reed, Former Olympic
welterweight titleholder.” He was an “unknown.”

Columbus, Ohio:  Wednesday, May 18, 1932
(The Auditorium) … Robin Reed b. Gordon Arquette (46:14) … Pat McLary b. Bob
Montgomery (25:53) … Walter Podolak b. Cyclone Burns (12:22) (airplane spin) … Joe
Montana b. Bob Atlas (19:47) … (promoter:  Al Haft)
Notes:  Reed was said to be holder of the “Mid-West Athletic Association welter title belt.” In
the case of bad weather, the show was going to be moved from Haft’s Acre to the Auditorium,
and that’s exactly what happened.  Atlas was from Buffalo.

Columbus, Ohio:  Tuesday, May 24, 1932
(Olentangy Park) … Robin Reed vs. Larry Straube … preliminary match
Notes:  This marked the second free show at Olentangy park and the program began at 8:00
p.m.  “All park wrestling shows, which are held on Tuesdays and Saturdays, are staged in the
open-air theater, where there are plenty of seats available,” according to the Columbus
Dispatch (5/24/1932).

Columbus, Ohio:  Thursday, May 26, 1932
(The Coliseum) … Jim McMillen b. George Kotsonaros (31:04) … Frank Brunowicz and Gino
Garibaldi drew (30:00) … Wildcat McCann b. Jack Harmon (7:19) (Harmon was a substitute
for Leslie Fishbaugh) … Fred Grobmier b. Mike Romano (15:15) … Lou Bloom b. Freddie Hill
(boxing) … Chuck Cincone b. Freddie Nosser (boxing) … Eddie Burt b. Reno Saffero
(boxing) … Paul Lyons and Buck Nafzger drew (15:00) (police wrestlers) … Herman Odhe b.
Bernard Shoaf (6:45) (police wrestlers) … Jack Sterling won a police battle royal (10:30) ($50
prize) (last eliminated was A.R. Whitman) (Judge “Left” Kime” was the referee) … (promoter:  
Tim Nolan) … (6,500 fans)
Notes:  This was the Jim Londos troupe running opposition to the Haft group.  A combined
Boxing and Wrestling Carnival benefitting the Police Athletic Association.  McCann “claims to
have conquered Robin Reed in 6 ½ minutes, didn’t display anything to indicate his superiority
over the former welterweight champion.  Maybe he didn’t have to,” according to Frank M.
Colley’s report in the Columbus Dispatch.  Colley noted that the show went too long, the
boxing “was better than anticipated, the grappling, as a whole, failed to come up to
expectations, and the police portion of the card was exceptionally satisfactory.”

Columbus, Ohio:  Saturday, May 28, 1932
(Olentangy Park) … Frank Moran vs. Marion Mynster

Columbus, Ohio:  Wednesday, June 1, 1932
(Haft’s Acre Arena) … Dutch Hefner vs. Everette Marshall … (promoter:  Al Haft)



Research by Tim Hornbaker
Columbus Wrestling Results - 1932
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