Columbus Wrestling Results

Columbus, Ohio: Saturday, May 12, 1962
(Old Memorial Hall) … The Giant Baba vs. “Big” Bob Orton … Fred Atkins vs. Moose Cholak …
Marry Hillis vs. Sherry Lee … Graham vs. Frank Hickey … (promoter: Al Haft)
Note: Haft cancelled the show when Orton was unable to appear due to illness.

*On Saturday, May 19, 1962, “Live Wrestling” direct from WTVN (channel 6) studio was held
from 5-6 p.m. It was sponsored by Giant Furniture.

Columbus, Ohio: Saturday, June 23, 1962
(Old Memorial Hall) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Buddy Rogers vs. The Giant Baba …
Fred Atkins vs. Moose Cholak … George Strickland and Frankie Talaber vs. The Mask and
Tiger Severs … Larry Daniels vs. Bill Scholl … Elaine Ellis vs. Mary Alice Hillis … (promoter: Al
Haft)
Note: No results were released to the Columbus Dispatch.

*A publicity piece ran in the Columbus Dispatch on Wednesday, June 27, 1962 hyping a
wrestling show at the Jet Stadium on Saturday, July 7, 1962. The new promotion would have
much better publicity than Haft’s shows.

Columbus, Ohio: Friday, June 29, 1962
(Jones Park) … Jim Wall b. Rex Rose … Larry Conrad b. Wild Bill Spealman … Ray Fleetfoot b.
Bad Boy Holly … Bad Boy Holly won a six-man battle royal … (promoter: Grace Whaley)
Note: Another show was scheduled for Sunday at Jones Park.

Columbus, Ohio: Sunday, July 1, 1962
(Jones Park) … Bill Hoover b. John Hall … Juan Parker b. Rex Rose … Bad Boy Holly b. Frank
Hester … Larry Chrysler and Larry Conrad drew … (promoter: Grace Whaley)

*On Friday, July 6, 1962, Ben Cowall (1908-1989) was billed as the promoter for the Jet Stadium
show.

Columbus, Ohio: Saturday, July 7, 1962
(Jet Stadium) … Dick the Bruiser vs. Fritz Von Erich … Bob Ellis vs. The Sheik … Don Leo
Jonathan vs. Waldo Von Erich … Tony Borne vs. Bobby Graham … Ike Eakins vs. Ricki Starr …
(promoters: Balk Estes, Jim Barnett, Ben Cowall) (initial show)

Columbus, Ohio: Saturday, July 7, 1962
(Old Memorial Hall) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Buddy Rogers vs. The Giant Baba …
Johnny Barend and The Golden Terror vs. The Hillbillies … other matches … (promoter: Al Haft)

*The Cowall Jet Stadium promotion moved its next show to Wednesday, July 25, only to be
followed by Haft’s promotion of a show at Memorial Hall. The Cowall-Barnett-Estes group had
superior promotions in the newspapers.

Columbus, Ohio: Wednesday, July 25, 1962
(Jet Stadium) … Don Leo Jonathan vs. The Sheik … Dick the Bruiser and Bill Miller vs. The
Nielsen (Art and Stan Nielsen) … Jack Allen vs. Farmer Marlin … Frazier vs. Gonzoles … Foster
vs. Rogers … Slim Marlin vs. Jack Wilson … Tony Borne vs. Guy Mitchell … Bobby Graham vs.
George Scott … Ricky Cortez vs. Bobby Graham … (promoters: Balk Estes, Jim Barnett, Ben
Cowall) … (ladies night) (all ladies and children under 12 admitted free)
Note: The show was rescheduled due to rain. It was set for Sunday night.

Columbus, Ohio: Wednesday, July 25, 1962
(Old Memorial Hall) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Buddy Rogers b. The Giant Baba …
Johnny Barend b. Antonino Rocca (CO) … Leon Graham and Frankie Talaber b. Angelo Savoldi
and Bill Scholl … The Hillbillies b. Fred Atkins and Nicolie Baukoff … Larry Daniels b. Jim Windle
… (promoter: Al Haft) … (4,000 fans)

Columbus, Ohio: Sunday, July 29, 1962
(Jet Stadium) … Dick the Bruiser and Bill Miller b. The Nielsen Brothers (Art and Stan Nielsen)
(2/3) … Don Leo Jonathan b. The Sheik (DQ) … Tony Borne b. Guy Mitchell (death match) …
George Scott b. Bobby Graham … Don Marlin b. Red Grupe … Sandy Scott b. Ricky Cortez …
Robert DeRant b. Slim Marlin … Mark Stone b. Jim Windle … (promoters: Balk Estes, Jim
Barnett, Ben Cowall) (second show) … (3,311 fans)

Columbus, Ohio: Friday, August 10, 1962
(Jones Park) … Bad Boy Holly b. Pretty Boy Floyd … Lee Burton b. The Cuban Rebel (DQ) …
Lucky Lambert b. Wild Bill Speakman … (promoter: Grace Whaley)

Columbus, Ohio: Saturday, August 11, 1962
(Old Memorial Hall) … Tag Team Champions The Giant Baba and Johnny Barend b. The
Scufflin’ Hillbillies (2-0) … The Hoover Brothers (Charlie and Ray Hoover) b. John Callahan and
Paul Stetson … Dr. Billy Darnell b. Fred Atkins (DQ) … Chief White Owl b. Paul Diamond …
Virginia Franklin b. Mary Hillis (2-0) … (promoter: Al Haft)

Columbus, Ohio: Sunday, August 12, 1962
(Jet Stadium) … World Heavyweight Champion Don Leo Jonathan and Karl Gotch drew … Baby
Cheryl b. Dolly Darcell … The Nielsen Brothers (Art and Stan Nielsen) b. Dick the Bruiser and
Bill Miller (2/3) … Little Boy Blue and Marcel Semard b. Chico Santana and Pee Wee Lopez …
Sandy Scott b. Mark Stone … George Scott and Red Grupe drew … Ricki Starr b. Mark Stone …
(Promoters: Balk Estes, Jim Barnett, Ben Cowall) … (3,603 fans)

Columbus, Ohio: Thursday, August 30, 1962
(Jet Stadium) … Dick the Bruiser and Bill Miller drew (60:00) (1-1) … The Scott Brothers
(George and Sandy Scott) b. The Nielsens (Art and Stan Nielsen) (DQ) … Don Leo Jonathan b.
Ricky Cortez … Guy Mitchell b. Bill Frazier (Mitchell was originally scheduled to wrestle Dennis
Hall) … Mark Stone and Jim Windle drew (Stone was originally scheduled to wrestle Joe
Blanchard) … (promoter: Balk Estes)

Columbus, Ohio: Friday, August 31, 1962
(Fairgrounds Coliseum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Buddy Rogers vs. Johnny
Barend – Cancelled … Leon Graham and Frankie Talaber b. Angelo Savoldi and Hank Vest …
Shohei “Giant” Baba b. Johnny Barend (DQ) … Magnificent Maurice b. Frank Hickey … Elaine
Ellis b. Mary Alice Hillis (2/3) … Antonino Rocca b. Fred Atkins … Chief White Owl and Paul
Stetson drew … (promoter: Al Haft) … (gate: $8,000)
Note: Prior to his match with Johnny Barend, Buddy Rogers had a confrontation with Karl Gotch
and Bill Miller in the dressing room. Haft refunded the admission fees, despite the fact that most
of the show had been shown as planned. Rogers suffered various injuries and was treated at
University Hospital. $2,500 of the $8,000 gate was refunded.

*On Saturday, September 1, 1962, Buddy Rogers filed charges against Bill Miller and Karl Istaz
(Karl Krauser/Karl Gotch), claiming that he was assaulted by the two grapplers in the dressing
room of the Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum. Rogers spoke with Prosecutor Bernard Chupka,
and his left arm was in a cast following an examination at the University Hospital.

*Rogers claimed that he was talking to Al Haft in the dressing room, talking about business,
when Miller and Gotch entered the room. Rogers said the following in the Saturday, September
1, 1962 edition of the Columbus Dispatch: “The next thing I knew, Haft is flying through the air
and these two guys jumped me and slammed a door on my arm.”

*On Sunday, September 2, 1962, both Bill Miller and Karl Gotch surrendered to Franklin County
Sheriff’s Deputies and posted $25 bond.

*On Tuesday, September 4, 1962, Miller and Gotch were arrigned in Franklin County Municipal
Court. The case was continued to Tuesday, September 11, 1962.

Columbus, Ohio: Saturday, September 8, 1962
(Memorial Hall) … Shohei Baba vs. Johnny Barend … four other matches … (promoter: Al Haft)
Note: Haft cancelled his program due to the hype surrounding the American Wrestling Alliance
show at Jet Stadium.

*The Columbus Dispatch gave huge coverage to the program on September 11.

Columbus, Ohio: Tuesday, September 11, 1962
(Jet Stadium) … Karl Gotch b. Don Leo Jonathan to capture the AWA World Heavyweight Title
(2/3) (Jonathan won the first fall in 25:23 by submission with a leg strangle, Gotch won the
second in 40:21 with a super suplex, Gotch won the third when Jonathan was unable to
continue) (Jonathan was carried from the ring) … Bill Miller b. The Sheik (9:42) … Dinah
Beamon b. Sweet Georgia Brown (12:10) … Dick the Bruiser b. Ricky Cortez (11:00) … Art
Nielsen b. Donn Lewin (7:14) … Stan Nielsen b. Dale Lewis (6:00) … George Scott b. Ivan
Kalmikoff (7:44) … Sandy Scott b. Angelo Gatoni (8:12) … Ilio DiPaolo b. Mark Stone (6:28) …
Mark Lewin and Robert of Paris (Durant) drew … (promoter: Balk Estes) … (sponsored by
Dispatch Charities) … (4,000 fans)

Research by Tim Hornbaker

Columbus Wrestling Results - 1962