Denver Wrestling Results

Denver, Colorado: Wednesday, January 17, 1962
(Auditorium Arena) … Verne Gagne and Wilbur Snyder b. United States Tag Team
Champions The Nielsen Brothers (Art and Stan Nielsen) by disqualification in the third fall
(2/3) (Snyder b. Stan Nielsen in 8-minutes for the first fall, Stan b. Gagne for the second
in 10:59, Gagne and Snyder won by disqualification in 7:39) (a title could not change
hands by disqualification) … Wilbur Snyder b. Fritz Von Erich (2/3) (Snyder was a
substitute for Dick the Bruiser, who was stuck in Omaha) … Don Leo Jonathan b. Bobo
Brazil (13:59) … June Byers b. Theresa Theis (13:26) … (promoters: Jim Barnett and
Johnny Doyle) … (3,500 fans) … (gate: $8,500)

Denver, Colorado: Friday, February 9, 1962
(Denver Coliseum) … Bronko Lubich and Wahoo McDaniel drew (20:00) … Wilbur
Snyder b. Fritz Von Erich (2/3) … Verne Gagne b. United States Heavyweight Champion
Dick the Bruiser (DQ) (no title change) … United States Tag Team Champions The
Nielsen Brothers (Art and Stan Nielsen) b. Bill Melby and Sonny Weaver (Nielsens were
billed in the newspaper as being the World Tag Team Champions) … Hercules Romero
b. Miguel Castro (7:45) … (promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle) … (3,944 fans) …
(gate: $10,328)

Denver, Colorado: Friday, March 2, 1962
(Denver Coliseum) … Dick the Bruiser and The Sheik b. Joe Blanchard and Wilbur
Snyder (2/3) … Magnificent Maurice b. Chief White Owl … Chief Wahoo McDaniel b.
Johnny Barend (DQ) … Johnny Barend and Magnificent Maurice b. Chief White Owl and
Bill Melby … (promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle) … (2,791 fans) … (gate:
$7,191)
Note: Bill Melby was originally booked to wrestle Mike Valentino.

*According to several sources, a tournament was held on March 4, 1962 in Denver,
Colorado, and Don Leo Jonathan defeated Killer Kowalski in the finals to capture a claim
to the “American Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title.” No records have ever been
found to prove that this tournament actually happened. No promotional pieces or results
ran in either the Denver Post or Rocky Mountain News.

Denver, Colorado: Friday, March 23, 1962
(Auditorium Arena) … Fritz Von Erich b. Bobo Brazil (2/3) (Brazil won the first fall with a
coco bump, Von Erich won with an iron claw for the second and then took the third with
an iron claw) … Chief Wahoo McDaniel and Chief White Owl b. Dick the Bruiser
(handicap match) (Bruiser had to beat both in 20-minutes) (Bruiser beat White Owl in 14:
50) (McDaniel remained through the time-limit) … Stan Nielsen b. Magnificent Maurice
(DQ) (17:12) (Maurice hit Nielsen with his perfume spray gun) … Johnny Barend and Art
Nielsen drew … (promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle) … (3,579 fans) … (gate:
$9,232)

Denver, Colorado: Thursday, April 12, 1962
(Denver Coliseum) … Fritz Von Erich b. Yukon Eric (clawhold) (9:21) … Johnny Barend
and Magnificent Maurice b. The Nielsen Brothers (Art and Stan Nielsen) to capture the
United States Tag Team Title (one-fall match) (Maurice pinned Art Nielsen) (15:14) …
Rocky Hamilton and Jack Pesek drew … Chief Wahoo McDaniel b. Haystack Muldoon (4:
06) … Theresa Theis b. Kitty Noble (8:03) … Marcel Semaaro b. Pee Wee Lopez (6:30)
… June Byers b. Barbara Baker … Bobby Managoff b. Ernie Dusek (DQ) (11:07) …
Ricky Romero and The Viking drew (30:00) … (promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny
Doyle) … (6,200 fans) … (gate: $16,206)
Note: Billed as the Biggest Show West of Madison Square Garden

Denver, Colorado: Friday, May 4, 1962
(Denver Coliseum) … The Nielsen Brothers (Art and Stan Nielsen) b. Johnny Barend,
Magnificent Maurice and Armstrong Kay to regain the United States Tag Team Title
(three-on-two title match) (The Nielsens used Kay as a battering ram, then pinned him for
the third fall in 8:28) (Kay weighed 90 pounds) … Fritz Von Erich b. Bill Melby (2/3) …
Wilbur Snyder b. Sandy Scott … Chief Wahoo McDaniel b. Don Jardine … (promoters:
Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle) … (2,317 fans) … (gate: $5,982)

Denver, Colorado: Friday, May 25, 1962
(Denver Coliseum) … Fritz Von Erich b. Wilbur Snyder (2/3) (Snyder won the first fall in 9:
50 with an abdominal stretch, Von Erich won the second in 5:52 with a clawhold and third
by countout in 4:58) … Bill Melby b. Stan Nielsen (9:42) … The Sheik b. Bill Melby (2/3)
… Art Nielsen and Sandy Scott drew (30:00) … (promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny
Doyle) … (3,573 fans) … (gate: $9,273)
Note: Three wrestlers from Chicago to Denver was forced to return to the “Windy City,”
thus, they were unable to appear. They were Dick the Bruiser, Hans Herman, and Chief
Wahoo McDaniel.

Denver, Colorado: Friday, June 22, 1962
(Denver Coliseum) … The Sheik b. Fritz Von Erich when the latter was unable to continue
(no holds barred match, no referee) (20:00) … Kenji Shibuya b. Guy Brunetti (2/3)
(Shibuya won the first fall in 15:14 with a sleeperhold, Brunetti won the second in 7:54
with a piledriver, Shibuya won the third in 5:16 with a judo chop) … Ray Stern b. Bill
Melby (21:27) … Joe Brunetti b. Mitsu Arakawa (19:10) … (promoters: Jim Barnett and
Johnny Doyle) … (2,000 fans)

Denver, Colorado: Friday, July 13, 1962
(Denver Coliseum) … 11-Man Battle Royal. Ray Stern won … Dick the Bruiser and Ray
Stern drew (30:00) … George Scott b. Waldo Von Erich (10:00) … The Sheik b. Bill
Melby (4:48) (Arabian neckbreaker) … Don Leo Jonathan b. Sandy Scott (22:23) … Bob
Nandor b. Guy Mitchell (14:33) … Chief Wahoo McDaniel b. Ricky Cortez (DQ) …
(promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle)

Denver, Colorado: Friday, August 3, 1962
(Denver Coliseum) … United States Heavyweight Champion Dick the Bruiser b. Ray Stern
(2/3) (Stern won the first fall in 28-seconds, Bruiser won the second, Bruiser won the
third when Stern was unable to continue outside the ring) … Ricky Cortez b. Joe
Blanchard … Don Leo Jonathan b. Bobby Graham (Jonathan was the AWA World
Champion, but there was no mention of that title in local newspapers) (Jonathan was
originally scheduled to wrestle The Sheik) … Mark Lewin b. Ricky Cortez (2-0) …
(promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle) … (3,018 fans)

Denver, Colorado: Friday, September 14, 1962
(Denver Coliseum) … The Sheik b. Dick the Bruiser (2/3) (The Sheik won the first fall in 6:
55, Bruiser won the second in 9-minutes with a knee drop from the top rope, The Sheik
won the third by countout in 6:39) … Ray “Thunder” Stern b. Stan Nielsen (2/3) … Art
Nielsen and George Scott drew … Mark Lewin b. Robert Durant (Mr. Paris) (DQ) (10:26)
… (promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle) … (3,464 fans) … (gate: $6,320)
Note: The television show with Lord Athol Layton as commentator in 1962 was being
beamed into Denver. Layton was a commentator on the show being taped from Windsor,
Ontario, at CKLW-TV. Some shows were taped at the Cobo Hall in Detroit.

Denver, Colorado: Wednesday, October 3, 1962
(Denver Coliseum) … Dick the Bruiser vs. Don Leo Jonathan … Lord Athol Layton vs.
The Sheik … Mark Lewin vs. Ray “Thunder” Stern … Robert Durant vs. Wilbur Snyder …
(promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle)

*On September 14, 1962 in Columbus, Ohio, Karl Gotch defeated Don Leo Jonathan to
capture the AWA World Heavyweight Title.

Denver, Colorado: Wednesday, October 24, 1962
(Denver Coliseum) … World Heavyweight Champion Karl Gotch b. Art Nielsen (2-0)
(Gotch won the first fall by disqualification and took the second in 9:51 with a a rolling
suplex) (Gotch was billed as being from one of the “Iowa Gotches”) (Gotch was billed as
the “Kirk Douglas of the Mat”) … Women’s World Champion June Byers b. Darlene
Shields (14:43) … Dick the Bruiser b. Lord Athol Layton to capture the United States
Heavyweight Title (2/3) (Bruiser won the first fall in 7:48, Layton won the second and
Bruiser took the third) (Layton was billed as just having won the U.S. Title.) … Bill Miller
and Wilbur Snyder drew (30:00) … (promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle)

Research by Tim Hornbaker
October 25, 2010

Denver Wrestling Results - 1962