Detroit Wrestling Results

Detroit, Michigan: April 15, 1961
(Olympia Arena) … United States Heavyweight Champion Dick the Bruiser b. Leo Nomellini …
Verne Gagne b. Gene Kiniski … Bobo Brazil b. Bill Miller … Killer Kowalski b. Emil Dupree … Big
Daddy Lipscomb b. Frank Valois … Johnny Weaver b. Joe Swiderski … Jack Allen b. Prince Koko
… (promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle)

Detroit, Michigan: Friday, June 23, 1961
(Briggs Stadium) (future Tigers Stadium) … Dick the Bruiser b. Bobo Brazil (2/3) … NWA World
Heavyweight Champion Pat O’Connor b. Don Leo Jonathan … Verne Gagne b. Kenji Shibuya …
Haystack Calhoun and Killer Kowalski drew … The Sheik of Araby b. Emil Dupre … Bob Ellis b.
Roy Shire … Johnny Weaver b. Taro Miyaki … Cowboy Bradley and Lord Littlebrook b. Bull
Brummel and Tiny Roe … Red Bastien and Lou Klein wrestled Art Neilsen and Ray Shire to a
draw … (promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle) … (11,097 fans) … (gate: $36,866)
Note: Weather was rain, keeping fans away from the outdoor stadium.

Detroit, Michigan: July 14, 1961
(Olympia Stadium) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Buddy Rogers b. Red Bastien
Dick the Bruiser b. Yukon Eric (lumberjack match) (Eric was involved in a battle with lumberjack
Art Nielsen) … Lou Bastien and Dan O’Shocker b. The Gauchos … Bearcat Wright b. Art Nielson
… Bob Ellis and Don Leo Jonathan drew … Tiny Smith (Jake Smith/ Grizzly Smith) b. Jack Terry
… Haystacks Calhoun b. Frank Valois … (promoter: Harry Light – likely in conjunction with the
Barnett-Doyle combine)

Detroit, Michigan: August 30, 1961
( ) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Buddy Rogers b. Ray Stern

Detroit, Michigan: Saturday, September 23, 1961
(Cobo Arena) … Dick the Bruiser b. Verne Gagne to capture the United States Heavyweight Title
(2/3) (Bruiser won the first fall in 6:34, Gagne won the second in 12:31, Bruiser won the third in 7:
28) … (8,018 fans)

*On Friday, October 6, 1961, an advertisement ran in the Detroit Free Press promoting that night’
s wrestling show in Windsor, Ontario, “two minutes from tunnel,” which was promoted by Blake
Robertson at the “new” Cleary Auditorium. The show featured wrestlers working the Barnett-
Doyle circuit, headlined by Dick the Bruiser and Pat O’Connor and featuring Joe Blanchard, Killer
Kowalski, Hercules Romano, and Bobo Brazil. This was an attempt to remind and lure fans away
from the Saturday show put on by their rivals. Wrestling fans were unlikely to attend both shows.

Detroit, Michigan: Saturday, October 7, 1961
(Olympia Stadium) … The Beast b. Wee Davey Duncan (2/3) (Duncan was accompanied by
Larry Chene) … Haystack Calhoun b. Moose Cholak and Jack Terry (handicap match) … Sweet
Daddy Siki b. Angelo Savoldi … Crusher Cortez and Bruno Sammartino drew … Larry Chene b.
Martino Angelo … Antonino Rocca b. Nicoli Volkoff … Don Curtis and Mark Lewin vs. Jim Hady
and Luis Martinez … (4,567 fans) … (promoter: Harry Light)
Note: Billed as the “Greatest Card Ever Presented in Detroit.”

*This show was promoted by a conglomorate run by Harry Light, Fred Kohler, Vince McMahon
and Joe “Toots” Mondt in opposition to the Barnett-Doyle group.

*This show had a heavy influence from the Pittsburgh and Chicago Booking Offices, and from the
National Wrestling Alliance, in general. The Beast was likely coming out of Toronto. This might
have been an attempt from the NWA to fight the promotions of Barnett and Doyle.

Detroit, Michigan: Saturday, October 14, 1961
(Cobo Arena) … Dick the Bruiser and Killer Kowalski vs. Verne Gagne and Wilbur Snyder (Texas
Death Match) … Bearcat Wright vs. Fritz Von Erich … Bob Ellis vs. Angelo Poffo … Bobo Brazil
vs. Pedro Godoy … Bronko Lubich vs. Hercules Romero … (promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny
Doyle)

Detroit, Michigan: Saturday, October 28, 1961
(Olympia Stadium) … Larry Chene b. The Beast (DQ) (2/3) (Beast was managed by Martino
Angelo) (Angelo attacked Chene outside the ring) … Percival E. Pringle vs. Antonino Rocca …
Jim Hady and Joe Smith vs. Brute and Bull Bernard … Crusher Cortez vs. Johnny Valentine …
Skull Murphy vs. Bruno Sammartino … Danny Farraza vs. Anastas Manos … Arman Hussien vs.
Chauncey Pringle … (promoter: Harry Light)
Note: Talent came into the city from New York (McMahon), Chicago (Kohler), Toronto (Tunney)
and Pittsburgh (Mondt).

Detroit, Michigan: Friday, November 3, 1961
(Cobo Arena) … Dick the Bruiser and Killer Kowalski vs. Bobo Brazil and Bearcat Wright …
(Texas Death Match) … four other matches … (promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle)

Detroit, Michigan: Friday, December 1, 1961
(Cobo Arena) ... Dick the Bruiser vs. Fritz Von Erich ... Bobo Brazil and Bill Melby vs. The Neilson
Brothers (Art and Stan Neilson) ... Angelo Poffo vs. Wilbur Snyder ... two other matches ...
(promoters: Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle)

Research by Tim Hornbaker
October 7, 2010

Detroit Wrestling Results - 1961