*Earlier on the day of Tuesday, February 1, 1944, east of Great Bend, Chief Chewacki, Andy
Farkas, and referee Art Siegel were involved in an automobile accident and were unable to
appear for a scheduled show.

Great Bend, Kansas:  Tuesday, February 1, 1944
(Great Bend Auditorium) … Ed Virag and Wladek Zbyszko drew (60:00) … Floyd Britt b. Abe
Friedman (DQ) (Britt was a substitute for Chief Chewacki) … Dick DePaugh b. Floyd Britt (9:
55) (DePaugh was billed as a National Judo Champion) (Britt was a substitute for Andy
Farkas) … (promoter:  Johnny Apt) … (sponsored by:  American Legion)

Great Bend, Kansas:  Monday, February 7, 1944
(Great Bend Auditorium) … Floyd Britt vs. Abe Friedman … Oscar Ely vs. Wladek Zbyszko
… Art Klein vs. Sid Thomas … (promoter:  Johnny Apt) … (sponsored by:  American Legion)

Great Bend, Kansas:  Tuesday, February 15, 1944
(Great Bend Auditorium) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ed Virag b. Bad Boy Brown
(2-0) (1st fall by DQ) … Abe Friedman and Count Otto Von Zuppi drew (30:00) … Tony
Felice b. Oscar Ely (Ely was a substitute for Jim Wray, who was injured on Monday in
Wichita) … (promoter:  Johnny Apt) … (referee:  Jack Suzek) … (sponsored by:  American
Legion) … (hundreds of fans in attendance)

Great Bend, Kansas:  Tuesday, February 22, 1944
(Great Bend Auditorium) … Tony Felice b. Abe Friedman (2/3) … Floyd Britt b. Chick
Rothermehl (Boston crab) … Count Otto Von Zuppi b. Bad Boy Brown (22:00) … (promoter:  
Johnny Apt) … (sponsored by:  American Legion)

Great Bend, Kansas:  Tuesday, March 14, 1944
(Great Bend Auditorium) … Pierre DeGlane b. Chief Chewacki (2/3) (third by DQ) … Jimmy
Parker and Count Otto Von Zuppi drew (30:00) … Al Galento b. Abe Friedman (31:00) …
(promoter:  Johnny Apt) … (referee:  Jack Suzek) … (sponsored by:  American Legion) … (in
attendance:  Bill Ely)

Great Bend, Kansas:  Tuesday, March 21, 1944
(Great Bend Auditorium) … Lord Albert Mills b. Al Galento (2-0) … Count Von Zuppi b.
Jimmy Parker … Corporal Charles Lutki b. Tommy Martin (22:00) … Corporal Al Berger put
on a weightlifting exhibition … Mojo Henderson b. Wade Bryant (amateurs) … (promoter:  
Johnny Apt) … (sponsored by:  American Legion)

Great Bend, Kansas:  Tuesday, March 28, 1944
(Great Bend Auditorium) … Lord Albert Mills b. Abe Friedman (2-0) … Count Von Zuppi b. Al
Galento (23:00) (Von Zuppi was a substitute for Charles Lutkie, who was injured in an auto
accident) … Jimmy Parker and Jack Toone drew (30:00) … (promoter:  Johnny Apt) …
(referee:  Jack Suzek) … (sponsored by:  American Legion) … (hundreds of fans in
attendance)

Great Bend, Kansas:  Tuesday, April 4, 1944
(Great Bend Auditorium) … Lord Albert Mills b. Whitey “Swede” Govro (2-0) … Wladek
Zbyszko b. Abe Friedman (30:00) … Count Otto Von Zuppi b. Tommy Martin (24:15) …
(promoter:  Johnny Apt) … (sponsored by:  American Legion)

Great Bend, Kansas:  Tuesday, April 11, 1944
(Great Bend Auditorium) … Lord Albert Mills b. Chuck Fanning (2/3) … Jack Nazworthy b.
Whity Govro (inside stepover toehold) … Charles Lutkie and Count Von Zuppi drew (45:00)
(Lutkie represented Fort Riley, a United States Army Post) … (promoter:  Johnny Apt) …
(sponsored by:  American Legion)

Great Bend, Kansas:  Tuesday, April 18, 1944
(Great Bend Auditorium) … Lord Albert Mills b. Jack Suzek (2/3) … Count Otto Von Zuppi b.
Chuck Fanning … Oscar “Bill” Ely b. Orville Cox (23:00) … (promoter:  Johnny Apt) …
(sponsored by:  American Legion)

*Jack Suzek was making his return to professional wrestling after 17-months of inactivity.  He
had suffered serious injuries in an automobile accident, which he nearly was killed.  He had
initially returned to the ring as a referee.

Great Bend, Kansas:  Tuesday, April 25, 1944
(Great Bend Auditorium) … Lord Albert Mills b. Jack Suzek (2/3) (special referee:  Pat
McKee (former boxer, wrestler and movie star) … Charles Lutkie b. Jimmy “Wildcat” Parker
… Bill Ely and Count Von Zuppi drew (30:00) … (promoter:  Johnny Apt) … (sponsored by:  
American Legion)

Great Bend, Kansas:  Tuesday, May 9, 1944
(Great Bend Auditorium) … Lord Albert Mills b. Bronko Lofley (2-0) … Jack Suzek b. Bill Ely
(28:30) … Al Galento and Johnny Plummer drew (30:00) … (promoter:  Johnny Apt) …
(sponsored by:  American Legion)

*On Wednesday, May 10, 1944, Levin won the National Wrestling Alliance World
Heavyweight Title from Ray Steele in Des Moines, Iowa.

Great Bend, Kansas:  Tuesday, May 16, 1944
(City Auditorium) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lord Albert Mills b. Johnny Plummer
(2/3) … NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion Charlie Lutkie b. Count Otto Von Zuppi (19:11)
… Jack Suzek b. Bronko Loafley … (promoter:  Johnny Apt) … (sponsored by:  American
Legion) … (small crowd in attendance)

Great Bend, Kansas:  Tuesday, May 23, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Chief Chewacki b. Johnny Plummer (2-0) (Chewacki represented
Norman Navel Base) … Jack Suzek b. Tony Felice … Al Galento b. Count Von Zuppi …
(promoter:  Johnny Apt) … (sponsored by:  American Legion)



Research by Tim Hornbaker
September 10, 2010
Great Bend Wrestling Results - 1944