Los Angeles Wrestling Results

Los Angeles, California: January 9, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Dick Daviscourt vs. Paul Jones … Pete Sauer vs. Bill Shaw …
Jack Roller vs. Zazuo Yoshimi (jiu-jitsu match) … (promoter: Lou Daro)

*On January 15, 1929, Ed Lewis wired Lou Daro and told him that he would not wrestle
Paul Jones.

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, January 23, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Joe Stecher b. Paul Jones (2/3) ... Dick Daviscourt vs. Jack O’
Malley … Jack Roller b. Dr. P.A. Mullikan … (promoter: Lou Daro)

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, February 6, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Pete Sauer b. Dick Daviscourt (2/3) … Jack O’Malley vs. John
Spellman … Y. Fujita vs. Jack Roller … (promoter: Lou Daro)
Notes: Sauer was substituting for Nick Lutze on this show. Lutze was not going to be able
to be there seven days before the bout, as required by the State Athletic Commission.
Spellman was a wrestling instructor at Brown University. Roller weighed 210 pounds.
Fujita was the American jiu-jitsu champion.

Los Angeles, California: February 20, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Paul Jones vs. Pete Sauer … Dick Daviscourt vs. John Spellman
… Y. Fujita b. Felix Lopez (jiu-jitsu match)

*On February 21, 1929, Lou Daro boarded a train for Chicago to assist in bringing Gus
Sonnenberg to Los Angeles on April 3. He was also going to stop in Memphis to see Jim
Londos wrestle Rudy Dusek on February 28. Londos reportedly recently returned from
Greece.

Los Angeles, California: March 6, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Stan Stasiak b. John Spellman (2-0) (31:45, 1:21) … Dick
Daviscourt b. Paul Jones (59:16) … Y. Fujita b. Alex Aberg (16:48) … (promoter: Lou
Daro)
Notes: The Daviscourt-Jones match was a “rough bout,” and Jones was knocked out.
Stasiak claimed a knockout win over Ed Lewis.

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, March 20, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Stanley Stasiak b. Dick Daviscourt (2/3) … Don DeLaun vs. John
Spellman … Alex Aberg vs. Fujita (no jackets) … (promoter: Lou Daro)
Note: The winner of the Daviscourt-Stasiak match was going to face Sonnenberg for the
title.

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, April 3, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … World Heavyweight Champion Gus Sonnenberg b. Stanley
Stasiak (2-0) (Sonnenberg won the first fall in 49:00 and the second in 1:55) … Dick
Daviscourt and Don DeLaun drew (60:00) (DeLaun was originally booked to wrestle
Tommy Thompson) … Waino Ketonen b. Young Gotch (21:30) … R. Hagio b. K. Idya (10:
00) (jiu-jitsu match with jackets) … (promoter: Lou Daro) … (10,323 fans) … (gate:
$24,621)
Notes: It was said to be Sonnenberg’s “coast debut.” Ketonen was a wrestling instructor at
the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Reportedly, a thousand fans waited outside the Auditorium
to find out the outcome of Sonnenberg-Stasiak.

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, April 17, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Joe Stecher b. Joe Malcewicz (2/3) (Malcewicz won the first fall in
40:22, Stecher won the second in 13:05 and the third in 55 seconds) … Nick Lutze b. Bill
Beth (34:35) … Don DeLaun b. Tommy Thompson (20:16) … (promoter: Lou Daro)

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, May 1, 1929
( ) ... Ed "Strangler" Lewis b. Joe Stecher (2/3)
Notes: An Associated Press report stated that the winner would take "all of the $10,000
from the gate and Stecher's diamond studded belt, once emblematic of the heavyweight
title."

Los Angeles, California: May 15, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Ed “Strangler” Lewis b. Dick Daviscourt (1-0) (1:08:52)
(Daviscourt was unable to continue) … Nick Lutze b. Bill Beth (53:55) … Don DeLaun b.
John Hunnel (6:50) … (promoter: Lou Daro) … (7,500 fans)
Note: Daviscourt was taken to Georgia Street Emergency Hospital for X-rays for a
possible broken neck.

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, May 29, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Joe Malcewicz b. Stanley Stasiak (2-0) … Don DeLaun vs. Nick
Lutze … Bill Beth vs. Marin Zikovich … (promoter: Lou Daro)

Los Angeles, California: June 12, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Dick Daviscourt vs. Nick Lutze … Bill Beth vs. Joe Malcewicz … Al
Baffert vs. White Noble … (promoter: Lou Daro)

Los Angeles, California: June 26, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Nick Lutze vs. Stanley Stasiak … Don DeLaun vs. Joe Malcewicz
… Bill Beth vs. Dick Daviscourt … (promoter: Lou Daro)

Los Angeles, California: July 10, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Joe Malcewicz b. Nick Lutze (1-0) (1:20:40) (Lutze was unable to
continue) … Jack O’Malley b. Nick Veloff (21:15) … Bill Beth b. Jack Wingo (14:05) …
(promoter: Lou Daro)

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, July 24, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … World Heavyweight Champion Gus Sonnenberg b. Joe Malcewicz
(2-0) (Sonnenberg won the first fall in 42:21 and the second in 11:42) … George
Kotsonaros b. Nick Velcoff (30:35) … Bill Shaw b. Jack O’Malley (22:03) … (promoter:
Lou Daro) … (referee: Bob McDonald) … (10,700+ fans) … (gate: $30,392)
Notes: According to the Los Angeles Times on July 25, 1929: “It was a gathering that set
a new wrestling record for attendance in local circles, one that outdid the previous
Sonnenberg-Stasiak and Lewis-Stecher matches both for number of persons and gate
receipts,” and “the previous high water mark was that set by Stecher and Lewis last May –
10,323 fans and a ‘gate’ of $28,640.”

Los Angeles, California: August 7, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Nick Lutze b. Joe Malcewicz (2/3) (Malcewicz won the first fall in 18:
17, Lutze won the second in 17:02 and then the third in 2:59) … Dick Daviscourt and
George Kotsonaros drew (60:00) … Bob Kruse b. Ace Herman (11:28) (Herman was a
substitute for Al Baffert) … (promoter: Lou Daro) … (8,800 fans)
Note: Kruse reportedly won an Olympic wrestling championship.

Los Angeles, California: August 21, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Joe Stecher b. Nick Lutze (2/3) … Bob Kruse and George McLeod
drew (60:00) … Ivan Linow b. Jake Wingo (16:20) … (promoter: Lou Daro)
Note: The main event match was said to be apart of a tournament to find an opponent for
Gus Sonnenberg.

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, September 18, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … World Heavyweight Champion Gus Sonnenberg b. Joe Stecher
(2/3) (Stecher won the first fall in 27:17, Sonnenberg won the second in 2:11 and the third
with a flying tackle in a handful of minutes) … Nick Lutze b. Jack O’Malley (25:38) … Marin
Plestina b. Nick Velcoff (17:32) … Zack Malkov b. Ad Herman (20:23) … (promoter: Lou
Daro) … (10,400+ fans) (sellout) … (gate: $35,000)
Notes: One source claimed the gate was as high as $40,000. The Los Angeles Times
(12/24/29) stated that "the first meeting here between Stecher and Sonnenberg drwe the
biggest gate ever recorded for any event at the Olympic." Several thousand fans were
reportedly turned away, and it was said that had Daro staged this show at Wrigley Field,
the gate may have doubled what it actually was.

Los Angeles, California: October 2, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Ed “Strangler” Lewis b. Nick Lutze (2-0) … Marin Plestina b. Bill
Shaw (DQ) (15:00) … Zack Malkov and Leo Papiano drew (60:00) … (promoter: Lou
Daro)

*On Tuesday, October 22, 1929, Gus Sonnenberg had a physical encounter with Pete
Ladjimi on the streets of Los Angeles. The incident, which left Sonnenberg with a bruised
nose and split lip, was as a result of a purported challenge and verbal battle instigated by
Ladjimi, who was apart of the Jim Londos syndicate. Sonnenberg, who was bleeding
profusely, went to a local police station and wanted to press charges and a warrant was
issued for Ladjimi's arrest.

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, October 23, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … World Heavyweight Champion Gus Sonnenberg b. Ed “Strangler”
Lewis (2/3) (Sonnenberg won the first fall in 23:33, Lewis won the second in 14:37 and
Sonnenberg won the third) … George Kotsonaros b. Leo Papiano (26:24) … Everette
Marshall b. Don DeLaun (17:30) … Dr. P.A. Millikan b. Zack Malkov (18:47) … (promoter:
Lou Daro) … (referee: Don McDonald)

*According to the October 28, 1929 edition of the Los Angeles Times: Ed (Strangler)
Lewis yesterday claimed the world’s heavyweight wrestling championship. Lewis based his
claim as the result of referee Don McDonald’s refusal to act on Sonnenberg’s failure to be
inside of the ring at the count of twenty during their title match at the Olympic last week.
Additionally, Lewis stated that the referee failed to disqualify Sonnenberg when the latter’s
second stepped into the ring before the count of twenty.

Later in the article, Lewis said: “When Sonnenberg won the title from me in Boston last
January, I was disqualified because I was out of the ring only ten seconds, and was just
taking a few seconds rest before coming back into the ring. That ruling cost me my title. It
gave Sonnenberg the third deciding fall.”

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, November 13, 1929
( ) … World Heavyweight Champion Gus Sonnenberg b. Ed “Strangler” Lewis (2/3)
(Sonnenberg won both of his falls using the flying tackle) (Lewis used his headlock for the
second fall)
Note: During this match, Sonnenberg missed one of his flying tackle attempts and fell
from the ring onto the press box.

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, November 27, 1929
(Olympic Auditorium) … Joe Stecher b. Marin Plestina (2/3) (Stecher won the first fall in 17:
07, Plestina won the second fall in 7:42, Stecher won the third fall in 9:11) … Dick
Daviscourt b. Guiseppe Mazetti (26:21) … Ad Herman b. Al Baffert (29:00)

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, December 11, 1929
( ) … World Heavyweight Champion Gus Sonnenberg b. Joe Stecher (2/3)

Note: Jack Daro was working as Lou Daro’s matchmaker.

Research by Tim Hornbaker
October 27, 2010

Los Angeles Wrestling Results - 1929