Los Angeles Wrestling Results

Los Angeles, California: January 10, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) … Pantaleon Manlapig b. Vincent Lopez (DQ) (17:31) … Pat Fraley
b. K.O. Koverly (15:31) … Chief Little Wolf b. Dave Levin (12:55) … Sandor Szabo b.
Moose Munn (6:00) … Lee Wykoff b. Hans Steinke (7:10) … Nanjo Singh b. Vic Christy
(9:00) … Sammy Stein b. Hank Oswald (8:40) … Oki Shikina b. Rube Wright (10:00) …
Nick Lutze and Ed Payson b. Rudy LaDitzi and Jules Strongbow (11:10) … (promoter:
Jack Daro) … (referee: Verne McCullough)

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, January 31, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) … Vincent Lopez b. “Cowboy” Karl Davis (27:15) … Jules
Strongbow b. Joe Woods (12:57) … Hard Boiled Haggerty b. Ed Payson (19:33) … Rube
Wright b. Dr. Len Hall (21:15) … Dean Detton b. Eric Von Schacht (11:47) … Lee Wykoff
b. Chief Little Wolf (19:31) … Oki Shikina b. Jose Sevilla (4:33) … (promoter: Jack Daro)

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, February 7, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) … International Tournament … Dean Detton b. Eric Von Schacht (9:
33) … Vincent Lopez b. “Cowboy” Karl Davis (26:00) … Dr. Len Hall b. Rube Wright (17:
30) … Lee Wykoff b. Chief Little Wolf (DQ) … Max Krauser b. Pat Fraley (8:00) …
Pantaleon Manlapig and George Zaharias drew (20:00) … Nick Lutze and Ed Payson b.
Hard Boiled Haggerty and Rudy LaDitzi … (promoter: Jack Daro)

*The February 11, 1940 edition of the Los Angeles Times stated that Woodrow Wilson
“Woody” Strode would make his professional wrestling debut next Wednesday. Strode
“won athletic fame at UCLA,” and would be wrestling Vic Brule in his mat debut. Both men
stood 6’4”, while Brule weighed 235 to Strode’s 200. Strode inked a contract with
wrestling promoter Jack Daro last Thursday, after impressing many during a training
session at the Olympic Auditorium with several veteran grapplers. Strode was said to
have picked up the basics of pro wrestling very quickly. Brule had been wrestling as a
pro for six months.

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, February 14, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) … International Tournament … Rube Wright b. Dr. Len Hall (38:15)
(Hall was eliminated) … Hard Boiled Haggerty b. Sammy Stein (10:10) … Max Krauser b.
Jules Strongbow (9:21) … Dean Detton b. Sandor Szabo (8:19) … Pantaleon Manlapig b.
Pete Peterson … George Zaharias b. Chief Little Wolf (23:04) … Woody Strode b. Vic
Bruel (10:00) (flying tackles and body blocks) (non-tourney match) … (promoter: Jack
Daro)
Notes: This was Strode’s professional wrestling debut. He reportedly “concluded
footballing at UCLA last December.”

Los Angeles, California: May 1, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) … Sandor Szabo b. George Koverly (26:55) … Dean Detton b. Max
Krauser (dec., 20:00) … Lee Wykoff b. Harry Jacobs (1:15) … Sammy Stein b. Manuel
Rodriguez (11:35) … Milt Pollack b. Tiny Roebuck (10:55) … Rube Wright b. Pete
Mehringer (21:00) (Mehringer was a substitute for Jules Strongbow) … Tarzan White b.
Joe Woods (14:35) … Pantaleon Manlapig b. Wee Willie Davis (15:15) (Davis was a
substitute for Vincent Lopez) … (promoter: Jack Daro) … (matchmaker: Joe “Toots”
Mondt) … (referee: Don McDonald)
Note: Georgia Coleman, former Olympic diving star, was introduced to the audience.

Los Angeles, California: May 8, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) … Lee Wykoff b. Sandor Szabo (23:05) (scheduled to be the first of
three matches between the two in the finals of the international wrestling tournament)
(one wrestler had to win two of the three bouts) (Szabo was reportedly the favorite to win
the tourney from the very beginning) (during the bout, Szabo was thrown from the ring
four times by Wykoff, and suffered an injury) … Crusher Billings and Jules Strongbow b.
Sammy Stein and Tarzan White (team match) (21 seconds) … Max Krauser and Rube
Wright drew (30:00) … Bobby Coleman b. Mitsui Hamanaka (16:15) … Milt Pollack b.
Wildman Zimm (6:33) … Hans Steinke b. Pantaleon Manlapig (billed as a “consolation
tournament match”) (10:15) … Ali Baba b. Rudy LaDitzi (5:18) (LaDitzi was a substitute
for Dean Detton) … (promoter: Jack Daro) … (matchmaker: Joe “Toots” Mondt)

*The May 12, 1940 edition of the Los Angeles Times stated that Lee Wykoff and George
Koverly were going to “settle the international heavyweight tournament crown
Wednesday night.” Receiving a “special dispensation from the rules committee,” Koverly
stepped into a spot that was filled by Sandor Szabo until his injury on May 8. World
Heavyweight Champion Jim Londos was ordered to wrestle the winner within 60-days of
the event. Wykoff was touted as the next champion.

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, May 15, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) … Lee Wykoff b. George “K.O.” Koverly in the finals of the
international wrestling tournament (17:20) … Rudy LaDitzi and Jules Strongbow b. Vic
Christy and Sammy Stein (team match) … Vincent Lopez b. Wee Willie Davis (13:18) …
Ali Baba b. King Kong Clayton (5:10) … Pantaleon Manlapig b. Harry Jacobs (9:46) …
Tarzan White b. Crusher Billings (14:21) … Max Krauser b. Tony Felice (4:15) … Jack
Sullivan b. Bobby Coleman (5:16) … (7,500 fans) … (promoter: Jack Daro) …
(matchmaker: Joe “Toots” Mondt) … (referee: Don McDonald) … (in attendance: Man
Mountain Dean)
Note: The tournament had started 32 weeks earlier and involved 78 wrestlers.

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, May 22, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) … World Heavyweight Champion Jim Londos vs. Pantaleon
Manlapig … Ali Baba vs. Tarzan White … Vincent Lopez vs. Rube Wright … Max Krauser
vs. Jose Sevilla … El Pulpo vs. Joe Tonti … Jack Donovan vs. Jules Strongbow … Bobby
Coleman vs. Young Stecher … Sonny LaMont vs. Milt Pollock … (promoter: Jack Daro)
… (matchmaker: Joe “Toots” Mondt)

Los Angeles, California: June 5, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) … Lee Wykoff b. Sandor Szabo (2/3) (Wykoff won the first fall in 19:
19, Szabo won the second in 6:32, Wykoff won the third in 5:10) … Hardy Kruskamp and
Tarzan White b. Wee Willie Davis and Jules Strongbow (team match) … Rube Wright b.
Sonny LaMont (9:15) … George Koverly b. Max Krauser (13:03) … Hard Boiled Haggerty
b. Vic Christy (12:15) … Pete Peterson and Sammy Stein drew … Jimmy El Pulpo b. Don
Luis Sebastien (12:16) … (6,000 fans)

Los Angeles, California: September 11, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) … Wladislaw Talun b. Hard Boiled Haggerty (2-0) … Bobby
Managoff Jr. b. Jules Strongbow … Dick Raines and Sandor Szabo drew … Red Berry b.
Ace Freeman … Bobby Bruns b. Rudy LaDitzi … Howard Burnell b. Jimmy El Pulpo …
(promoter: George Zaharias) … (matchmaker: Nick Lutze)

Los Angeles, California: October 2, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) … World Heavyweight Champion Everette Marshall b. Bobby
Managoff (30:40) (Managoff was unable to return for the second fall) … Lee Wykoff b.
Jules Strongbow (11:41) … Talun the Great b. Karl Davis in 11:12 and Joe Tonti in 2:11
… Dean Detton b. Howard Burnell (12:29) … Ed Payson and Dick Raines drew (30:00) …
Ignacio Martinez b. Jose Rodriquez (9:42) … (3,500 fans)

*The October 27, 1940 edition of the Los Angeles Times reported that Jim Londos was
“literally forced into the match [with Lee Wykoff] by the state athletic commission.” Also
that Wykoff was “rated the most scientific grappler on the mat.”

*The October 29, 1940 edition of the Los Angeles Times reported that “wrestling
followers want to see Wykoff beat Londos.” The article said that enthusiasts were “almost
unanimously hoping for a Wykoff win.” Londos was said to have held the championship
for 11 years and had more than 600 successful title defenses. The Times said that
Londos “has outgrown his welcome,” and that he “has the Gene Tunney complex. He
would like to retire undefeated when the time comes. But ‘Jeemy’ thinks that time is still
some years distant.” Londos was told by the state athletic commission that he had to
wrestle Wykoff or be permanently suspended in California and have his title was revoked.

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, October 30, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) … World Heavyweight Champion Jim Londos vs. Lee Wykoff (no
results in the Los Angeles Times) … Everette Marshall b. Hardy Kruskamp (21:43) …
Mike Mazurki b. Vic Christy (19:59) … Rube Wright b. Cardiff Giant (7:21) … Ignacio
Martinez b. Hans Schultz (7:09) … Sammy Stein b. Myron Cox (16:02) … Rudy LaDitzi b.
Tom Nilan (DQ) (11:27)
Note: The October 30, 1940 edition of the Los Angeles Times reported that Sammy
Stein was of the U.S. Colorado and was the wrestling champion of the Navy.

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, November 6, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) ... Dean Detton and Everette Marshall were both counted out ...
Hard Boiled Haggerty b. Pete Peterson (7:39) ... Ignacio Martinez b. Tiny Roebuck ...
Tommy Nilan b. Rudy LaDitzi ... Jules Strongbow b. Louis Miller (decision) ... Hardy
Kruskamp b. Billy Hansen (coin flip after draw) ... Cardiff Giant b. Buddy O'Brien (9:48) ...
Bobby Managoff b. Pat Riley (26 seconds) (dropkicks)
Notes: The Los Angeles Times (11/14/40) stated that Managoff "had won his way into
the finals of the Gold Belt wrestling tournament, but suffered disqualification when he
charged into the ring ahead of schedule and landed on Haggerty."

Los Angeles, California: Wednesday, November 13, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) ... Bobby Managoff b. Hard Boiled Haggerty (2-0) (8:47, 8:57)
(dropkicks) ... Tommy Nilan b. Jules Strongbow (Strongbow suffered an injury to his back
and was unable to continue) ... Pedro Brazil b. Mike Riley (12:57) ... Mike Mazurki b.
Terry McGinnis (17:29) ... Vic Christy b. Pat Riley (14:27) (countout) ... Dick Raines b.
Ignacio Martinez (20:56) (backbreaker)

Los Angeles, California: December 11, 1940
(Olympic Auditorium) … Sandor Szabo b. Tom Zaharias (2/3) … Fred Von Schacht b.
Bobby Managoff (2/3) (Billed as Managoff’s first loss in 72 matches) … Ed Payson b.
Hans Schultz (5:30) … Sammy Stein b. Al Billings (11:02) … Wee Willie Davis and Rudy
LaDitzi b. Hardy Kruskamp and Pete Peterson (18:12) … Hard Boiled Haggerty and Earl
McCready drew (30:00) … Pantaleon Manlapig b. Jules Strongbow (13:13) … (promoter:
George Zaharias) … (referee: Bob McDonald)

Research by Tim Hornbaker
December 2, 2010

Los Angeles Wrestling Results - 1940