Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, January 4, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Negro World Heavyweight champion Seelie Samara b. Eddie Jackson (2-0) (29:
32, 11:52) … Miguel Torres b. Laverne Baxter (2/3) (third fall by DQ) … The Masked Yellow
Scorpion b. Stocky Kneilson (10:22) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Notes:  Eddie Jackson was from Gary, Indiana.  Samara “annexed the colored title from Jack
Claybourne, now in the Army.”  Baxter was from Ogden, Utah.  Kneilson was from Dyersburg,
Tennessee.  Torres was said to be a claimant to the Mexican Heavyweight championship.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, January 11, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Miguel Torres b. Laverne Baxter (2-0) (second fall by countout) … K.O.
Koverly b. The Great Moctezuma (2-0) … Bill Canney b. Moody Palmer (12:17) … (promoter:  
Heywood Allen)
Notes:  “The Great Pancho Moctezuma” was a “bewhiskered newcomer from Mexico, weighing
245.” Baxter was from Ogden, Utah.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, January 18, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Laverne Baxter b. Dr. Len Hall (2/3) (Baxter won the first and third falls) (Hall
injured his knee) … Frankie Bockwinkel b. Miguel Torres (2-0) … Blacksmith Pedigo b. Young
Szabo (22:49) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen) … (announcer:  George Lewis) … (benefit for the
Polio fund) … (1,484 fans)
Notes:  Young Frank Gotch of St. Louis was scheduled to appear, but suffered a knee injury and
was replaced by Frankie Bockwinkel.  Bockwinkel was said to be from New York.  The benefit
raised $1,475.  A nice article was written in the Louisville Courier Journal by Tommy Fitzgerald.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, January 25, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … The Swedish Angel b. Laverne Baxter (2/3) (Baxter was unable to continue for
the third fall) (Baxter won the first fall and Angel won the second with a bearhug) … Dr. Len Hall b.
Ralph Garibaldi (2/3) … Blacksmith Pedigo and Milo Ochii drew (30:00) … (promoter:  Heywood
Allen) … (2,300 fans)
Notes:  Ochii (spelled Oche) was from St. Louis and was a successful amateur grappler.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, February 1, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Women’s World Champion Mildred Burke b. Elvira Snodgrass (2/3) … Dr. Len
Hall b. Ben Ford (20:21) … Fritz Schnabel b. Vatallei (14:50) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Notes:  Ben Ford was from Spokane.  Vatallei was a sub for “Sailor Blazza.”

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, February 8, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … NWA World Heavyweight champion Bill Longson b. Dr. Len Hall (2-0) … Ralph
Garibaldi b. Fritz Schnabel (2/3) … Eddie Campbell and Charlie Lay drew … (promoter:  Heywood
Allen)
Note:  Promoter Allen and Kentucky State Athletic Commissioner Johnson S. Mattingly banned the
piledriver used by Longson.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, February 15, 1944
(Columbia Gymnasium) … Laverne Baxter b. Gino Garibaldi (2/3) … Ralph Garibaldi b. Jack
Herman (2-0) … Eddie Campbell and Charlie Lay drew (30:00) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, February 22, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … NWA World Heavyweight champion Bill Longson b. Laverne Baxter (2/3)
(Baxter was unable to return for the third fall) (Baxter won the first fall and lost the second after
Longson used a backbreaker) … Lou Plummer b. Ralph Garibaldi (22:26) (Garibaldi failed to
return) … Stocky Kneilson b. Sailor Olsen (16:50) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Notes:  The former press agent for the Louisville promotion, Francis McDonogh was in town and
was sitting ringside at this show.  He was on furlough from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  Lou
Plummer had just been released from the Navy, where he was an assistant to Lt. Commander Jack
Dempsey.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, February 29, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … NWA World Heavyweight champion Bill Longson b. Lou Plummer (2/3) … Thor
Morgan b. Al Massey (2-0) … Jack LaRue b. Stocky Kneilson (12:05) … (promoter: Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, March 7, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Sandor Szabo b. Thor Morgan (2-0) … Laverne Baxter and Lou Plummer drew
(60:00) (1-1) … Eddie Campbell and Scotty Williams drew … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Notes:  Young Frankie Gotch reportedly had a “win streak of almost 250 contests.” Gotch arrived
to the show late and had to be replaced by Williams in the opening match.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, March 14, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Young Frank Gotch b. Al Szasz (2/3) … Lou Plummer b. Laverne Baxter (2/3)
(third fall by DQ) … Blacksmith Pedigo and Stocky Kneilson drew … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Notes:  Al Szasz was the “protégé and fellow Hungarian of former titlist Sandor Szabo.” Pedigo was
from Louisville.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, March 21, 1944
(Columbia Gym) …Ray Eckert b. Al Dunlap (2-0) … Gino Garibaldi b. Jack Wentworth (2/3) … Earl
McCready and Lou Plummer drew … (promoter:  Heywood Allen) … (benefit for the Red Cross)
Note:  $150.17 was donated to the Red Cross.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, March 28, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Ray Eckert b. Laverne Baxter (2-0) (first fall by DQ) … Frankie Bockwinkel and
Gino Garibaldi drew (1-1) (Bockwinkel subbed for Earl McCready) … Al Szasz b. Milo Occhi (18:
40) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, April 4, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Frankie Bockwinkel b. Ray Eckert (2/3) … Earl McCready and Frankie Taylor
drew (60:00) (1-1) … Jack Purdie b. Sailor Olsen (21:50) (Purdie was a substitute for Charlie Lay)
… (promoter:  Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, April 11, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Frankie Bockwinkel b. Gino Garibaldi (2/3) (third fall in 28 seconds) … Frankie
Taylor b. Laverne Baxter (47:06) … Blacksmith Pedigo and Joe Parelli drew … (promoter:  
Heywood Allen)
Note:  Frank Humbert was the new Kentucky State Athletic Commissioner and the latter named Dr.
Roy Carter as the commission physician.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, April 18, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Frankie Bockwinkel b. K.O. Koverly (2/3) (third fall by DQ) … Lou Plummer b.
Frankie Taylor (1-0) (60:00) … Blacksmith Pedigo and Joe Parelli drew (30:00) … (promoter:  
Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, April 25, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Frankie Bockwinkel b. Lou Plummer (2/3) … Ralph Garibaldi b. Jack
Wentworth (2/3) … Frankie Taylor b. Jack Dillon (17:29) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, May 2, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Frankie Bockwinkel b. Vic Holbrook (1-0) (Holbrook was unable to continue)
(20:59) … Ralph Garibaldi b. Cherry Vallina (2/3) (Vallina was a substitute for Young Frank Gotch)
… Joe Szabo b. Jackie Hobbs (17:20) ... (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Note:  Bockwinkel won his fifth straight bout at the Gym for the Allen Athletic Club.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, May 9, 1944
(Columbia Gym)  … World Heavyweight Champion Bill Longson b. Frankie Bockwinkel (2/3)
(Longson won the third fall in 46 seconds) … Ralph Garibaldi and Frankie Taylor drew (1-1) …
Jack Bloomfield b. Joe Szabo (20:36) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, May 16, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Herb Welch b. Abe Feldman (2/3) … Jackie Hobbs and Scottie Williams drew
(30:00) (Williams was a substitute for Lawson in the opener) … Buck Lawson b. Jackie Hobbs (2/3)
… (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Note:  Vic Holbrook was supposed to wrestle Frankie Taylor on this show but didn’t make it on
time, thus Jackie Hobbs wrestled twice.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, May 23, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Ralph Garibaldi b. Frankie Taylor (2/3) … Herb Welch b. Gus Wisbar (1-0)
(only fall in 37:51) … Blacksmith Pedigo b. Sid Hayes (16:03) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, May 30, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … World Heavyweight Champion Bill Longson vs. K.O. Koverly … Ralph Garibaldi
vs. “Irish” Jack Kelly … Jackie Hobbs vs. Joe Parelli … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Notes:  On Monday, the program was cancelled when Allen received “word that Bill Longson,
claimant of the world’s championship who headed the scheduled car, had been injured at Houston,
Texas.” Allen told the local paper that “Longson was struck on the head with a bottle as he left the
ring following a successful defense of his claims against Bobby Managoff.  The blow caused a
deep scalp wound from the crown to the base of the champs skull.”  No show next week.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, May 30, 1944
(Bowman Field) … Capt. Al Boyd and Cpl. Larry Dessart drew (30:00) (1-1) … Cpl. Ernest
Westbrook b. Pvt. Russ Stickel (boxing) … Pvt. Leonard Brown b. Pvt. Sammy Taziola (boxing) …
Pvt. Ray Henry b. Pvt. Al Scheuch (boxing) … tumbling and gymnastic exhibitions featuring Bill
Hammon, Cliff Stephenson, Jerry Knopp, Bill Wence and Burke Hardy
Notes:  According to the Courier-Journal, Boyd “had eight years pro experience on the West Coast
and served for a year as one of President Roosevelt’s guards.” Westbrook was the “Negro winner
of the Ohio Golden Gloves light-heavyweight championship at Columbus last March.”

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, June 13, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … World Heavyweight Champion Bill Longson b. The Swedish Angel (2/3) (Angel
was unable to continue for the third fall) … Abe Feldman and W.B. Miller drew (Miller was a
substitute for Al Szasz) … Joe Parelli b. Jackie Hobbs …  (promoter:  Heywood Allen) … (2,700
fans)
Notes:  Al Szasz was called the “Hungarian protégé of Sandor Szabo.” Hobbs was from
Birmingham.  Next show on July 11.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, July 11, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Blacksmith Pedigo and Roy Welch b. Buck Lawson and Gus Wisbar (2/3) …
Dave Levin b. Young Gotch (2-0) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Note:  Young Gotch reportedly defeated Leroy McGuirk in Tulsa “before the largest crowd (8,000
fans) 2 weeks” earlier.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, August 8, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Frankie Bockwinkel b. Al Dunlop (2/3) … Tuffy Truesdale b. Dave Feldman …
John Swaniskia b. Al Szasz (24:27) (Swaniskia was a substitute for Gus Burros) … (promoter:  
Heywood Allen)
Notes:  Truesdale reportedly defeated Raul Lopez in Mexico City for that country’s Light
Heavyweight Title; “Bunny” Dunlop reportedly beat Yvon Robert on July 12 for the “Canadian”
Heavyweight Title, and “in the past month” beat Ray Steele, Jack LaRue, and Orville Brown

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, September 12, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … World Heavyweight Champion Bill Longson b. Frankie Bockwinkel (2/3) (third
fall in 31 seconds) … Earl McCready b. Lou Plummer (2-0) … Tuffy Truesdale b. Tony Felis (18:
53) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, September 19, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … World Heavyweight Champion Bill Longson b. Earl McCready (2/3) … Thor
Morgan b. Lew Plummer (2-0) … Eddie Campbell and Dave Feldman drew (30:00) … (promoter:  
Heywood Allen)
Note:  Thor Morgan was reporedly a “veteran of the U.S. Marine First Division which took
Guadalcanal.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, September 26, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Tiny Lee vs. Thor Morgan (match didn’t take place) … Prince Omar and Tuffy
Truesdale b. Eddie Campbell and Young Demetral … Prince Omar and Tuffy Truesdale b.
Blacksmith Pedigo and Eddie Campbel … Prince Omar and Tuffy Truesdale drew (60:00) (1-1) …
Eddie Campbell b. Young Demetral (19:51) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Notes:  Prince Omar was billed as a United States Army judo and jiu-jitsu instructor at
Lawrenceville, Indiana

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, October 3, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Earl McCready b. Tiny Lee (2-0) (second fall by DQ) … Thor Morgan b. Wally
Greb (1-0) (60:00) … Finus Hall b. Eddie Campbell (24:11) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Note:  Tiny Lee reportedly was a veteran of the Canadian Army, and injured in France.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, October 10, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Earl McCready b. Thor Morgan (2-0) … Tuffy Truesdale b. Milo Oechi (2-0) …
Finus Hall b. (?) (22:34) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, October 17, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Frankie Bockwinkel b. Earl McCready (2/3) … Roy Welch and Young Gotch
drew (60:00) (1-1) … Blacksmith Pedigo and Prince Omar drew (30:00) … (promoter:  Heywood
Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, October 24, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Ray Eckert b. Frankie Bockwinkel (2/3) … Herb Welch b. Dick Lever (2/3) …
George O’Brien b. Blacksmith Pedigo (8:24) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, October 31, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … World Heavyweight Champion Bill Longson b. Ray Eckert (2/3) … Joe Millich b.
Cowboy Luttrall (2/3) (Millich was a substitute for Ralph Garibaldi, who was “called away by illness
in his family”) … Ted Bodack b. Joe Miller (DQ) (20:06) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Note:  Joe Millich was reportedly a “chief assistant to Jack Dempsey in the Coast Guard,” and was
on furlough.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, November 14, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Ralph Garibaldi b. Cowboy Luttrall (2/3) … Ray Eckert b. Thor Morgan (2-0) …
Red Kearns b. Herb Freeman (DQ) (12:00) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Notes:  Eckert was billed as being from Birmingham and Morgan was a “veteran marine,” who
reportedly served at Guadalacanal.  Greb was from Syracuse.  Red Kearns was a “boxing-
wrestling favorite of Jeffersonville Boat Works,” and Herbie Freeman was “released from the Army
this month.”

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, November 21, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Ralph Garibaldi b. Ray Eckert (2/3) … Walter McMillen b. Gus Wisbar (2/3) …
Eddie Campbell b. Tony Felis (19:45) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Notes:  Wisbar was from New Orleans and was called the “Australian Wizard.”  McMillen was from
Chicago and Felis was from Nashville.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, November 28, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Ralph Garibaldi b. Frankie Bockwinkel (2/3) … Cowboy Luttrall and Jack Hader
drew (1-1) … Ann Miller b. Mae Weston (14:20) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, December 5, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … World Heavyweight Champion Bill Longson b. Ralph Garibaldi (1-0) (55:12)
(Garibaldi was unable to continue) … Ray Eckert b. Jack Hader (37:00) … Eddie Campbell b. Milo
Occeho (23:18) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, December 12, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Ray Eckert b. Wally Greb (2/3) … Tuffy Truesdale b. Prince Omar (2/3) …
Jack Hader b. Dick Lever (flying tackle) … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Notes:  Truesdale was from Springfield, Missouri and reportedly a “claimant of the Mexican light
heavyweight title.” Hader’s last name was spelled “Hayden” in the paper.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, December 19, 1944
(Columbia Gym) … Frankie Bockwinkel and Ralph Garibaldi b. Ray Eckert and Babe Zaharias (2-
0) (tag team match) … Jack Hader b. Wally Greb (2/3)
Notes:  The Courier Journal stated that “Louisville fans are to be treated to their first heavyweight
Australian tag match Tuesday night.” Final show of the year.


Research by Tim Hornbaker
Louisville Wrestling Results - 1944