New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, January 4, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Art O’Mahoney b. Joe Gunther (decision) (O’Mahoney had taken the only
fall) … Bob Corby b. Charles Keene (2/3) … Billy Fox b. Carlos Rodriguez (DQ) … (matchmaker:  
Marty Burke) … (3,200 fans)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, January 11, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Art O’Mahoney and Larry Tillman drew (60:00) … Sailor Watkins b. “Cowboy”
Jack Purdin (2/3) … Joe Dillman b. Jack Steele (2/3) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)
Notes:  Sailor Watkins was called “Sailor Tom Watkins,” and was said to be a “former U.S.S.
California mat artist.” He was making his local debut.

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, January 18, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Art O’Mahoney b. Larry Tillman (2/3) (Tillman was unable to continue for the
third fall) … Sailor Watkins b. Bob Corby (2/3) … Cyclone Burns b. Eddie Pope (DQ) …
(matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, January 25, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Art O’Mahoney b. Cyclone Burns (2/3) … Larry Tillman b. “Bullet” Joe
Gunther (2/3) … Sailor Watkins b. Jack Steele (2/3) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke) … (1,500 fans)
Note:  No show next week due to the Carnival parade.

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, February 8, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Jack Bloomfield b. Jack Purdin (2/3) … Sailor Watkins b. Jack Steele (2/3) …
Martin “Blimp” Levy b. Art O’Mahoney (O’Mahoney was unable to continue) … Wrestle Royal
(Levy was eliminated by the other five wrestlers) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)
Note:  The newspaper didn’t indicate who won the wrestle royal, just that Levy was beaten by the
others.

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, February 15, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Art O’Mahoney b. Larry Tillman (2-0) … Mike Chacoma and Jack Purdin b.
Cyclone Burns and Sailor Watkins (team match) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, February 22, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Larry Tillman b. Count Marino (DQ) … Mike Chacoma and Jack Purdin b.
Cyclone Burns and Sailor Watkins (team match) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, February 29, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Cyclone Burns and Charles Keene drew … Jack Purdin b. Jack Bloomfield
(DQ) … Sailor Watkins b. Mike Chacoma (DQ) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, March 7, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Sailor Watkins b. Larry Tillman (2/3) … Joe Gunther and Art O’Mahoney
wrestled Mike Chacoma and Jack Purdin drew (team match) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, March 14, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Mike Chacoma and “Cowboy” Jack Purdin wrestled Art O’Mahoney and Sailor
Watkins drew (60:00) (1-1) (team match) (during the final fall, one referee gave the match to one
team, while a second official gave it to the other, leaving the match a draw) … Cyclone Burns and
Larry Tillman drew (60:00) (1-1) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke) … (referees:  Charley Cure, Duke
Durel)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, March 21, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Joe Gunther and Charles Keene wrestled Mike Chacoma and Jack Purdin to
a draw (60:00) (team match) … Gorilla Parker and Leo Jensen drew (1-1) … (matchmaker:  Marty
Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, March 28, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Art O’Mahoney b. Jack Bloomfield … Joe Gunther and Charles Keene b. Mike
Chacoma and Jack Purdin (team match) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, April 4, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Art O’Mahoney and Carlos Rodriguez drew (60:00) (no falls) … Charles
Keene b. Mike Chacoma (2-0) (second fall by DQ) … Larry Tillman b. Cyclone Burns (Burns was a
substitute for Prince Omar) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, April 11, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Charles Keene and Carlos Rodriguez b. Mike Chacoma and Jack Purdin
(2/3) (team match) … Larry Tillman b. Tony Papalino (2/3) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)
Note:  Purdin suffered a “severe lip cut and bled badly” during the team match.

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, April 18, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Carlos Rodriguez b. Mike Chacoma (2/3) (third fall by DQ) … Jack Kogut b.
Charles Keene … Rex Mobley b. Leo Jensen … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, April 25, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Joe Gunther and Art O’Mahoney b. Mike Chacoma and Jack Kogut (2-0)
(second by DQ) (team match) … Larry Tillman b. Prince Omar (2/3) (third fall by DQ) …
(matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, May 2, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Art O’Mahoney b. Mike Chacoma (2/3) (third fall by DQ) … Jack Kogut b. Joe
Gunther … Carlos Rodriguez b. Prince Omar … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, May 9, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Art O’Mahoney b. Mike Chacoma … Jack Kogut b. Jack Bloomfield … Charles
Keene and Rex Mobley drew … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, May 16, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Mike Chacoma and Jack Kogut b. Carlos Rodriguez and Sailor Watkins (team
match) … Rex Mobley b. Charles Keene … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, May 23, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Sailor Watkins b. Mike Chacoma (DQ in fifth round) (15-round boxing match)
… Art O’Mahoney b. Al Szasz (2/3) … Rex Mobley b. Carlos Rodriguez … (matchmaker:  Marty
Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, May 30, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Rex Mobley and Sailor Watkins b. Mike Chacoma and Jack Kogut (mud team
match) … Jack Curtis b. Larry Tillman … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)
Notes:  This was the first ever mud team match in New Orleans.  The newspaper stated that “Just
before the four contestants enter the ring, the eight inches of mud will be sprayed with water, thus
making the going muddy.  The first five rows of the ringside will be roped off in order to prevent
the spectators from being splashed with mud.” Tillman was called a former Southern Junior
Heavyweight champion.  Jack Curtis was a “former Hollywood stunt man of the movies.”

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, June 6, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Rex Mobley and Art O’Mahoney drew (60:00) (ice cream match) … Jack
Curtis b. Otto Ludwig (2/3) … Count Von Zuppe b. Jack Purdin (2/3) … (matchmaker:  Marty
Burke)
Notes:  The main event was held in more than 100 gallons of ice cream.  The newspaper indicated
that “this will be the first time an ice cream tussle has been staged in the South.” The flavors were
chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, June 13, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Jack Curtis b. Otto Ludwig (2/3) … Frankie Hill and Rex Mobley drew … Chin
Lee b. Count Von Zuppe (decision) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)
Notes:  Lee was a bearded Chinese wrestler and was making his local debut.  Otto Ludwig was a
“product of the famed German-American Cooper A.C. of New York.” Von Zuppe had a “long,
flowing mustache.”

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, June 20, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Farmer Jones b. Roy Welch … Ginger the Bear b. Mike Chacoma … Jack
Curtis b. Frankie Hill … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)
Notes:  Farmer Jones was accompanied by his pet pig, “Porky,” and tied him to the corner ringpost.

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, June 27, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Jack Curtis and Farmer Jones b. Mike Chacoma and Otto Ludwig (2/3) (team
match) … Sailor Watkins b. Frankie Hill (2/3) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)
Notes:  Watkins was a substitute for George Becker, who was on hand, “but couldn’t go through
with his match.”  Next week’s show would be held on Wednesday instead of Thursday because of
the July 4th holiday.

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Wednesday, July 3, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Jack Curtis b. Mike Chacoma (2/3) (third fall by decision when Chacoma was
unable to continue due to a back injury) … Otto Ludwig b. Larry Tillman (2/3) … Frankie Hill b.
Count Von Zuppe … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, July 11, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Jack Curtis and Farmer Jones b. Frankie Hill and Otto Ludwig (DQ) … Sugy
Hayamaki and Billy McEwen drew (60:00) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, July 18, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Jack Curtis and Farmer Jones wrestled Frankie Hill and Otto Ludwig to a
draw (1-1) (referees picked different teams as winners) … Sugy Hayamaki b. Bob Corby (2/3) …
(matchmaker:  Marty Burke)

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, July 25, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Farmer Jones and Carlos Rodriguez b. Frankie Hill and Otto Ludwig (team
match) … Joe Banaski b. Bob Corby (2-0) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke)
Notes:  Banaski “recently gave up his [light heavyweight] title to campaign among the junior
heavyweights.” Corby was from St. Louis.

New Orleans, Louisiana:  Thursday, August 1, 1940
(Coliseum Arena) … Farmer Jones b. Carlos Rodriguez (2/3) (Galento punched Rodriguez) … Joe
Banaski b. Frankie Hill (DQ) … Otto Ludwig b. Roy Welch (2/3) … (matchmaker:  Marty Burke) …
(referee:  Tony Galento) … (4,000 fans)
Notes:  Galento was receiving 50 per cent of the gate, according to an article in the Times-
Picayune, written by Pete Baird.  Baird wrote “as phony a show as a man could want to miss – but
one which drew 4,000 fans and pleased them all.” The program was said to have drawn the
“biggest wrestling house here in nearly 10 years.” It “drew nearly four times more people than the
average program.”

*Last reel searched ended on August 3, 1940.

Research by Tim Hornbaker
March 27, 2008
New Orleans Wrestling Results - 1940