Oklahoma City Wrestling Results

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, January 7, 1931
(Market Square Garden) … Ghafoor Khan b. Pat McKay … Jimmy Craig and Hugh
Cunningham drew (30:00) … Charley Strack b. Claude Marshall (25:00) … (promoter:
Sam Avey)
Notes: Cunningham, a former University of Oklahoma wrestler, was making his
professional wrestling debut. He weighed 175 pounds. The Saturday before, he had a
conference with promoter Avey, and was convinced to make his debut. The local paper
noted that Cunningham was the third prominent college wrestler to turn pro, following
Charley Strack (three years earlier) and Earl McCready (a few months earlier). Marshall
was from Phoenix. Craig was also called “George Craig.” There was boxing at the Garden
on alternative weeks, run by Lou Cutler.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, January 21, 1931
(Market Square Garden) … Charley Strack b. Ghafoor Khan … Hugh Cunningham b.
Jimmy Craig (20:00) … Roland Kirchmeyer b. Dynamite Blackstock (30:00) … Bill Loftus b.
Ted Schaefer (15:00) … (promoter: Sam Avey)
Notes: Blackstock was from Memphis and Schaefer from Wichita. Craig was billed as
being from Tulsa. Originally, Bob Allen of the University of California and Billy Bartush of
the University of Chicago were scheduled to appear on this show.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Thursday, February 5, 1931
(Market Square Garden) … Charley Strack b. Roland Kirchmeyer (5:00) (Strack used an
“Aggie split,” which a hold invented by E.C. Gallagher) … Hugh Cunningham b. Everett
McLaurey (45:00) … Jimmy Craig b. Chief Wow Wow (DQ) (Chief used his fists) …
(promoter: Sam Avey)
Notes: McLaurey was from Cushing, Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Monday, February 16, 1931
(Market Square Garden) … Charley Strack b. Cliff Binkley … Mike O’Dowd b. George
Craig (Craig was a substitute for Hugh Cunningham) … Chief Wow Wow and Billy Londos
drew (20:00) … (promoter: Sam Avey)
Notes: Cunningham was called to Indianapolis because of a relative’s illness. Binkley was
called “ancient” and was said to be from Tulsa. He was said to be making his first
appearance in Oklahoma “since a three year layoff due to illness and an operation. At the
time of his retirement, he was the most popular wrestler in Tulsa.” Strack was reportedly
undefeated in Oklahoma City. O’Dowd was from Dallas. Londos was from Tulsa.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, March 4, 1931
(Merrie Garden) … The Masked Marvel b. Charley Strack (2/3) … Jack Knoche agreed to
beat Hugh Cunningham with two falls in 45:00, but failed (Knoche won the firt fall and
Cunningham took the second) (Knoche disagreed with Cunningham’s fall, and ended up
punching the referee, nearly sparking a riot) … George Craig b. George Clark (Clary?) …
(promoter: Sam Avey) … (referee: Buck McClain)
Note: Clark (Clary?) was said to be from Bristow.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Saturday, March 14, 1931
(Merrie Garden) … World Light Heavyweight Champion Charles “Midget” Fischer vs. Hugh
Cunningham … Jack Knoche vs. Charley Strack … (promoter: Sam Avey)
Note: Knoche was said to be from Milwaukee.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Thursday, April 2, 1931
(Merrie Garden) … Everette Marshall b. Roland Kirchmeyer (2-0) (less than 15:00) …
Count Ermack Harkovisky and Charley Strack drew … (promoter: Sam Avey)
Notes: Marshall was called an “independent heavyweight.” Kirchmeyer was said to be
from Cushing.

*The September 15, 1931 edition of the Oklahoman reported that the Oklahoma City
Boxing Commission, Monday, forfeitted the licenses of Lou Cutler and C.W. Leeman, citing
the fact that neither had run shows for some time. There was specutlation that Sam Avey,
or one of his allies, were going to take over the local promotion of boxing and/or wrestling.
Cutler said he was going to fight the decision.

*The October 6, 1931 edition of the Oklahoman newspaper reported that Lou Cutler
received approval from the Oklahoma City Athletic Commission at its meeting on Monday
to run alternating boxing and wrestling shows weekly. Cutler quickly announced that he’d
be running a show on Wednesday at the Merrie Garden. Cutler was primarily known for
promoting boxing in Oklahoma City and a rival of Sam Avey of Tulsa.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, October 7, 1931
(Merrie Garden) … World Heavyweight Champion Henri DeGlane b. Jack Ganson (2-0) …
Dr. Freddie Meyer b. Hans Schroeber (2/3) … Ernie Webb b. Jack “Red” McDonald (2:46)
… (promoter: Lou Cutler) … (referee: Hugh Cunningham)
Notes: Ganson was called a University of Chicago athlete. DeGlane reportedly won the
world title from Ed Lewis six months ago. Webb was an Oklahoma City University wrestler.
Schroeber was billed as being from Salt Lake City. McDonald was from Drumright.
Cunningham was said to be the Oklahoma City University wrestling coach.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Tuesday, October 20, 1931
(Merrie Garden) … Jack Ganson b. Glenn Wade (2/3) … Alan Eustace b. Everett Kaben
(2/3) (Kaben won the first fall, Eustace took the second and then the third when Kaben
was unable to continue) … Chief Wow Wow b. Jack Williams (10:00) … (promoter: Lou
Cutler)
Notes: The winner of the Ganson-Wade match was said to wrestle either Joe Stecher, Gus
Sonnenberg or Ed Don George on November 3. Wade was managed by John Pesek.
Kaben was a former Tulsa University athlete and was said to have dislocated three ribs in
his bout with Eustace.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Tuesday, November 3, 1931
(Merrie Garden) … Dr. Freddie Meyer b. Joe DeVito (2/3) (Meyer won the first fall in 39
seconds) … Joe Malcewicz and Glenn Wade drew (1-1) … Ernie Webb b. Jack Purdin
(DQ) (13:00) … (promoter: Lou Cutler) … (referee: Buck McClain)
Notes: The planned match between Ganson and one of the Stecher, Sonnenberg,
George trio didn’t come to fruition. It was said that the wrestler with the best showing on
this show would face Sonnenberg on November 17. Joe DeVito was said to be 215
pounds, more than six feet tall and 28 years old.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Tuesday, November 17, 1931
(Merrie Garden) … Gus Sonnenberg b. Nick Nestor (2-0) (flying tackle) (Nestor was a
substitute for Dr. Freddie Meyer, who was unable to make it due to bad weather) … Dr.
Leonard Hall b. Freddie Steele (2/3) … Jack Purdin and Ernie Webb drew (30:00) …
(promoter: Lou Cutler)
Notes: Initially, Dan Koloff was called the “Balkan lion” and said to be wrestling Nick Nestor
on this show. Then, the day of the show, the newspaper called Nick Velkoff the “Balkan
lion,” and reported that he was initially booked to wrestle Nestor. Because Nestor was
bumped into the main event, Velkoff did not wrestle. Steele was said to be from Fresno.
The winner of the Sonnenberg-Nestor match was going to wrestle Ed Don George in the
near future.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Friday, December 11, 1931
(Merrie Garden) … Joe Stecher b. Glenn Wade (2/3) … Dr. Freddie Meyer b. Frank
Burdash (1-0) … Ernie Webb b. Chief Wow Wow (8:34) … (promoter: Lou Cutler)
Notes: Burdash was said to be from Battle Creek, Michigan. Last show of the year.

Research by Tim Hornbaker
October 14, 2007

Oklahoma City Wrestling Results - 1931