Oklahoma City Wrestling Results

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, January 7, 1942
(Municipal Auditorium) … Leroy McGuirk and Dick Trout b. Johnny LaRue and Danny
Savich (2-0) (tag team bout) … Dutch Schultz b. George Saleem … (promoter: Sam Avey)
Notes: Johnny LaRue was a “one time Sooner wrestler,” and was now a fireman in Dallas.
Schultz was fined $15 for attacking Saleem after the bout.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, January 14, 1942
(Municipal Auditorium) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Leroy McGuirk b. World
Light Heavyweight Champion Red Berry (2-0) (DQ) (neither title was on the line) … Johnny
LaRue vs. The Masked Marvel (Elmer) … Charley Lay vs. George Saleem … (promoter:
Sam Avey) … (referee: Jimmy Lott)
Note: Berry complained about Jimmy Lott being the referee and the decision of his bout.
He was fined $15 for his actions. The Oklahoman (1/11/42) newspaper stated that “It
probably would be some time before Wild Red would be willing to risk his own title, indeed,
for he has just been reinstated after a recent suspension by the California Athletic
Commission, which confiscated his belt temporarily for his alleged ‘ungentlemanly conduct’
in a match there.” Berry reportedly brought west a new masked protégé named “Elmer.”
Charley Lay was returning to wrestling only two months after suffering a serious injury in
Tulsa in November. He was said to have been slammed by Bob Keneston, and then taken
to a hospital where both of his legs were found to be paralyzed. He was in bed for three
weeks, but has since recovered.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, January 21, 1942
(Municipal Auditorium) … World Light Heavyweight Champion Red Berry b. Jimmy Lott (2-
0) … The Masked Marvel (Elmer) b. Danny Savich (DQ) … Tommy Leon b. George
Saleem … (promoter: Sam Avey) … (referee: Dick Trout) … (2,000 fans)

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, January 28, 1942
(Municipal Auditorium) … Paavo Katonan b. World Light Heavyweight Champion Red Berry
(2/3) (non-title match) … Johnny Swenski b. Tommy Leon … Whitey Walberg b. Dutch
Schultz … Bobby Coleman and Don Hill drew (20:00) … (promoter: Sam Avey) …
(referee: Dick Trout)
Notes: According to the Oklahoman newspaper (1/28/42), Paavo Katonan, “who
temporarily deprived Wild Red Berry of the Light Heavyweight Title last month in California,
meeting Berry again in the non-title main event. Wild Red was suspended and had his belt
taken away by the California Athletic Commission after the prevous battle with Katonan.”
Leon was from Brattleboro, Vermont.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, February 4, 1942
(Municipal Auditorium) … Paavo Katonan b. World Light Heavyweight Champion Red Berry
(2-0) (non-title match) (Masked Elmer was in Berry’s corner) … Johnny Swenski b. Whitey
Walberg … Great Mephisto b. Danny Savich … Don Hill b. Bobby Coleman … (promoter:
Sam Avey)

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, February 11, 1942
(Municipal Auditorium) … Paavo Katonan b. The Masked Elmer (Elmer was unmasked to
reveal Ted Tourtas of Santa Monica) … Johnny Swenski b. Tony Morelli … Great Mephisto
b. Whitey Walberg … Dick Trout b. Don Hill … (promoter: Sam Avey)
Note: Morelli was said to be from Philadelphia.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, February 18, 1942
(Municipal Auditorium) … Paavo Katonan b. Dick Trout (2-0) … Johnny Swenski b. Ted
Tourtas (2-0) … Tommy Leon b. Dutch Schultz … Bobby Coleman b. Jack Gott …
(promoter: Sam Avey)
Note: Katonan won his fourth straight local bout.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, February 25, 1942
(Municipal Auditorium) … Paavo Katonan and Johnny Swenski b. Leroy McGuirk and Dick
Trout (2-0) (tag team match) … other bouts … (promoter: Sam Avey)
Notes: Swenski claimed he’d only lost one match in the last two years. He wanted to
wrestle McGuirk for his championship.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, March 4, 1942
(Municipal Auditorium) … Paavo Katonan b. Pete Sherman (2-0) … Danny Savich b. Gust
Johnson … Kenny Ackles b. Dutch Schultz … Ted Tourtas b. Bobby Coleman …
(promoter: Sam Avey)
Notes: Ackles was called the Canadian Junior Heavyweight Champion. Johnson was from
Minneapolis. Sherman was from Kansas City.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, March 11, 1942
(Municipal Auditorium) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Leroy McGuirk vs. Paavo
Katonan … three other matches … (promoter: Sam Avey)
Notes: No results were found in the Oklahoman newspaper. Nothing was found in the
March 18 paper. However, there may have been a show.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, March 25, 1942
(Municipal Auditorium) … Danny Savich and Johnny Swenski b. Tommy Leon and Mike
Nazarian … Pete Sherman b. Bobby Coleman (21:00) … Kenny Ackles b. Paavo Katonan
(2-0) (second fall in 25 seconds)

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Wednesday, April 1, 1942
(Municipal Auditorium) … John Swenski b. World Junior Heavyweight Champion Leroy
McGuirk (Swenski b. McGuirk in 26:31 for the first fall and 10:10 for the second) (non-title
match) … Mike Nazarian b. George Saleen … Tommy Leon b. Jack Nazworthy … Kenny
Ackles b. Danny Savich … (promoter: Sam Avey) … (1,500+ fans) (proceeds given to the
Navy relief fund)
Note: Before the final match, Sam Avey announced that due to financial reasons, wrestling
would be discontinued.

Research by Tim Hornbaker

Oklahoma City Wrestling Results - 1942