Beatrice, Nebraska:  Thursday, October 31, 1940
( ) … Singh Singh Talun b. Joe Dusek (2-0) … Joe Hubka b. Earl Wampler (DQ) (22:00)
… Jerry Adam and Howard Burnell derw (30:00) … (referee:  Pat McGill)
Notes:  Hubka was from Dodge, Adam from Lincoln, and Burnell from Enid, Oklahoma.

Omaha, Nebraska:  Monday, November 11, 1940
(City Auditorium) … Ras Samara vs. Singh Singh Talun (2/3) … Howard Burnell vs. Jim
Parker … Walter Podolak vs. Red Ryan … Ralph Garibaldi vs. Andy Moen … (promoter:  
Max Clayton) … (referees:  John Lehl, Pat McGill) … (sponsored by:  South Omaha
Eagles)
Notes:  Ras Samara was “said to be a former slave wrestler of Haille Selassie’s stable,
until il duce took over Ethiopia.  The Ras beat Old Man Zbyszko’s nephew, Karol, in
Turkey a couple of years ago.” Parker was said to be from Columbia, Tennessee.  This
show was cancelled when a number of wrestlers booked on the program were unable to
reach Omaha.

Omaha, Nebraska:  Monday, November 18, 1940
(City Auditorium) … Ras Samara b. Singh Singh Talun (2/3) (third fall by DQ) … Stanley
Mysljeck b. Andy Moen (12:14) … Howard Burnell and Earl Wampler drew (20:00) …
Walter Podolak b. Jim Parker (12:16) … (promoter:  Max Clayton) … (referee:  Pat McGill)
Notes:  The Omaha World Herald on November 19, 1940 stated that Samara was
interviewed in the dressing room and he “talked just like a Negro who does not know
more about Ethiopia than you can learn from looking at a map.  He said he spent six
months there, in 1936, as bodyguard for Haille Selassie, said he was a native of
Afhganistan, and that his citizenship, if he has any, is now British.  He admitted to having
done some boxing.  The name, Ras Samara, is really his father’s name, he said.  Ras, he
said, means Gus in English.”

Omaha, Nebraska:  Monday, November 25, 1940
(City Auditorium) … Ras Samara vs. Singh Singh Talun (2/3) … Walter Podolak vs. Earl
Wampler … Jack Edwards vs. Stanley Mysljeck … Howard Burnell vs. Gene Zeller …
(promoter:  Max Clayton) … (referees:  Johnny Lehl, Pat McGill)
Notes:  Gene Zeller was also billed as “Gabe Zeller,” and was from Tacoma, Washington.

Omaha, Nebraska:  Monday, December 2, 1940
(City Auditorium) … Joe Dusek vs. Ralph Garibaldi (2/3) … Jack Edwards vs. Walter
Podolak … “Bad Boy” Jack Brown vs. Ras Samara … Jack McDonald vs. Jim Wright …
(promoter:  Max Clayton) … (referee:  Joe Zikmund)
Notes:  Brown was billed as being from Chicago and McDonald from Columbus.

Omaha, Nebraska:  Monday, December 9, 1940
(City Auditorium) … Joe Dusek vs. Walter Podolak (2/3) … Jack “Sockeye” McDonald vs.
Ras Samara … Jimmy Coffield vs. Ralph Garibaldi … Jerry Adam vs. Jack Edwards …
(promoter:  Max Clayton) … (referees:  Jack Dempsey, Pat McGill)

Beatrice, Nebraska:  Tuesday, December 10, 1940
( ) … John Pesek vs. Earl Wampler … Joe Dusek vs. Sammy Feeback … Jack Edwards
vs. Ralph Garibaldi … (referee:  Jack Dempsey) … (sponsored by:  American Legion)

Norfolk, Nebraska:  Wednesday, December 11, 1940
( ) … Joe Dusek vs. Ralph Garibaldi (Garibaldi was a substitute for Red Ryan, who was
“called east because of sickness in his family) … (referee:  Jack Dempsey)
Note:  Said to be “Norfolk’s first big time wrestling show.”

McCook, Nebraska:  Friday, December 13, 1940
(Memorial Auditorium) … John Pesek vs. Jack Roberts (2/3) … Ralph Garibaldi vs. Earl
Wampler … (promoter:  Ralph Stevens) … (referee:  Jack Dempsey) … (charity show)
Notes:  The show was booked through Max Clayton.  Robers was from Arkansas.

Omaha, Nebraska:  Monday, December 16, 1940
(City Auditorium) … John Pesek b. Jimmy Coffield (2-0) (Coffield was a substitute for
Walter Podolak) … Joe Dusek b. Sammy Feeback (33:16) … Jack Edwards and Ed White
drew (30:00) … (promoter:  Max Clayton) … (referee:  Pat McGill) … (less than 1,000
fans)
Notes:  Ralph Garibaldi was slated to wrestle Bad Boy Brown in the semifinal bout, and
Coffield was to wrestle Stanley Mysljeck.  Edwards was to wrestle Feeback in the
preliminary.  Podolak, Garibaldi and Mysljeck were stuck in Spirit Lake, Iowa, while Brown
was unable to arrive from Chicago.  Referee Joe Zikmund also was unable to make the
program from Brainard, Nebraska due to unfavorable weather conditions.

Omaha, Nebraska:  Monday, December 23, 1940
(City Auditorium) … Ernie Dusek b. Joe Savoldi (2/3) … Ras Samara b. Andy Moen …
Ralph Garibaldi b. Jack Brown (16:39) … Emil Dusek b. Sammy Feeback (11:26) …
(promoter:  Max Clayton) … (referees:  Pat McGill, Joe Zikmund) … (announcer:  Billy
Fox) … (timekeeper:  Clink Clair) … (benefit for the annual Good Fellow charity)

Omaha, Nebraska:  Monday, December 30, 1940
(City Auditorium) … Ernie Dusek b. Len Macaluso (2-0) … Ras Samara b. Abe Friedman
(7:01) … Emil Dusek b. Bob Jessen … Joe Hubka and Earl Wampler drew … (promoter:  
Max Clayton) … (referee:  Joe Zikmund)
Notes:  The Omaha World Herald stated that Leonard Macaluso was an “All-American
fullback from Colgate University in 1930.” He was “very popular with fans on the Atlantic
coast,” and “recognized as one of the 10 best men in the profession.  He hails from East
Auroro (sic), N.Y.  He graduated from Colgate with an A.B., has been in pro rassling ever
since.  Last week he was notified that he had passed his examinations for entrance in the
FBI service.”


Research by Tim Hornbaker
February 27, 2008
Omaha Wrestling Results - 1940