Omaha Wrestling Results

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, August 6, 1943
(Falstaff Park) … John Pesek b. Ivan Grandovich (2/3) … Emil Dusek and Tom Zaharias
drew (30:00) … Ferenc Virag b. Bill Dusek (12:14) … Jack Conley and Jimmy Lee drew …
(promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Pat McGill) … (1,500 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, August 13, 1943
(Falstaff Park) … Tom Zaharias b. Emil Dusek (2/3) … Joe Dusek b. Ronnie Etchison (16:
03) … Joe Dusek and Jack Kennedy drew (Dusek was a substitute for Jack Conley) … Bill
Dusek and Howard Greiner drew … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Pat McGill)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, August 20, 1943
(Falstaff Park) … Tom Zaharias b. Jack Kennedy (2/3) … Ras Samara and Ferenc Virag
drew (Samara was a substitute for Jack Conley, who was sick) … Ronnie Etchison b. Bad
Boy Brown … Howard Greiner and “Gashouse” Joe Krejci drew (10:00) … (promoter: Max
Clayton) … (referee: Harry Caddell) … (sponsored by: South Omaha Eagles)
Notes: Krejci was 41 years old, from Omaha, and Greiner was also a hometown grappler.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, August 27, 1943
(Falstaff Park) … Tom Zaharias b. Joe Dusek (2/3) … Emil Dusek and Ronnie Etchison
drew … Jack Kennedy b. Bad Boy Brown (12:40) … Howard Greiner b. Bill Dusen (8:42) …
(promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Pat McGill)
Note: Johnny Swenski was supported to appear on this show.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, September 3, 1943
(City Auditorium) … Ed “Strangler” Lewis b. Tom Zaharias (2-0) (first fall in 22:10 the
second in 42 seconds) … Emil Dusek and Geza Tako drew (30:00) … Joe Dusek and Ivan
Grandovich drew (20:00) … Chick Rothermill and Ras Samara drew … (promoter: Max
Clayton) … (referee: Harry Caddell)
Note: Geza Tako was a physical instructor at Harvard airbase.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, September 10, 1943
(City Auditorium) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Bill Longson b. Ed “Strangler”
Lewis (2/3) (Longson won the first fall in 18:40, Lewis won the second in 3:40 with his
stranglehold, Longson won the third in 11:20) … Ivan Grandovich b. Ras Samara (DQ) (18:
25) … Joe Dusek and Ronnie Etchison drew … Emil Dusek b. Sergeant Steve Brody (18:
15) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Pat McGill)
Note: Steve Brody was in the Marines, on leave from a California base.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, September 17, 1943
(City Auditorium) … Ivan Grandovich b. Ras Samara (2/3) … Mae Weston b. Rose Evans
(10:51) .. Mae Young b. Elviree Snodgrass (15:41) (Weston and Young would face off in
the finals of a tournament to find a challenger for Women’s champion Mildred Burke) …
Ralph Garibaldi b. Everett Kibbons (11:49) … (promoter: Max Clayton)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, September 24, 1943
(City Auditorium) … Ivan Grandovich b. Ralph Garibaldi (2/3) … Gladys Gillem b. Rose
Evans (7:14) (Gillem entered the women’s tournament to find a challenger for Mildred
Burke) … Mae Weston b. Mae Young (7:12) … Mae Weston b. Gladys Gillem (9:54) …
Sailor Fred Blassie b. Geza Tako (11:35) … (promoter: Max Clayton)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, October 1, 1943
(City Auditorium) … Ivan Grandovich b. Chief Chewacki (Chewichki) (2/3) … Women’s
World Champion Mildred Burke b. Mae Weston (14:54) … Sailor Fred Blassie b. Bad Boy
Brown (13:56) … Ralph Garibaldi and Geza Tako drew (Tako was a substitute for Jerry
Meeker) … (promoter: Max Clayton)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, October 8, 1943
(City Auditorium) … Boxing and Wrestling Show … Joey Phalen b. Duke Owens (six-round
decision) (boxing) … Paul Wells b. Billy Arbuckle (boxing) … Sailor Fred Blassie and Joe
Dusek drew (45:00) (1-1) … Emil Dusek and Geza Tako drew … (promoter: Max Clayton)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, October 15, 1943
(City Auditorium) … Ras Samara b. Ivan Grandovich (2/3) (third fall by DQ) … Jerry Meeker
and Geza Tako drew … Bill Dusen b. Chief Little Bear (8:19) … Joe Adelman and Dan
MacBride drew … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Francis Stull)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, October 22, 1943
(City Auditorium) … Ernie Dusek b. Ivan Grandovich (2/3) … Emil Dusek and Sailor Fred
Blassie drew … Joe Dusek b. Gabe Young (16 seconds) … Sailor Geza Tako b. Gus
Zaronis (11:26) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Francis Stull)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, October 29, 1943
(City Auditorium) … Sailor Arthur Cutler b. Soldier Geza Tako (2/3) … Ivan Grandovich and
Cherry Vallina drew … Gabe Young and Wladek Zbyszko drew … Johnny Seals b. Gus
Zaronis (16:55) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Joe Krejci) … (timekeeper: Clink
Clair)
Notes: Seaman Arthur Cutler was of the Ottumwa Naval Air Base. Gabe Young was a
protégé of Tony Stecher.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, November 5, 1943
(City Auditorium) … Tony Galento b. Red Ryan (boxing match) (36 seconds of the fourth
round) (knockout) … Joe Dusek and Cherry Vallina drew (30:00) … Fred Blassie and Earl
Wampler drew … Ras Samara b. Bad Boy Brown (17:02) … (promoter: Max Clayton) …
(2,800 fans)
Notes: Ras Samara was billed as being from Omaha.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, November 12, 1943
(City Auditorium) … Joe Dusek b. Cherry Vallina (2/3) … Ras Samara b. Hank Buesing (16:
38) … Wladek Zbyszko b. Sailor Arthur Cutler (9:34) … Johnny Seals and Geza Tako drew
… (promoter: Max Clayton)
Note: Joe Dusek was a big duck hunting enthusiast.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, November 19, 1943
(City Auditorium) … The Swedish Angel b. Emil Dusek (2-0) … Ivan Grandovitch and Cherry
Vallina drew … Hank Buesing b. Bad Boy Brown … Geza Tako b. Jack Edwards (DQ) (5:27)
… (promoter: Max Clayton) … (2,500 fans)
Notes: The Omaha World Herald stated that the Swedish Angel was “said to have been
discovered by the Byrd expedition.” The paper said “The Angel’s manager, Jack Pfefer,
declared he imported the giant from Sweden four years ago. However, said Angel had
many of the mannerisms of a lumbering giant called Phil Olson, who performed in these
parts several years ago.” It continued, “Pfefer, a long-haired gent who affects a walking
stick, declarde his Angel ‘has no name. He is an artist, and as such has only the name
advertised on the programs.’ Pfefer gained fame with the bluebloods as an importer of
Russian ballet performers and singers. He quit that business some 22 years ago because ‘I
like wrestling better than singing – and there’s more money in it.’”

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, November 26, 1943
(City Auditorium) … The Swedish Angel b. Joe Dusek (2/3) (third fall by DQ) (Dusek hit the
referee) … Ferenc Virag and Wladek Zbyszko drew … Edward Nelson b. Hank Buesing (13:
40) … Red Ryan and Johnny Seals drew … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Pat
McGill)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, December 3, 1943
(City Auditorium) … Ferenc Virag b. Wladek Zbyszko (2-0) (Zbyszko was unable to continue
for the second fall due to a neck injury) … Joe Dusek b. Everett Kibbons (16:14) … Jack
Nasworthy and Red Ryan drew … Jack Nelson b. Johnny Seals (10:03) … (promoter: Max
Clayton)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, December 10, 1943
(City Auditorium) … The Swedish Angel b. Joe Dusek (2/3) … Cherry Vallina b. Red Ryan
(23:32) … Jerry Meeker b. Jack Nelson (DQ) (7:00) … Arthur Cutler and Geza Tako drew …
(promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Pat McGill) … (2,800 fans) … (benefit for the World
Herald’s Good Fellow fund)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, December 17, 1943
(City Auditorium) … The Swedish Angel b. Tom Zaharias (2/3) … Paul Jones b. Sailor Fred
Blassie (16:14) … Ivan Grandovitch and Singh Singh Talun drew … Cherry Vallina b. Jack
Nelson (5:50) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Joe Krejci) … (2,500 fans)
Note: It was reportedly Paul Jones’s first Omaha appearance in several years. It was the
last show of the year.

Research by Tim Hornbaker
July 22, 2007

Omaha Wrestling Results - 1943