Omaha Wrestling Resutls

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, January 7, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Ernie Dusek b. Cherry Vallina (2/3) … Ken Fenelon b. Emil Dusek
(DQ) (7:35) … Joe Dusek and Bill Kuusisto drew … Jimmy Coffield and Jerry Meeker drew
… (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Harry Caddell) … (sponsored by: South Omaha
Eagles)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, January 14, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Ed “Strangler” Lewis b. Ras Samara (2/3) (third fall by countout) … Bill
Kuusisto b. Gus Young (12:51) … Ken Fenelon and Al Szasz drew … Cherry Vallina b.
Everett Kibbons (11:24) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Pat McGill) … (2,600
fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, January 21, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Joe Dusek b. The Blimp (3:50) … Ernie Dusek and Sandor Szabo
drew (90:00) (1-1) (both wrestlers attacked the referee after the match, and continued to
wrestle until police broke them up) … Ivan Grandovitch and Bill Kuusisto drew … Al Szasz
b. Jack Edwards (DQ) (10:19) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Joe Krejci) …
(3,400 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, January 28, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Ray Steele b. Ivan Grandovitch (2-0) (second fall by DQ) … Bill
Kuusisto b. Bill Smith (16:44) … Wladek Zbyszko b. Jack Edwards (13:06) … Al Szasz b.
Pete Frosia (8:06) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Harry Caddell)
Notes: Ray Steele was billed as being one of the “famed Sauer clan of Lincoln,” by the
Omaha World Herald. Ben Smith was from Duluth and Pete Frosia was from St. Paul.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, February 4, 1944
(City Auditorium) … The Swedish Angel b. Dave Levin (2/3) … Joe Dusek and Babe
Zaharias drew … Bill Kuusisto and Lord Albert Mills drew … Jack Edwards b. Otto Wadleck
(7:22) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (timekeeper: “Clink” Clair)
Notes: Otto Wadleck was from Lincoln, Jack Edwards from Little Rock, and Bull Kuusisto
from Green Bay. Angel was reportedly undefeated locally.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, February 11, 1944
(City Auditorium) … The Swedish Angel b. The Blimp (2:24) and Babe Zaharias (23:36) …
Ivan Grandovitch and Lord Albert Mills drew (30:00) (Grandovitch was a substitute for
Orville Brown) … Jack Edwards b. Private Geza Tako (11:32) … Whitey Grovo and Johnny
Seals drew
… (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Pat McGill) … (2,000 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, February 18, 1944
(City Auditorium) … The Swedish Angel b. Dave Levin (2/3) … Joe Dusek and Lord Albert
Mills were both disqualified (15:57) (the wrestlers hit the referee) … Ivan Grandovitch b.
Jack Edwards (11:28) … Cherry Vallina and Count Zuppe drew (Vallina was a substitute
for Bill Dusin) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Pat McGill)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, February 25, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Joe Dusek b. Lord Albert Mills (2/3) … Cherry Vallina b. Abe Friedman
(15:15) (Friedman was a substitute for Babe Zaharias) … Wladek Zbyszko b. Count Zuppe
(2:15) … Whitey Grovo and Johnny Seals drew (Grovo was a substitute for Pierre
DeGlane) … (promoter: Max Clayton)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, March 3, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Ivan Grandovitch b. Ras Samara (2/3) (Samara was unable to
continue for the third fall) … Pierre DeGlane and Joe Dusek drew … Whitey Grovo b. Tom
George (11:13) … Nick Elitch and Johnny Seals drew … (promoter: Max Clayton) …
(referee: Johnny Lehl) … (sponsored by: South Omaha Eagles)
Notes: DeGlane was from Ottawa, Ontario, Grovo from Rockford, Illinois, Tom George
from Chicago, Seals from Des Moines, and Nick Elitch was billed as being from Buffalo.

*A note in the March 10, 1944 edition of Omaha World Herald stated that Paul Klacsan, an
“old-time wrestler,” and “popular in midwest amateur circles,” was going to tutor classes
three days a week at the Jewish Community Center.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, March 17, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Ray Steele b. The Swedish Angel (2/3) … Joe Dusek b. Al Galento (16:
00) … Pierre DeGlane b. Abe Friedman (10:22) … Lord Albert Mills b. Whitey Grovo …
(promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Johnny Lehl)
Notes: Angel and Steele were both said to be undefeated in Omaha. Al Galento
“vigorously denies any relationship” to Tony Galento. He was said to be from
Chattanooga. Abe Friedman was from Kansas City and Steele was, in fact, not billed as
being from Lincoln, Nebraska, but Glendale, California. Joe Dusek, reportedly, had a 1-A
draft card and was expecting to be called for his preinduction physical “soon.”

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, March 24, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Ray Steele b. Babe Zaharias (2/3) (Zaharias was a substitute for The
Swedish Angel) … Wladek Zbyszko b. Jack Nelson (15:57) (Zbyszko was a substitute for
Lord Albert Mills) … Whitey Grovo and Soldier Geza Tako drew … Joe Edelman b. Whitey
Koopman (11:58) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Pat McGill)
Notes: The March 24, 1944 edition of the Omaha World Herald stated that the Swedish
Angel’s manager Jack Pfefer met with promoter Max Clayton “Thursday evening,” and told
him, “We were slickered by that so-called referee, Johnny Lehl, last week, and boom goes
our record in Omaha. Why, I found that Lehl and Ray Steele were old buddies in Lincoln.
We’ll settle for Pat McGill and no one else. Steele might bring in his father-in-law if we
agreed on a new man.” Angel was booked to wrestle Steele on Friday night and said to be
in an Omaha hotel as of Thursday evening. But he failed to show for the bout. Whitey
Koopman was said to be from Minneapolis, and Joe Edelman from Kansas City. Jack
Nelson was from Little Rock.

*The Tuesday, March 28, 1944 edition of the Omaha World Herald reported the following:
“CPO Mike DiBiase, former Tech High standout, won the heavyweight wrestling
championship in a tournament for navy personnel at Norman, Okla., it was learned here
Monday.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, March 31, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Ernie Dusek b. Lord Albert Mills (2/3) … Joe Dusek and Bill Kuusisto
drew … Johnny Seals b. Al Galento (16:04) … Pierre DeGlane and Jack Nelson drew …
(promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Joe Krejci)
Notes: Lou Plummer was originally slated to wrestle Ernie Dusek in the main event, but
was injured on Wednesday evening in Evansville. Babe Zaharias was supposed to wrestle
Solider Geza Tako on this show, but the latter was unable to “get a pass from the Lincoln
Air Field,” and Zaharias failed to show. Joe Dusek was scheduled to take his physical
examination Monday at Fort Crook, and told the newspaper that “Hitler’s days are
numbered now.” Ernie reportedly passed his physical examination.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, April 7, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Ernie Dusek b. Lord Albert Mills (2/3) … Ivan Grandovitch and Wladek
Zbyszko drew … Joe Dusek b. Whitey Grovo (Grove) (10:25) … Nick Elitch b. Al Galento
(16:38) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referees: Harry Caddell, Joe Zikmund)
Notes: Whitey Grovo was a “veteran of World Wars I and II,” and was from Rockford. The
Omaha World Herald reported on April 8 that “Mrs. Anton Hason, 73, mother of the rasslin’
Duseks, is in St. Catherine’s Hospital. Her condition was reported slightl improved Friday.”

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, April 14, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Dave Levin b. Ivan Grandovitch (2/3) (third fall by DQ) … Johnny
Seals b. Al Lafoon drew (10:43) … Johnny Seals and Count Zuppe drew … Lord Albert
Mills b. Nick Elitch (20:05) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Pat McGill) …
(timekeeper: Clink Clair)
Notes: The Omaha World Herald stated that “Serbian Nick Elitch,” this week, “received his
full citizenship papers.” A photo of Elitch was also printed. Nelson was called a “one-time
professional heavyweight boxer.” The paper, April 14, printed the following: “Funeral
services for Mrs. Anton Hason, mother of the rassling Duseks, will be held Saturday
morning at 8:30 from the family residence at 410 Woolworth street to St. Wenceslaus
church at 9. Burial will be in the Bohemian National cemetery.” Due to heavy rain, Jerry
Adam, Abe Friedman, and Jack Nelson failed to show, and Nick Elitch was late. Elitch
replaced Nelson in the semi-final versus Mills. Elitch was originally booked to wrestle
Seals, while Adam and Friedman were going to battle in a preliminary bout.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, April 21, 1944
(City Auditorium) … John Pesek b. Wladek Zbyszko (2/3) … Ivan Grandovitch and Lord
Albert Mills drew … Jack Conley and Emil Dusek drew (Dusek was a substitute for Johnny
Seals) … Don Williams b. Count Zuppe (10:11) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referees:
Joe Krejci, Pat McKee) … (2,500 fans)
Notes: The Omaha World Herald stated that 25 years earlier, Pesek and Zbyszko wrestled
in Gordon, Nebraska “staged by Governor Dwight Griswold.” Don Williams was from
Omaha, and weighed 198 pounds. Jack Conley was from Denver and Seals from Des
Moines. Maurice Shadle of the World Herald wrote that Pesek had slowed considerably.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, April 28, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Ernie Dusek and Dave Levin drew (90:00) (1-1) … Emil Dusek b. Joe
Weaver (17:21) … Joe Dusek and Lord Albert Mills drew … Jack Conley b. Count Zuppe
(11:15) (Zuppe was a substitute for Andy Moen) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referees:
Harry Caddell, Pat McGill) … (2,700 fans)
Notes: Joe Weaver was from Memphis and Moen was from Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, May 5, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Ernie Dusek b. Lord Albert Mills (2/3) … Jack Conley b. Stanley
Myslajek (DQ) (13:37) … Emil Dusek and Cherry Vallina drew … Jerry Adam b. Hans
Bauer (12:02) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Johnny Lehl)

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, May 12, 1944
(City Auditorium) … The Swedish Angel b. Ray Steele (2/3) (Angel won the second fall with
an inside toe hold in 7:10 and then the third with the same hold after 1:26) … Emil Dusek
and Dave Levin drew (30:00) (Dusek was a substitute for Stanley Myslajek) … Joe Dusek
and Cherry Vallina drew … Jack Conley b. Bill Dusen (10:37) … (promoter: Max Clayton)
… (referee: Pat McGill)
Notes: Ray Steele and Dave Levin were called ex-heavyweight champions. The paper
indicated that Emil and Joe Dusek’s faces were sunburned from fishing in the Missouri
River.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, May 19, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Ernie Dusek b. Gino Garibaldi (2/3) … Joe Dusek b. Jack League
(during the match, it was said that League fell on the back of his neck, dislocating a
vertebrae) (the match was stopped, after some vocalization from the audience, and then
Joe helped “snap League’s neck back into place,” according to the paper) … Lord Albert
Mills b. Jack Dillon (11:20) … Jack Conley and Emil Dusek drew … (promoter: Max
Clayton) … (referee: Joe Krejci) … (timekeeper: Clink Clair)
Notes: Garibaldi was reportedly making his local debut. Jack Dillon was said to be from
Memphis and League from Dallas.

Omaha, Nebraska: Friday, May 26, 1944
(City Auditorium) … Ernie Dusek b. Gino Garibaldi (2-0) … Joe Dusek and Earl Wampler
drew … Emil Dusek b. Johnny Plummer (6:25) … Jack Conley and Lord Albert Mills drew …
(promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Pat McGill) … (2,500 fans)
Notes: This was the close of the indoor wrestling season in Omaha until September.
Plummer was said to be from Tampa and Brown from Chicago. Wampler was called
“Grandpa."

Research by Tim Hornbaker
October 29, 2007

Omaha Wrestling Results - 1944