Omaha Wrestling Results

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, January 4, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Art Nielsen b. Pat O’Connor by countout in the third fall (2/3) … Mike
DiBiase and Benito Gardini drew … Alo Leilani b. Emil Dusek (DQ) (13:40) … Jack Pesek
and Roberto Pico drew … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (2,084 fans)
Notes: Leilani was from Pago Pago. Pico was a former boxer.

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, January 11, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Verne Gagne b. Ivan Rasputin (2/3) (third fall by DQ) … Art Nielsen
b. Reggie Lisowski (1-0) (Nielsen won the only fall in 25:30) (45:00) … Mike DiBiase and
Roberto Pico drew (20:00) … Jack Flood b. Frank Altman (4:50) … (promoter: Max
Clayton) … (referees: Johnny Lehl, Pat McGill) … (2,121 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, January 18, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Verne Gagne b. Ivan Rasputin (2-0) (first fall by DQ) (Rasputin was
punched by referee Jack Dempsey) … Mike DiBiase b. Tarzan Hewitt (2/3) … Joe Dusek
b. Mel Dove (18:17) … Steve McGill and Roberto Pico drew (15:00) … (promoter: Max
Clayton) … (2,794 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, January 25, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Ray Gunkel b. Joe Dusek (2/3) (Dusek was a substitute for Sky-Hi
Lee) … Art Nielsen b. Elmer Larson (18:44) … Roberto Pico b. Logger Larson (18:00) …
Dick Dusek b. Bob DeMare (16:56) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referees: Louie
Longo, Tom Novak) … (1,320 fans)
Note: Lee was grounded in Chicago because of bad weather.

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, February 1, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Antonino Rocca b. Art Nielsen (2-0) (first fall by DQ) …Mike DiBiase
and Bill McDaniel drew (30:00) … Joe Dusek b. Jackie Nichols (20:18) … Tarzan Hewitt
and Steve McGill drew (15:00) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Jerry Adams) …
(4,884 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, February 8, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Hans Schmidt b. Ray Gunkel (2/3) … Bill Melby b. Dick Dusek (2-0)
… Alo Leilani and Reggie Lisowski drew (20:00) … Bill McDaniels and Bearcat Wright Jr.
drew (20:00) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (3,107 fans)
Note: Next show on March 1.

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, March 1, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Antonino Rocca and Hans Schmidt were both disqualified (1-1) …
Joe Dusek b. Matt Murphy (12:12) … Mike DiBiase and Roberto Pico drew (30:00) … Billy
McDaniels b. Tarzan Hewitt (15:11) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Joe Krejci)
… (4,138 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, March 8, 1954
(City Auditorium) … World Tag Team Champions Reggie Lisowski and Art Nielsen b. Bill
Melby and Jack Witzig (2/3) … Roberto Pico b. Matt Murphy (19:58) … Jack Pesek and
Maurice Roberre drew (1-1) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Louie Longo)
Note: Jack Witzig was billed as Bill Melby’s “youthful protégé.”

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, March 15, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Antonino Rocca b. The Mighty Atlas (2-0) (first fall by DQ) … Sonny
Myers and Bob Orton drew (30:00) … Steve McGill b. Maurice Roberre (10:58) … Dick
Dusek b. Matt Murphy (15:20) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Harry Lewis) …
(3,132 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, March 22, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Hans Herman b. Ray Gunkel (1-0) (Gunkel was unable to continue)
… Mike DiBiase and Doc Gallagher drew (30:00) … Dick Dusek b. George Gallagher (12:
45) … Steve McGill and Roberto Pico drew (20:00) … (promoter: Max Clayton) …
(referee: Tom Novak) … (1,724 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, March 29, 1954
(City Auditorium) … World Tag Team Champions Bill Melby and Jack Witzig b. Reggie
Lisowski and Art Nielsen (2/3) (third fall by DQ) … El Toro and Dave Simms drew (45:00)
(1-1) … Jimmy Coffield and Mike DiBiase drew (30:00) … (promoter: Max Clayton) …
(referee: John Pesek) … (2,568 fans)
Note: Reportedly, John Pesek “helped keep El Toro’s identity a secret by pulling the
mask down a few times,” according to the Omaha World Herald on Tuesady, March 30,
1954.

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, April 5, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Verne Gagne b. Hans Herman (2/3) … Joe Dusek and Dave Simms
drew (1-1) … Jack Pesek b. El Toro (16:50) … Doc Gallagher and Steve McGill drew (15:
00) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (2,842 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, April 12, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Pat O’Connor b. Killer Kowalski (2/3) … Jack Pesek b. The Mighty
Atlas (DQ) (25:39) … Jimmy Coffield and El Toro drew (20:00) … Dick Dusek and Doc
Gallagher drew (15:00) … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (referee: Jerry Adam) … (2,710
fans)

Beatrice, Nebraska: Monday, April 19, 1954
(Beatrice Auditorium) … The Mighty Atlas vs. Antonino Rocca … Mr. America vs. Fritz
Von Erich … (sponsored by: Beatrice Lions Club)

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, April 26, 1954
(City Auditorium) … United States TV Champion Verne Gagne b. Hans Schmidt (2/3)
(third fall by DQ) (Texas rules match) …Sky-Hi Lee b. Jack Pesek (21:24) … Bob Orton
b. Dave Simms (DQ) (21:35) … Mike DiBiase and Ivan Rasputin drew (20:00) …
(promoter: Max Clayton) … (referees: Johnny Lehl, Tom Novak) … (3,437 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: Monday, May 3, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Pat O’Connor and Antonino Rocca b. Hans Herman and Hans
Schmidt (2/3) … Jack Pesek b. Larry Hamilton (21:33) … Jimmy Coffield and David
Simms drew (20:00) … Steve McGill b. Harry Lewis (12:00) … (Max Clayton) …
(referees: Joe and John Krejci) … (3,895 fans)
Notes: Larry Hamilton was billed as the “former world’s junior heavyweight champ.” The
final of the wrestling season. McGill was a “rookie” from Omaha.

Omaha, Nebraska: September 20, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Reggie Lisowski and Art Nielson b. Verne Gagne and Roy McClarty
(2/3) (special referee: Joe Louis) … Joe Dusek and Ronnie Etchison drew … Shirley
Strimple b. Ann LaVerne … Steve McGill and Roberto Pico drew … (promoter: Max
Clayton) … (matchmaker: Adam Krieger) … (4,000 fans) … (season opener)

Hastings, Nebraska: September 22, 1954
( ) … Joe Louis b. Roberto Pico in a boxing match by knockout in the second round

Omaha, Nebraska: September 27, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Joe Louis b. Art Neilsen ( DQ in the third round) (boxing match)
(Reggie Lisowski interfered in the match) … Mike DiBiase and Ernie Dusek drew …
Yukon Eric b. Reggie Lisowski … Bob Orton Sr. b. Dave Sims … Dick Dusek and Roberto
Pico drew … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (matchmaker: Adam Krieger) … (3,492 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: October 4, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Antonino Rocca b. Bob Orton Sr. (2-0) (special referee: Ras (Seelie)
Samara) … Steve McGill b. Harry Lewis … Chest Bernard b. Mark Lewin … Mike DiBiase
b. Roberto Pico … (promoter: Max Clayton) … (matchmaker: Adam Krieger) … (1,364
fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: October 11, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Hans Schmidt b. Roy McClarty … Ernie Dusek and Ronnie Etchison
drew … Richard Brown and Larry Hamilton drew … Dick Dusek b. Maurice Roberre …
(promoter: Max Clayton) … (matchmaker: Adam Krieger) … (1,712 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: October 18, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Antonino Rocca and Yukon Eric b. Hans Hermann and Hans Schmidt
(2/3) (Rocca and Eric won the third fall by countout) … Jack Pesek b. Chest Bernard
(DQ) … Richard Brown and Joe Dusek drew … Larry Hamilton b. Harry Lewis …
(promoter: Max Clayton) … (matchmaker: Adam Krieger) … (3,165 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: October 25, 1954
(City Auditorium) … World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz and Pat O”Connor drew
(60:00) (1-1) … Jack Pesek b. Emil Dusek (countout) … Cowboy Carlson b. Chest
Bernard (countout) … Larry Hamilton and Dave Sims drew … (promoter: Max Clayton) …
(matchmaker: Adam Krieger) … (2,480 fans)

Omaha, Nebraska: November 1, 1954
(City Auditorium) … Reggie Lisowski and Art Neilson vs. Verne Gagne and Pat O’Connor
… Golath (Wladislaw Talun) vs. Maurice Roberre … Bob DeMarce vs. Joe Dusek …
(promoter: Max Clayton) … (matchmaker: Adam Krieger)

Research by Tim Hornbaker
January 3, 2008

Omaha Wrestling Results - 1954