Brief History:
Mike London of Albuquerque was the NWA's first booker in the Rocky Mountain area. While in partnership with Fred Kohler of Chicago, London received the sport's top wrestlers, as seen on the DuMont Network, and was very successful in Denver and Albuquerque. Denver workers also went into Salt Lake City for a period of time, while Dave Reynolds, another NWA booker, was known for running shows with non-heavyweights out of a booking office in Orem. The Rocky Mountain region morphed as years went by with London giving up El Paso and later Colorado Springs going to Karl Sarpolis as part of the West Texas circuit. London also briefly ran Cheyanne.
Background:
Denver is a city rich with professional wrestling history. In the 1880s, as easterners crossed the nation with ambitions to find gold, settle, or make their way to California, Denver became a central hub for commerce and industry. With any population growth came the initiation of various avenues of entertainment, including athletics, and wrestling was an easy sport to stage. On May 3, 1886, Greek George faced off with Antoine Pierre in Denver in what was certainly a unique spectacle for area enthusiasts.
By the early 1900s, wrestling was offered a little more regularly, and local promoters were eager to get the likes of Fred Beell and Frank Gotch to the "Mile High City" for engagements. Gotch made a score of dates in the area and reportedly enjoyed his time there. Among the famous grapplers to appear for matches were Stanislaus Zbyszko, Tom Jenkins, Charlie Cutler, Dr. B.F. Roller, and George Hackenschmidt.
On May 6, 1909, Gotch beat Fred Beell in two straight falls at the Auditorium in Denver, and the affair was refereed by World Lightweight Boxing Champion Battling Nelson. The entire spectacle received tremendous press in local newspapers and the publicity build up succeeded in coaxing an estimated 6,000 fans. On the undercard was Joe McCray, a local boy from nearby Longmont. McCray was a talented up-and-comer, and his manager's high expectations was met by an equally strong, personal ambition that was rare for someone his age.
On January 17, 1911, Joe, now the "heavyweight champion of Colorado," married his girlfriend Miss Maud Titus in Boulder. The two stopped in Denver, then planned to enjoy their honeymoon while touring Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. They hoped to be back in Denver on January 30 for a wrestling bout McCray had scheduled with the "Russian Lion" George Hackenschmidt. Unfortunately, the Texas leg of their trip ended in a death no one could have thought possible.
Using the alias "Stanley Lake," he wrestled Harry Mayes on January 28, 1911 in Amarillo, and his new bride and father, who doubled as his manager, were in the audience. Mayes was none other than accomplished veteran Charles Olson, a renown tough guy and reputed hooker. Outmatched, McCray put all his will and effort into a straight contest, which ended in his vertebrea being cracked. The accident later took the young grappler's life. While Olson was cleared of any charges, the death fed his already infamous reputation, and shook the Colorado wrestling community to it's core.
"Toots" Mondt of Greeley sparked a new wave of interest with his ability during the late 1910s and early '20s, and along with his brothers, began to hold provocative shows that garnered attention from all parts of the state. Trained by the esteemed Farmer Burns, "Toots" was a motivated youngster, and barnstormed throughout the region. At the same time, well known grapplers were drawn to Colorado to wrestle him, based on his growing reputation. The likes of Ad Santel and Jack Taylor engaged Mondt, and the latter was impressive, even in defeat. He claimed the Rocky Mountain Light Heavyweight Title and displayed a rare vocal ability in the build up for prospective matches, which worked well in drawing attention. Mondt's talents were expertly used by the Sandow-Lewis syndicate beginning in 1922.
Like Mondt, another home-grown talent was spawned from the farms of Colorado. Everette Marshall held the recognition of the Midwest Wrestling Association and the National Wrestling Association as World Heavyweight Champion during the 1930s. In 1933-'34, he was a top challenger to Jim Londos's throne, and was considered by some as a very capable shooter, one who could possibly defeat the Greek Champion in a straight match. Marshall's drawing ability wavered over the years, but his time in Los Angeles in 1930 and St. Louis in 1937 were among his better runs of popularity. By the early 1940s, he focused more on the raising of his crops in Southeastern Colorado, but wrestled often in Denver and Colorado Springs, and made dates for the Sandow-Baumann promotion in Kansas.
The Colorado wrestling scene boomed during the 1930s and '40s thanks to promoters Jack Kanner and Joe Mohana of Denver and Abe Marylander of Colorado Springs. Their importation of key talent kept customers interested and sustained business in light of a dramatic dip in attendance around the nation.
Additionally, there was a tribe of professional grapplers from Pueblo who made a notable impact on the sport and shouldn't be dismissed. The Zaharias Brothers (George, Tom and Chris) plus their nephew Babe were tremendous performers and were capable of extracting the best kind of heat from spectators. Billed as being from Cripple Creek, the clan were reputed "bad" guys and frequently resorted to heel tactics to win matches. Their entertaining matches appealed to fans from coast-to-coast for decades.
By the mid-1940s, the Zahariases assumed control of the Denver wrestling scene.
Wrestlers from Rocky Mountain Region:
Joe "Toots" Mondt
Everette Marshall
George Zaharias was born in Greece on February 28, 1908 to Gust C. and Dimitro, the oldest child of four. According to reports, the Vetoyanis Family came to the United States sometime between 1909 and ’11 and settled in Pueblo, Colorado. Gust (1870-1960) was a hard working laborer and provided for his family as each of his children grew up. George entered the world of professional wrestling, and with his favorable personality, quickly gained a following. He claimed to be the Colorado State Champion, a title disputed by Marshall.
Zaharias, during the early 1930s, was a mainstay on the Londos circuit working for the likes of Jack Curley, Rudy Dusek, the Johnstons in New York, Tom Packs in St. Louis, Ray Fabiani in Philadelphia, and Ed White in Chicago. He received important title shots and maintained his position as headliner. Both of his brothers, Tom and Chris, followed his footsteps into the ring, as did their nephew, Chris Davros, who used the guise "Babe Zaharias."
There was another ‘Babe Zaharias’ in the family, but this one was a little more famous. On December 23, 1938, George married the famous professional women’s golfer, Mildred “Babe” Didrikson at Tom Packs’ home in St. Louis. The Zahariases later honeymooned in the South Pacific, through Asia and finally in Europe.
George gained a lot of weight, but kept his strong ring persona. In the early 1940s, he entered the promotional business after the fall of the Mondt-Daro partnership and worked with Nick Lutze in Los Angeles. His run in Southern California was short lived and around the end of World War II, he returned to Colorado and promoted Denver, where his brothers were often featured. He also managed his wife’s sporting career, which kept him in the news.
In 1950, George and his wife invested in a golf course in Tampa, and planned to make the city their home. Six years later (September 27, 1956), Babe died in Galveston, Texas. At the White House, President Eisenhower had the following to say regarding the legendary golfer: “Ladies and gentlemen, I should like to take one minute to pay a tribute to Mrs. Zaharias, Babe Didrikson. She was a woman who in her athletic career certainly won the admiration of every person in the United States, of all sports people all over the world. I think every one of us feels sad that finally she had to lose this last one of all her battles.”
During the morning hours of August 9, 1957, George’s nephew Chris died in a Savannah Hotel. He had competed in a match with Bibber McCoy the night before. His brother Chris died in May 1966 and Tom succumbed in May 1974. George died on May 22, 1984 in Tampa at the age of 76.
Obituaries:
Sports Editor for the Denver Post, syndicate writer, and founder of the Sells-Floto Circus, Otto Floto died on August 4, 1929 in Denver, Colorado. He was survived by his wife Kitty Ruger Floto.
Horace "Tex" Wright died of a heart condition shortly after wrestling The Terrible Turk, Ali Yumid, to a draw in Greeley, Colorado on Monday, March 11, 1935. Wright was originally from Texas. His death was said to be the first during or following a sports event in the city.
Legendary Utah grappler Ira Dern died on Thursday, March 21, 1957 in Salt Lake City. According to his obituary, he "held a world championship wrestling title for 20 years of his 25-year career." Dern was 63 years old.
Otto Oster, a wrestling promoter in Greeley, Colorado, passed away on Friday, August 28, 1964 at Carter Lake. He was a promoter until May 1950 when he became a police officer. Oster, a military veteran, retired from the police force in 1963.
One of the famous Zaharias Tribe, Chris Zaharias (Chris Vetoyanis) of Pueblo, passed away on Saturday, May 21, 1966 in Tampa. Chris was brothers with George and Tom Zaharias, and an uncle of wrestler Babe Zaharias. He died at MacDill Hospital at the age of 53, and was survived by his wife Carolina and daughter.
George Nelson (Jorgen Nelson), one of the earliest Rocky Mountain wrestling champions, died on Friday, August 7, 1970 in Cache County, Utah. Nelson was a wrestling coach at Utah State University for 38 years, retiring in 1958. He was born in Larvik, Norway and was involved in professional wrestling between the 1910s and '30s, basing his operations out of Preston, Idaho for a period of time. Nelson was 79.
A several-time World Heavyweight wrestling champion, Everette Marshall died on Saturday, February 10, 1973 at the age of 67.
On February 9, 1974 in Myton, Duchesne County, Utah, Phillip Olofsson passed away at the age of 67. Olofsson was internationally known as the Swedish Angel during his wrestling days and was managed by the crafty Jack Pfefer.
Daniel "Danny" Loos was a successful regional champion in Denver during the 1950s and always a regular for area wrestling programs. He passed away on Sunday, September 22, 1985 at Lutheran Medical Center.
Mormon Brother Jonathan (Jonathan Delaun Heaton), father of superstar Don Leo Jonathan, was a sound wrestler and performer during his long career. He passed away on September 21, 1987 in Salt Lake City.
A regional champion in several territories and claimant to the World Junior Heavyweight championship, Danny Savich (Danny W. Savich) died on October 15, 1991 in Tooele, Utah.
84 year old, former World Welterweight Champion, Hy Sharman (Hyrum Joseph Scharman) died on April 10, 1992 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In Deer Valley, Utah on December 31, 1992, Kenny Mayne (Kenneth H. Mayne) passed away at the age of 77. Mayne was a former wrestler and promoter. He was preceded in death by his son Ronald Mayne (Lonnie "Moondog" Mayne).
On February 28, 1997, wrestler Frank Marconi died in Salt Lake City at the age of 79. Marconi's real name was Frank J. Julian and he was born on April 5, 1917 in Salem, Ohio.
One time pro wrestler Nick Studen, who was born on December 24, 1911 in Pueblo, passed away on June 14, 2001 in Longmont, Colorado. According to his obituary in the Denver Post, he was inducted into the "Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame."
Roger McKay, former professional wrestler, died on February 19, 2005 in Salt Lake City. His real name was Roger H. Mackay and was 76 years old.
Rocky Mountain Territory Results:
Denver Wrestling Results - 1929
Denver Wrestling Results - 1946
Denver Wrestling Results - 1947
Denver Wrestling Results - 1950
Denver Wrestling Results - 1951
Denver Wrestling Results - 1952
Denver Wrestling Results - 1954
Denver Wrestling Results - 1955
Denver Wrestling Results - 1956
Denver Wrestling Results - 1957
Denver Wrestling Results - 1962
Colorado Springs Wrestling Results - 1948
Colorado Springs Wrestling Results - 1949
Colorado Springs Wrestling Results - 1950
Salt Lake CIty, Ogden and Various Utah/Idaho Results - Pre-1920s - Research by Mark Hewitt
