Trenton NJ: February 21, 1930 (Friday)
(Arena, att. 2,000) ... Ferenc Holuban beat Sailor Williams (205, of the U.S.S. Oklahoma) (8:
00) ... Gino Garibaldi beat Andy Zaharoff (23:00) ... Vanka Zelesniak drew Nazzarino Poggi
(nc) ... Chief War Eagle drew John Lewandowski (of Trenton NJ)( (30:00) ... Referee: Joe
Lustig ... Promoters: Andrew Palasky, Joe Lustig ... NOTE: The revival of Trenton wrestling
produced some  $1,800 in box office receipts ... "One outraged onlooker ran up to the ring,
reached through the ropes and punched the unpopular Vanka (Zelesniak) in the side as he
lay on the floor in loving embrace with Poggi ... When Vanka learned that Lustig had called it
off, he took several passes at the referee, then stood in the middle of the ring sneering at the
booing throng, facing the storm of abuse like Ajax defying the lightning." -- Trenton NJ
Evening Times, Feb. 22, 1930

Trenton NJ: March 7, 1930 (Friday)
(Arena, att. 1,500) ... (Handicap) Ferenc Holuban beat Chief War Eagle (6:00) & Andy
Zaharoff (5:00) ... George Calza (sub for Gino Garibaldi) drew Vanka Zelesniak (45:00) ...
Nazzareno Poggi beat Oscar Nygren (17:00) ... Johnny Lewandowski beat Mike Chaplin (of
Chicago IL) (11:00) ... NOTE: The Arena was located at 40 N. Stockton St. ... Fire would
eventually consume the venerable structure, but not before Frank Sinatra sang there with the
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra

Trenton NJ: March 28, 1930 (Friday)
(Arena, att. 1,300) ... Ferenc Holuban beat Cowboy Jack McCarthy (231, of Ireland) (6:00) ...
Mike Romano (sub for George Calza) drew Matros Kirilenko (45:00) ... Vanka Zelesniak beat
Jack Washburn (17:00) ... John Lewandowski (190, of Trenton NJ) beat Tony Rocco (26:00)
… Referee: Joe Lustig ... Promoters: Joe Lustig, Andrew Palasky … NOTE: For this third of
the "revival" series of wrestling bouts, Arena concessionaire George Smith reportedly took a
jolt to the pocket book ... After beefing up with 20 dozen hot dogs (based on sales at the
previous Monday's boxing matches), he was shocked to sell only two -- until he remembered
it was Friday night (amid a largely Roman Catholic populace).

Trenton NJ: April 9, 1930 (Wednesday)
(Arena, att. 500) ... (World Title) Dick Shikat* beat Vanka Zelesniak (16:00) ... Ivan Dimitroff
vs Ferenc Holuban (called off) ... Mike Romano beat Jack Washburn (18:00) ... Cowboy Ned
McCarthy beat Tony Rocco (17:00) ... John Lewandowski beat Martin Merkur (of Russia) (15:
00) ... John Grandovich (as John Granowitz of Jersey City NJ) beat Oscar Nygren (21:00) ...
Promoter: Andrew Palasky ... NOTE: Ringside tickets were $2.10 for the title show, said to be
the first "world's championship wrestling bout" staged in Trenton ... Only "a meagre crowd"
sees it ... Holuban is reportedly hospitalized with the ailment which kept him out of his joust in
New York City with Shikat ... "Holuban's absence here, no doubt, had a lot to do with the slim
attendance last night, the Magyar being a great favorite here." -- Trenton NJ Evening Times,
Apr. 10, 1930

Trenton NJ: May 2, 1930 (Friday)
(Arena, att. 250) ... Renato Gardini beat Bill Bath (of Montana) (18:00)  ... Stanislaus Zbyszko
beat Joe Stocca (sub for Jack Rogers) (24:00, dq)... Johnny Lewandowski drew Carlos
Henriquez (sub for Charlie Manoogian) (20:00) ... Abdul Ghafoor Khan beat Mario Bruce (24:
00) ... NOTE: "The mat industry in Trenton received something of a shock when the
redoubtable Magyar, Ferenc Holuban, sailed for Europe last week ...  the recital of (this card)
sounds like the roll call at the London naval conference." -- Trenton NJ Evening Times, Apr.
29, 1930 … Packed to capacity, the Arena would hold 3,000 … Rogers "refused to go on"
and there was doubt the show would be held, because of the small crowd, but it finally got
under way at 9 p.m., with Stocca filling in … Promoter Joe Lustig, in explaining why the
Gardini-Bath main go did not go on until after midnight, said Gardini had wrestled earlier in
Camden NJ, then his auto had a flat tire en route here … Henriquez billed as "a former
Columbia University gridman, having played three years in the line for the varsity. He also
was an intercollegiate wrestler and displayed a fine knowledge of the game." – Trenton NJ
Evening Times, May 3, 1930

Trenton NJ: May 16, 1930
(Arena) … Gus Sonnenberg was billed, at least according to announcement by promoter Joe
Lustig on the night of the previous show, May 2 … (After many fits and starts, Gus the Goat
would not wrestle in Trenton until February 10, 1933 when he clashed with the masked Red
Devil, aka Al Getz, or Geicewicz, who was accompanied by his rotund manager, Bill Lewis –
the future, longtime promoter of wrestling in Richmond and Norfolk VA.)

Trenton NJ: May 29, 1930 (Thursday)
(Arena) … Stanislaus Zbyszko vs Joe Stocca … Renato Gardini vs Nagy Sandor … Johnny
Lewandowski vs Mike Kondos … Abdul Ghafoor Khan vs Charlie Manoogian … NOTE: This
card may have been called off.

Trenton NJ: September 16, 1930
Promoter Joe Lustig waves about a letter from Boston promoter Paul Bowser, the manager of
Gus Sonnenberg – "generally regarded as the world's champion heavyweight wrestler" –
which says he (Bowser) is amenable to booking Sonnenberg here sometime in October.

Trenton NJ: September 19, 1930 (Friday)
(Arena, att. 500) … Carlos Henriquez beat Harry Stevens (32:00) … Arpad Szucs beat John
Grandovich (as John Grandowitch) … Johnny Lewandowski beat Jimmy Demos (20:00) …
Harry Mamos beat Tony Rocco (18:00) … Referee: John Osoling … Promoters: Joe Lustig,
Andy Palasky … NOTE: This was the first card of the fall season … "Jimmy Demos" appears
to be the ring name of Ira Young, Harvard University wrestling coach … Henriquez now is
billed as having been both a Seton Hall and Columbia University student

Trenton NJ: September 26, 1930
(Arena, att. 500)... Carlos Henriquez beat Jean Brusete (20:00) ... Arpad Szucs beat Alfred
Mercurio (3:00)... Johnny Lewandowski drew Jimmy Demos (30:00) ... Harry Mamos beat
John Osoling (of Trenton NJ) (20:00) … NOTE: "A best guess as to the identity of the 'French
Bouncing Man, Jean Brusete' is Jean (or Gene) Bruce, the veteran New Yorker who was
usually billed elsewhere as being from Sweden or Finland … Trenton is the only place so far
noted where the name "Jean Brusete" was employed. The only possible reason I can
advance for such subterfuge was the promoters' desire to pass off a Scandinavian Lutheran
as a French Catholic for the benefit of the Catholic-dominated Trenton populace. When new
promotions came to town, 'Gene Bruce' began appearing."– Researcher J Michael Kenyon

Trenton NJ: October 3, 1930
(Arena, att. 500) ... Harry Mamos beat Harry Stevens (20:00) ... Carlos Henriquez drew Harry
Morse (of Jersey City NJ) (30:00) ... Arpad Szucs beat Jack Miller (5:00) ... Johnny
Lewandowski beat Tiger West (of New York City NY) ... Referee: Ricco ... NOTE: Morse was
billed as a police sergeant ... Jack Lewis, a local amateur, went over "Young Fatti" of
Princeton NJ, another amateur, in six minutes … "Ricco" likely was either Tony Ricco, or his
brother, Joe (Bull) Ricco.

Trenton NJ: October 10, 1930
(Arena, att. 900)... Carlos Henriquez beat Ivan Yawkoff (26:00) ... Renato  Gardini (sub for
Joe Varga) beat Tom Firpo (sub for Harry Mamos) (22:00) ... Harry Mamos (sub for Harry
Morse) drew Johnny Lewandowski (15:00) ... Arpad Szucs drew Clevio Massimo (sub for Jack
Russell) ... Referee: Joe Lustig ... NOTE: Yawkoff is described as "short but stocky" ...
Renato Gardini introduces the "Italian Man Mountain," Rosario Impellitieri, to the crowd ... A
teaser thrown out by the promotion says Mamos will get a crack at Gus Sonnenberg – if he
beats Gardini; the latter then "refused" to wrestle Mamos.

Trenton NJ: October 17, 1930
(Arena) ... Renato Gardini beat Arpad Szucs (cor) … Referee: Leo Pardello … Rosario
Impellitieri beat Harold Christensen (sub for Demetrios Tofalos) (4:00) … John Grandovich
beat Jean Brusete (30:00, dec) … Johnny Lewandowski drew Ferenc Lazar … Matchmaker:
Joe Lustig … Promoter: Andy Palasky … NOTE: Lustig is said to be doubling as "manager"
for Arpad Szucs … Tofalos reportedly had been "injured" in a match earlier in the week.

Trenton NJ: October 23, 1930 (Thursday)
(Arena, att. 1,500) ... Wladek Zbyszko beat Jim Maloney (6:00, dq)... Ferenc Holuban beat
Harold Christensen (sub for John Grandovich)... Carlos Henriquez beat Mike Chaplin (as
Farmer Bailey) ... Renato Gardini beat Arpad Szucs (utc) ... Referee: Jean Brusete ... NOTE:
Szucs reportedly suffered a broken ankle and quit

Trenton NJ: October 31, 1930
(Arena, att. 1,000) ... Ferenc Holuban (235, of Hungary) beat Jim Maloney (5:00) ... Referee:
Joe Lustig ... Harry Mamos beat Clevio Massimo (29:00) ... Johnny Lewandowski drew Jean
Brusete (30:00) ... Carlos Henriquez beat Jack Ross ... Renato Gardini vs George Fristensky
... NOTE: "After several futile efforts to get a headlock on Holuban's bull-like neck, Maloney
applied a full Nelson which the Hungarian could not break. However, he had another remedy
for this. He simply permitted Maloney to throw him to the mat, but through his own agility
managed to come up on top of the heap with the result that Maloney found it impossible to
displace the bulk reposing on his chest. Holuban did not have any kind of a hold on his foe,
Maloney still retaining his full Nelson, but referee Joe Lustig could do nothing more than call
Holuban the victor by reason of the position of the wrestlers. Maloney tried hard to squirm
from under Holuban, but failed." -- Trenton NJ Evening Times, Nov. 1, 1930 ... Gardini was in
the building, but Fristensky wasn't, so that bout was scrubbed and replaced by a 12-minute
scrap between local youngsters.

Trenton NJ: November 7, 1930 (Friday)
(Arena) ... Ferenc Holuban beat Renato Gardini (7:00, dq) ... Stanislaus Zbyszko (sub for Joe
Varga) beat Ivan Dimitroff (7:00) ... Johnny Lewandowski vs Harry Hoffman (called off) ...
Harry Mamos beat Jack Costello (sub for Arpad Szucs) (6:00) ... Carlos Henriquez beat Harry
Morse (sub for Steve Clark) (23:00) ... Julius Remli (140, of Trenton NJ) beat Mike Bajak
(145, of Trenton NJ) (5:00) ... NOTE: Tickets are $1.65, $1.10 and 55 cents ... The main go
ended when Gardini twice raised his knee into Holuban's mid-section ...  "Referee (Ferenc)
Lazar, noting that Holuban was apparently in no shape to continue, stepped over to the
grimacing grappler and raised his hand in token of victory. Gardini went into a frenzy of rage
at this decision, and wild scenes were enacted before order could be restored in the
auditorium. A deafening chorus of boos and a shower of light missiles whizzed by the ears of
Gardini, but things finally quieted down." -- Trenton NJ Evening Times ... Zbyszko listed as 56
years of age and packing 235 pounds of flesh but "he is still a match for most of the grunt
and groan artists of today." ... Varga, Lewandowski, Hoffman, Szucs and Clark were all no-
shows.

Trenton NJ: November 25, 1930 (Tuesday)
(Arena, att. 1,000) … Stanislaus Zbyszko (sub for Gus Sonnenberg) beat Harry Mamos (2-1)
… Reginald Siki beat Jean Brusete … Carlos Henriquez beat Mike Jennings … Johnny
Lewandowski (of Trenton NJ) beat Steve Hart … Abe Kaplan drew Arpad Szucs … NOTE:
The Sonnenberg match had been billed in advance as a "world championship" affair …
Sonnenberg was said to have thrown Sailor Arnold in straight falls at Pittsfield MA the night
before – and then came down with a cold severe enough to be hospitalized at Albany NY en
route here.

Trenton NJ: December 11, 1930 (Thursday)
(Arena, att. 900) ... Sandor Szabo beat Jack Taylor ... Ferenc Holuban beat Tom Draak (sub
for George Hill) (5:00)... George Hagen beat Vanka Zelesniak (30:00, dec) ... Geore Manich
beat John (Firpo) Wilcox (12:00) ... Gino Garibaldi drew Ivan Vacturoff (30:00) ... Referee:
Tony Kall … NOTE: Andrew Palasky ("local delicatessen man") promoted this show on his
own, having parted company with Joe Lustig of New York City NY … Szabo-Taylor "was a
short bout, with Taylor showing little." – Trenton NJ Evening Times, Dec. 12, 1930

Trenton NJ: December 19, 1930 (Friday)
(Arena, att. 400) … Sandor Szabo beat George Hagen (20:00) … Ferenc Holuban beat
Andrew Zaharoff (10:00) … George Calza beat Matros Kirilenko (30:00, dec) … Ivan
Vacturoff beat Tom Draak (dq) … Stanislaus Zbyszko drew Reginald Siki (30:00) … Referee:
Tony Kall



Research by J Michael Kenyon
Trenton Wrestling Results - 1930
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