Tulsa Wrestling Results

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, January 2, 1939
(The Coliseum) … Red Lyons b. Tony Morelli (2/3) … Ernie Piluso b. Toots Estes (2/3) …
Dude Chick b. Emir Badui … Joe Smolinski b. Ali Pasha … (promoter: Sam Avey) …
(referee: Red Andrews)
Note: Alvin Britt of Luray, Kansas attended the show and challenged Lyons and Piluso.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, January 9, 1939
(The Coliseum) … Ernie Piluso b. Red Lyons (2/3) … Alvin Britt b. Les Wolfe (23:00) …
Johnny Swenski b. Speedy LaRance (12:30) … Larry Tillman b. Prince Omar (25:00) …
(promoter: Sam Avey)
Note: The newspaper noted that Swenski made a “very auspicious debut” here.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, January 16, 1939
(The Coliseum) … Leroy McGuirk b. Ernie Piluso (2/3) … Johnny Swenski b. “Sailor” Dick
Trout (13:30) … Speedy Larance b. Emir Badui … Pat Newman b. Bob Montgomery (DQ)
… (promoter: Sam Avey) … (referee: Red Andrews)
Notes: The Tulsa Daily World (1/16/1939) stated that McGuirk was a “modern day Farmer
Burns.” Piluso had a seven match winning streak locally. The newspaper indicated that
McGuirk “had more than 700 bouts – as an amateur and a professional – and no rival has
ever whipped him twice straight.” But Piluso was said to have tested him in this match.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, January 23, 1939
(The Coliseum) … Red Berry b. Leroy McGuirk (2/3) … Johnny Swenski b. Tony Morelli …
Pat Newman b. Fritz Krueger … Frank Stojack b. Pat Newman (Newman was a substitute
for Buddy Knox was “was delayed on his way here by a serious automobile accident”) …
(promoter: Sam Avey) … (referee: Red Andrews)
Notes: The Berry-McGuirk and Swenski-Morelli matches were full of slugging, the
newspaper stated, and the latter bout was bloody.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, January 30, 1939
(The Coliseum) … Leroy McGuirk b. Red Berry (2-0) … Johnny Swenski b. Billy Raburn (19:
00) (double leg chancery) … “Sailor” Dick Trout b. Sterling “Dizzy” Davis … Alvin Britt b.
Joe Smolinski … (promoter: Sam Avey) … (referee: Red Andrews)
Note: The Tulsa Daily World (1/31/1939) noted that Swenski was “the newest and nearest
thing to a ring sensation here at present.” Raburn reportedly arrived by train from
Hollywood only an hour before his match began.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, February 6, 1939
(The Coliseum) … Johnny Swenski b. Alvin Britt (2/3) … Billy Raburn b. Ernie Piluso …
Frank Stojack b. Joe Smolinski … Buddy Knox b. Sterling “Dizzy” Davis (reverse stepover
toehold) … (promoter: Sam Avey)
Notes: The newspaper indicated the Swenski had “resemblances to Joe Malcewicz.”
Swenski explained that he was trained by Malcewicz. “Joe showed me how to put on my
first pair of tights – and what to do after I had them on,” he said, quoted in the Tulsa Daily
World (2/6/1939). “So I imagine I try to do a lot of things like he did. And could I have a
better model?” Britt was quoted as saying, in that same article, that he lost the NWA Junior
Title because “I was almost blind because of an eye injury.” He stated that his eyes were
okay now.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, February 13, 1939
(The Coliseum) … Johnny Swenski b. Leroy McGuirk (2/3) (McGuirk claimed he received a
“short count” in the third fall) … Toots Estes b. Billy Raburn (37:00) … Sterling Davis b.
Prince Omar … Carlos Rodriguez b. Jose Rodriguez … (promoter: Sam Avey) … (referee:
Sid Young)
Notes: The regular referee, Red Andrews, was hospitalized for an appendicitis. The Tulsa
Daily World stated that the Rodriguez rivals “each protested the other” as a “phony for
using the Rodriguez moniker.”

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, February 20, 1939
(The Coliseum) … Red Lyons b. Johnny Swenski (2/3) … Toots Estes b. Nick Bozinis (23:
00) … Tony Morelli b. Emir Badui … Cecil McGill b. Carlos Rodriguez … (promoter: Sam
Avey) … (referee: Red Andrews, Toots Estes)
Note: Andrews became sick during the show and was replaced by Estes.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, February 27, 1939
(The Coliseum) … NWA World Junior Heavyweight champion Sgt. Bob Kenaston b. Red
Lyons (2-0) … Johnny Swenski b. Toots Estes (39:00) … Frank Wolff b. “Sailor” Dick Trout
(28:00) … Billy Raburn b. Sammy Kohen (DQ) … (promoter: Sam Avey) … (referees: Red
Andrews, Tony Morelli)
Note : The Tulsa Daily World (2/271939) reported that National Wrestling Association
President Col. Harry J. Landry was going to be ringside for the show.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, March 6, 1939
(The Coliseum) … Frank Stojack b. Speedy Larance in the finals of a wrestle royal
(wrestlers could be pinned or forced to submit to be eliminated) … Johnny Swenski b. Sgt.
Bob Kenaston (22:30) (non-title match) … Red Lyons b. Billy Raburn (24:00) … Sammy
Kohen b. Larry Tillman (17:00) … (promoter: Sam Avey) … (referees: Red Andrews,
Harry Caddell) … (benefit for the Tulsa Babies’ Free Milk Fund) … (5,500 fans)
Notes: This was the fourth annual Free Milk Fund benefit staged by Avey. About
$1,470.50 was donated. The newspaper noted that Avey had received checks from Hugh
Nichols, Red Berry, and Paul Orth, contributing to the fund. McGuirk also donated.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, March 13, 1939
(Convention Hall) … Leroy McGuirk b. Frank Stojack (2-0) … Ernie Piluso b. Tony Morelli
(18:00) … Johnny Swenski b. “Whiskers” Adams (11:00) (airplane spin) … Toots Estes b.
Sammy Kohen (22:00) … (promoter: Sam Avey)
Notes: The show was moved to the Convention Hall from the Coliseum due to the Ice
Follies at the latter venue. “Whiskers” Adams was from Benton Harbor, Michigan. McGuirk
used some questionable tactics late in his match and was booed by the crowd.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, March 20, 1939
(The Coliseum) … Johnny Swenski b. Ernie Piluso (2/3) … Frank Stojack b. Toots Estes …
Tony Morelli b. Jim Spencer … Hugh “Whiskers” Adams b. Sammy Kohen … Bucky O’Neill
b. Prince Omar … (promoter: Sam Avey)
Note: Swenski wanted a title match against Bob Kenaston.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, March 27, 1939
(The Coliseum) … Johnny Swenski b. NWA World Junior Heavyweight champion Sgt. Bob
Kenaston (2/3) (third fall by DQ) … Paul Orth b. Frank Stojack (18:30) … Billy Raburn b.
Hugh Adams (26:00) … Cecil McGill b. Carlos Rodriguez … (promoter: Sam Avey) …
(referee: Red Andrews)
Notes: Referee Red Andrews initially awarded the championship belt to Swenski. That
decision was supported by T.P. “Putty” Gilmer, the chairman of the Tulsa City Athletic
Commission and member of the NWA championship committee. Col. Harry J. Landry, the
NWA President, was unable to attend due to sickness, and Gilmer was representing him.
Kenaston protested the decision adamantly. The Tulsa Daily World (3/28/1939) reported
that Landry called Avey to inform him that Kenaston could not lose his championship by
DQ and that he was still the rightful titleholder. Orth was returning to the city after a long
run on the Pacific Coast. Physical possession of the belt remained with the Tulsa
commission until a rematch was held.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, April 3, 1939
(The Coliseum) … Johnny Swenski b. Sgt. Bob Kenaston to capture the NWA World Junior
Heavyweight Title (2/3) (Swenski won the third fall with his giant swing) … Paul Orth b. Billy
Raburn (16:30) … Andy Tremaine b. Jose Rodriguez … Buddy Knox b. Bucky O’Neill …
Frank Stojack b. Cecil McGill … (promoter: Sam Avey) … (referees: Red Andrews, Tony
Morelli) … (5,000 fans)
Notes: NWA President Col. Harry J. Landry arrived in Tulsa on Sunday, April 2, and
planned to supervise the title match. Kenaston was barred from using his “head swivel”
hold by Landry.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, April 10, 1939
(The Coliseum) … Leroy McGuirk b. Sgt. Bob Kenaston (2/3) … Paul Orth b. Ernie Piluso
(15:00) … Alvin Britt b. Tony Morelli (18:00) … Frank Wolff b. Frank Stojack … Andy
Tremaine b. Bucky O’Neill … (promoter: Sam Avey)
Notes: The Tulsa Daily World (4/10/1939) reported that McGuirk was covered in boils the
last time he wrestled Bob Kenaston for the championship and McGuirk said that he
belonged in a hospital, not on the wrestling mat that evening.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Monday, December 25, 1939
(The Coliseum) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Leroy McGuirk b. Bert Rubi (26:
00) … Johnny Swenski b. Marshall Carter (match was stopped by referee due to a cut
Carter suffered) … Red Berry and Mike Nazarian b. Toots Estes and Dick Trout (16:30) …
Matty Matsuda and Buck Weaver drew (20:00) … Speedy LaRance b. Chin Lee (7:00) …
Otis Clingman b. Al Ferona (8:00) (piledriver) … Jimmy Lott b. Don Hill (13:00) (flying
tackle) … (promoter: Sam Avey) … (referees: Red Andrews, Jimmy Lott)
Notes: Special Christmas show. Marshall Carter was a “polished Missouri veteran.” He
competed “at the University of Missouri the same time [Leroy] McGuirk was starring on the
Oklahoma A&M mat team.” The newspaper stated that “during his collegiate days, Carter
was regarded as just as good a baseball pitcher as he was a wrestler, but the ring was his
first love and a title is his greatest ambition.” Don Hill was billed as being from Wichita and
Clingman from Butte, Montana.

Research by Tim Hornbaker

Tulsa Wrestling Results - 1939