Wichita, Kansas:  Thursday, February 22, 1945
(The Forum) … Larry Tillman b. Red Ryan (25:45) … The Green Hornet b. Vic Holbrook
(2/3) (Holbrook was a substitute for Bill Kuusisto) … Lee Wykoff b. Bill Dusin (16:35) …
Jim Lankas b. Jack Diamond (9:45) … (matchmaker:  Bill Atkinson) … (referee:  Jack
League)

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, March 3, 1945
(The Forum) … Orville Brown and Vic Holbrook drew (90:00) (1-1) … The Green Hornet
b. Jim Lankas (13:00) … Jack Hader b. Kola Kwariani (12:00) … Sonny Myers and Jim
Parker drew … (matchmaker:  Bill Atkinson) … (referee:  Jack League) … (sponsored
by:  American Legion)

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, March 5, 1945
(The Forum) … Roy Dunn b. Jimmy Coffield (2/3) (Texas rules) … Jimmy Diamond b.
Buck Fanning (22:00) … Tex Lintal b. Al Martin (12:34) … Peter Andrews b. Al Klein (14:
07 … (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) … (referee:  Ray Piper) … (sponsored by:  Wichita
Athletic Club)
Notes:  No show last week because of a skating show at the Forum.  Andrews was an
African American from Boeing and was making his wrestling debut.

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, March 10, 1945
(The Forum) … Orville Brown b. Vic Holbrook (2/3) … The Green Hornet b. Jack Hader
(29:00) … Dr. Len Hall b. Jim Parker (45 seconds) … Jim Lankas b. Kola Kwariani (14:11)
… (matchmaker:  Bill Atkinson) … (referee:  Jack League)
Notes:  Lankas was from Wichita and said to be a former professional football player.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, March 12, 1945
(The Forum) … Paul Nelson b. Tex Lintal (2-0) … Jim Diamond and Johnny Plummer
drew (30:00) … Roy Dunn b. Abe Friedman (16:00) … Dr. Kappa b. Al Martin (19:00) …
(matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) … (referee:  Ray Piper)
Notes:  The newspaper stated that Dunn lost his World Title to Ed Virag “three years
ago,” and that Virag was in the Army.  Paul Nelson was also “Fred Devine.” Kappa used
jiu-jitsu holds in his match.

Wichita, Kansas:  Friday, March 16, 1945
(The Forum) … Orville Brown and The Green Hornet wrestled to a no contest (1-1)
(match stopped due to blood) (Hornet unmasked to reveal Joe Cox) … Jim Lankas b. Ray
Eckert (DQ) (18:25) (Lankas a substitute for Vic Holbrook, who was injured) … Jack
Hader b. Chuck Rothmiller (21:15) … Bill Dusen b. Harold “Sonny” Myers (21:35) …
(matchmaker:  Bill Atkinson) … (referee:  Orville Cox) … (large crowd)
Note:  Rothmiller was called the “nation’s tallest rassler.”

*No shows next week on Saturday or Monday due to the police circus at the Wichita
Forum.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, March 26, 1945
(The Forum) … Roy Dunn b. Paul Nelson to capture the NWA Duration World
Heavyweight Title trophy (1-0) (41:20) (countout) … John Pesek b. Jim Diamond (19:00)
… Johnny Plummer and Jack Suzek drew (30:00) … Buck Fanning b. Al Martin (20:03) …
(matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) … (referee:  Ray Piper) … (large crowd)
Notes:  Nelson was a fireman and “recently won the NWA duration title.” The newspaper
called Paul Nelson, “Fred Nelson.” The main event was said to be clean.  The Pesek-
Diamond bout was “another old-style match.” Richard Hoenscheidt, according to the
Wichita Eagle, was detained by police for throwing an egg into the ring.  The NWA
Duration trophy was made of silver.

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, March 31, 1945
(The Forum) … Orville Brown b. The Green Hornet (Joe Cox) (2/3) … Ray Eckert and
Chief Little Wolf drew (45:00) … Jim Lankas b. Dr. Len Hall (11:00) … Jim Parker b. Joe
Szabo (15:00) … (matchmaker:  Bill Atkinson) … (referee:  Jack League) … (3,500 fans)
Notes:  Largest wrestling crowd of season.  Lankas was a substitute for Jack Kennedy.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, April 2, 1945
(The Forum) … NWA "Duration" World Heavyweight Champion Roy Dunn b. Paul Nelson
(2/3) … Irish Kelly and Johnny Plummer drew (30:00) … Buck Fanning b. Al Klein … Jack
Suzek b. Jim Diamond … (referee:  Ray Piper) … (sponsored by:  Wichita Athletic Club)
Note:  The April 9 show was not held to prepare for an appearance from boxer Arturo
Godoy, who was going to fight an exhibition against Charley Jerome in Wichita.

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, April 7, 1945
(The Forum) … Orville Brown b. Ray Eckert (2/3) (Eckert punched referee Jack League,
who got up and punched him back) … Vic Holbrook b. Earl Wampler (16:28) … Chief
Little Wolf b. Jim Parker (7:59) … Jack Kennedy b. Al Szasz (20:10)
Note:  Holbrook was said to be a war veteran.

*An article in the April 10, 1945 edition of the Wichita Eagle stated that Ed Virag was the
NWA champion “here” until he entered the Army in 1943.  He was reportedly back in town
with an honorable discharge.  He wanted to devote time to his 400 acre farm near
Ottawa, Kansas.

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, April 14, 1945
(The Forum) … Ray Eckert b. Vic Holbrook (2/3) (third fall by countout) … Chief Little
Wolf b. Jack Hader (15:31) … Earl Wampler b. Al Galento (13:01) … Joe Szabo and Al
Szasz drew … (referee:  Jack League) … (sponored by:  American Legion) ... (2,000 fans)

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, April 16, 1945
(The Forum) ... Arturo Godoy vs. Charley Jerome (10 round boxing match) ... NWA
Duration World Heavyweight Champion Roy Dunn vs. Hank Buessing ... Paul Nelson vs.
Johnny Plummer ... Buck Fanning vs. Jack Kelly ... (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer)
Note:  Boxing-wrestling show.

*The April 16 show was cancelled because of flooding, preventing several of the
wrestlers from arriving, and because of the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, April 21, 1945
(The Forum) … Ray Eckert vs. Vic Holbrook … Chief Little Wolf vs. Dr. Len Hall … Jack
Hader vs. Al Szasz … Bob Hayford vs. Joe Szabo … (referee:  Orville Cox) … (sponsored
by:  American Legion)

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, April 23, 1945
(The Forum) … Roy Dunn and John Pesek drew at the 11:45 “midnight curfew” (1:19:00)
(no falls) (officer Elmer Million stopped the bout) … Paul Nelson b. Pedro Gomez (30:00)
… Harold Ely and Jack Suzek drew … Jim Diamond and Buck Fanning drew … (referee:  
Ray Piper) … (1,800 fans) … (sponsored by:  Wichita Athletic Club)
Notes:  The newspaper called the Dunn-Pesek match the best technical bout since
Fischer-Pesek.  Pesek was said to be in his mid-40s.  He reportedly never lost a match in
Wichita.  Gomez was a deaf-mute.

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, April 28, 1945
(The Forum) … Orville Brown b. Ray Eckert (2/3) (Brown was billed as the defending
champion) … Lord Albert Mills b. Vic Holbrook (34:06) … Jack Hader b. Jim Lankas (8:55)
… Pat O’Dowdy b. Al Szasz (13:46) … (referee:  Orville Cox) … (sponsored by:  
American Legion) ... (2,500 fans)

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, April 30, 1945
(The Forum) … Roy Dunn b. Bull Bolivar (2-0) (first fall by DQ) … Jim Diamond and Paul
Nelson drew (30:00) … Jack Suzek b. Buck Fanning … Paul Andrews b. Al Klein …
(referee:   Ray Piper) … (sponsored by:  Wichita Athletic Club)

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, May 5, 1945
(The Forum) … Lord Albert Mills b. Ray Eckert (2/3) (third fall by DQ when Eckert used a
chair) … Chief Little Wolf b. Al Galento … Vic Holbrook b. Jack Hader … Bill Dusen and
Pat O’Dowdy drew … (sponsored by:  American Legion)
Notes:  Joe “Dynamite” Cox was scheduled to be on the show, but was ill with pnemonia.

*It was reported that Roy Dunn and Ed Virag would wrestle on Thursday.  Dunn was
recovering from a bad knee, which caused his discharge.  Virag won the championship
from Dunn in 1942, yet refused to give up his claim despite his service.  He defended the
belt several times at Camp Crowder.

Wichita, Kansas:  Tuesday, May 8, 1945
(The Forum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ed Virag b. Chief Chewacki (2/3) …
Paul Nelson and Jack Suzek drew … Johnny Plummer b. Fred Carone (16:40) … Buck
Fanning b. Cohen (21:31) … (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) ... (referee:  Ray Piper) …
(sponsored by:  Wichita Athletic Club)
Notes:  This marked Virag's return.  He'd recently received his Army discharge.  Chief
Chewacki was a United States Navy specialist from Bainbridge, Massachusetts.  The next
show was scheduled for May 17.  The Virag-Chewacki match was billed as "Army-Navy
bout."

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, May 12, 1945
(The Forum) … Lord Albert Mills b. Ray Eckert (2/3) … Billy Bartush b. Chief Little Wolf
(21:43) … Vic Holbrook b. Chuck Rothermehl … Pat O’Dowdy and Joe Szabo drew …
(matchmaker:  Bill Atkinson) ... (referee:  Orville Cox) … (sponsored by:  American
Legion)

Wichita, Kansas:  Thursday, May 17, 1945
(The Forum) ... NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Roy Dunn to unify the
latter's "Duration" championship with the main NWA lineage (1-0) (75:00) (only fall at 46:
22 mark) ... Johnny Plummer b. Paul Nelson (19:31) ... Jack Suzek b. Jim Dimond (18:56)
... Buck Fanning b. Kline (12:21) ... (promoter:  N.B. Stauffer) ... (referee:  Ray Piper) ...
(largest Wichita Athletic Club crowd of 1945)
Notes:  Dunn was said to have been running three large wheat farms in Northwest
Oklahoma.  Virag had a farm near Olathe.  "Dunn is recovering from a bad knee which
caused discharge from any war service," according to the Wichita Eagle (5/13/45).

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, May 19, 1945
(The Forum) ... Lord Albert Mills b. Billy Bartush (2/3) ... Ray Eckert and Vic Holbrook
drew (45:00) ... Jack Hader b. Bill Middlekauf ... Bill Dusen b. Joe Szabo ... (matchmaker:  
Bill Atkinson) ... (referee:  Orville Cox)

Wichita, Kansas:  Thursday, May 24, 1945
(The Forum) ... NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Roy Dunn (2/3) ... Jim
Diamond and Buck Fanning drew (30:00) ... Abe Friedman b. Dr. Kappa (13:20) ...
Johnny Plummer b. Jack Suzek (12:40) ... (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) ... (referee:  Ray
Piper) ... (2,500 fans)
Notes:  Virag wrestled as a heel in the main event.  As he left the ring, several fans took a
swing at Virag.  Fanning was from Wichita and Diamond from Little Rock.  Diamond was
sometimes spelled "Dimond" by the local paper.

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, May 26, 1945
(The Forum) ... World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown b. Lord Albert Mills (2-0) ...
Ray Eckert b. Jack Hader (26:21) ... Jim Parker b. Bill Dusen (13:20) ... Joe Szabo b. Pat
O'Dowdy (17:31) ... (matchmaker:  Bill Atkinson) ... (referee:  Orville Cox)

Wichita, Kansas:  Tuesday, May 29, 1945
(The Forum) ... NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Johnny Plummer (1-0)
(17:24) (Plummer reportedly suffered a dislocated vertebra and was unable to continue)
... Paul Nelson b. Abe Friedman (16:11) ... Buck Fanning b. George McCall (13:49) ...
Bert Gilmore and Al Klien drew ... (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer)
Note:  Warm weather was blamed for the small crowd.

Wichita, Kansas:  Friday, June 1, 1945
(The Forum) ... Lord Albert Mills b. Ray Eckert (2/3) ... Lee Wykoff b. Jim Parker (24:02)
... Jack Hader b. Bob Hayford ... Gene Blakely b. Pat O'Dowdy ... (matchmaker:  Bill
Atkinson)
Note:  Mills earned a bout with Orville Brown on June 9.

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, June 9, 1945
(The Forum) ... World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown b. Lord Albert Mills (2/3) ...
Ray Eckert b. Vic Holbrook (bloody match) ... Don McIntyre b. Emir Badui (10:27) ... Jack
Hader b. Gene Blakely (10:36) ... (matchmaker:  Bill Atkinson) ... (referee:  Jack League)
... (3,000 fans)

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, June 16, 1945
(The Forum) ... Ray Eckert b. Vic Holbrook (2/3) ... Don McIntyre and Lord Albert Mills
were both counted out ... Wladislaw Talun b. Jack Hader (1:09) (bearhug) ... Gene
Blakely b. Joe Szabo (21:23) ... (matchmaker:  Bill Atkinson) ... (referee:  Jim Parker)
Notes:  Sid Marks was in the Army, and was originally slated to be the referee for this
show.  Talun stood 6'8" and weighed 320.  His shoe size was 16 and had a reach of 84".

Wichita, Kansas:  Saturday, June 23, 1945
(The Forum) ... World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown b. Ray Eckert (2/3) ... Don
McIntyre b. Jerry Meeker (DQ) (29:49) ... Wladislaw Talun b. Emir Badui (5:52) ... Ken
Fenelon b. Gene Blakely (15:18) ... (matchmaker:  Bill Atkinson) ... (referee:  Joe Szabo)
Note:  Vic Holbrook was said to have suffered a knee injury, which required surgery.


Research by Tim Hornbaker
October 4, 2010
Wichita Wrestling Results - 1945