Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, September 6, 1943
(The Forum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Everett Kibbons (2/3)
… John Pesek b. Seelie Samara (DQ) (22:18) … Bill Ely and Buck Fanning drew (30:00)
… Al Klein b. Frank Nelson (13:58) … (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) … (referee:  Buddy
Siegel)
Notes:  Season opener.  The last time Virag and Kibbons wrestled, the latter went to the
hospital.  Virag’s NWA belt was on the line.  He was said to be an “Olympic champion.”
Kibbons also said he received a blood clot in a Wichita match “last spring.” He’d been
training on his farm and was 240 pounds.  Stauffer claimed it was his best season
opening crowd in 12 years.

*The Saturday, September 11, 1943 edition of the Wichita Eagle reported that the
Disabled Veterans of America (DAV) were going to stage wrestling shows in Wichita with
matchmaker J. Reynolds, a former wrestler.  Reynolds was planning to bring in Orville
Brown from Kansas City.  Plans never materialized before the end of the year.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, September 13, 1943
(The Forum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Seelie Samara (1-0) (1:
15:00) (only fall came in the overtime session) … Jack Nasworthy b. Bill Ely (19:28) …
Everett Kibbons b. Chuck Rothermill (20:05) … Al Klein and Charley Lutkie drew (30:00)
… (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) … (referee:  Buddy Siegel) … (sponsored by:  Wichita
Athletic Club) … (2,500 fans)
Notes:  Samara claimed the colored heavyweight wrestling title.  Samara’s name was
spelled “Seelye ‘Prince’ Samara.”

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, September 20, 1943
(The Forum) … Jack Nasworthy b. Everett Kibbons (2/3) … Wladek Zbyszko b. Bill Ely
(18:00) … Charley Lutkie b. Al Klein (32:16) … Buck Fanning b. Chuck Rothermill (17:58)
… (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) … (referee:  Buddy Siegel)
Notes:  Kibbons and Nasworthy were both coached in amateur wrestling by Gallagher in
Oklahoma.  Zbyszko was making his return after the January 1943 car accident near
Florence, Kansas.  Ely was from Seattle and Lutkie from Fort Riley, Kansas.  Klein was
said to be from Colorado.  Zbyszko reportedly challenged Ede Virag to a Graeco-Roman
wrestling match, and Virag claimed he wrestled the style in Europe, but that the wrestling
fans in Wichita didn’t want to see that kind of grappling.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, September 27, 1943
(The Forum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Wladek Zbyszko (2/3)
(mixed rules match) … Jack Nasworthy b. Seelie Samara (17:47) … Charley Lutkie b.
Frank Nelson (9:28) … Jack Toone b. Al Klein … (promoter:  N.B. Stauffer) … (referee:  
Buddy Siegel) … (2,000 fans)
Notes:  The main event was staged under American (catch-as-catch-can) and European
(Graeco-Roman) rules.  Zbyszko was said to not have ever been beaten in the latter
style.  One fall would be catch rules, the other fall would be Graeco, and the third would
be up to whoever scored their fall the fastest.  Lutkie reportedly never lost a match at the
175-pound weight class and was called the “smiling soldier.” Virag was the local villain on
the mat.  No show next week because of the horse show at the Forum.  Lutkie’s match
drew a lot of attention from the audience.

Wichita, Kansas:  Tuesday, October 12, 1943
(The Forum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Jack Nasworthy (2/3) …
Bob Herman b. Everett Kibbons (4:42) … Charley Lutkie b. Red Ryan (20:51) … Bill Ely
b. Strongboy Martin (14:40) … (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) … (referee:  Buddy Siegel)
Notes:  Nasworthy reportedly had a petition signed by more than 470 fans asking for him
to receive a shot at Ede Virag.  Virag wanted a match with Orville Brown.  In 1942,
Nasworthy beat Virag, handing the latter his only local loss.  During the third fall,
Nasworthy had Virag pinned, but there was no referee to score the win because Siegel
had been knocked out.  Lutkie was the “most popular lightheavy to show here in years,”
according to the Wichita Eagle.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, October 18, 1943
(The Forum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Bob Herman (2/3) (third
by countout) … Charley Lutkie b. Buck Fanning (24:42) … Everett Kibbons b. Bill Ely
(DQ) (21:00) … Cowboy Feeing and Red Ryan drew (30:00) … (matchmaker:  N.B.
Stauffer) … (referee:  Firpo McGilbra) … (3,500 fans) (largest of the year)
Notes:  Feeing was from Camp Phillips.  Roy Dunn was introduced from ringside.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, October 25, 1943
(The Forum) … Charley Lutkie b. Jack Toone to capture the “175 pound class belt” (2/3)
… Abe Friedman vs. Jack Nasworthy … Bill Ely vs. Everett Kibbons … Cowboy Feeing vs.
Red Ryan … (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer)
Notes:  Toone reportedly “won the Kansas light heavyweight title in a tournament here”
last season.  Toone was a Wichita aircraft worker.  Lutkie’s popularity continued, and was
the most popular since the days of Everette Marshall.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, November 1, 1943
(The Forum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Bob Herman (2/3) …
Kansas Light Heavyweight Champion Charley Lutkie and Bill Ely drew (45:00) … Everett
Kibbons b. Abe Friedman (DQ) (12:03) … Buck Fanning and Jimmy Martin drew (30:00)
… (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) … (referee:  Buddy Siegel)
Notes:  Lutkie was reportedly trained by Charley Fischer and was undefeated.  He was
outweighed by Ely by at least 40 pounds.  Friedman reportedly went wild during his
match, causing his disqualification, and prompting a number of audience members to
charge him.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, November 8, 1943
(The Forum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Abe Friedman (15:16)
(“commando style” rules) … Charley Lutkie b. Bill Ely (18:06) … Jack Nasworthy b. Red
Ryan (14:10) … Everett Kibbons b. Al Martin (15:33) … (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) …
(referees:  Firpo McGilbra, Buddy Siegel) … (large crowd)
Notes:  All rules were suspended in the main event, and was the first time such
stipulations were in place in Wichita.  It was said to be the largest crowd in two years.  
This marked Lutkie’s first heavyweight bout.  Jack Suzek announced that he was going to
make a comeback from the ring.  Between matches, Willie Williams and Sailor Duane
Hoag entertained the crowd.  Lutkie challenged Ede Virag.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, November 22, 1943
(The Forum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag failed to throw Charley
Lutkie (handicap match) (30:00) … Jack Nasworthy b. Chief Chewacki (DQ) (16:05) …
Bob Herman b. “Hippo” Jim Wray (12:45) … Joe Adelman and Red Ryan drew (30:00) …
(matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) … (referee:  Buddy Siegel) … (3,000 fans)
Notes:  Herman was an airplane engineer.  Lutkie trained soldiers at Fort Riley in
wrestling and judo.  The winner of the main event would get $1,000.  Lutkie was said to
have beaten all comers, “but has made them look like amateurs.” Virag had to be Lutkie
in 30-minutes or lose the bout.  Chief Chewacki was “said to be the inventor of most of
the foul tricks of the mat game.” Wray weighed 300 pounds. Chewacki challenged Virag.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, November 29, 1943
(The Forum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Charley Lutkie (1-0) (53:
56) (no other falls in the remainder of the 75 minutes) … Jack Nasworthy b. Bill Ely (16:
09) … “Black” Jack Lewis b. Red Ryan (13:04) … Buck Fanning b. Frank Nelson (12:46)
… (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) … (referees:  Benny Sherer, Buddy Siegel) … (large
crowd)

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, December 6, 1943
(The Forum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Bob Herman (2/3) …
Walter Sirois b. Everett Kibbons (13:06) … Jack Nasworthy b. “Black” Jack Lewis (17:04)
… Buck Fanning and Red Ryan drew (30:00) … (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) …
(referees:  Benny Sheer, Buddy Siegel) … (3,000 fans)
Notes:  Sheer was from Kansas City.  Herman was popular with the crowd.  Fans
protested the decision of the main event.  Sirois was said to be a sergeant at Camp Ellis.  
He challenged the winner of the main event.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, December 13, 1943
(The Forum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Walter Sirois (2-0) (26:
44, 8:02) … Abe Friedman b. Jack Nasworthy (24:55) … Chief Chewacki b. Chuck
Rothermill … Joe Adelman b. Red Ryan (18:08) … (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) …
(referee:  Buddy Siegel)
Notes:  Stauffer promised shorter bouts and earlier start time to allow plant workers to go
home earlier and get their rest.  Stauffer said that “war work comes first.”  Chewacki was
a United States Navy athletic instructor.  Rothermill stood 6’6” and was from Chicago.  
The show was over by 10:30.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, December 20, 1943
(The Forum) … Jack Nasworthy b. Abe Friedman (2/3) (third fall by DQ) … Charley
Lutkie b. Joe Adelman (23:11) … Chief Chewacki b. Everett Kibbons (13:14) … The
Green Terror b. Buck Fanning (21:54) … (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) … (referees:  Jack
Suzek, Buddy Siegel)
Notes:  Suzek was making his return after the auto accident earlier in the year, only to
work as a referee.  He was from Chicago.

Wichita, Kansas:  Monday, December 27, 1943
(The Forum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag b. Jack Nasworthy (2/3)
(Nasworthy was unable to return for the third fall) (Nasworthy won the first fall in 29:32 by
submission) … Chief Chewacki b. Everett Kibbons (19:16) … Abe Friedman b. Don Clark
(11:59) … Bill Ely b. The Green Terror (DQ) (11:18) … (matchmaker:  N.B. Stauffer) …
(referees:  Buddy Siegel, Jack Suzek) … (1,500 fans)
Notes:  Blizzard conditions kept fans away.  Clark was from Detroit.


Research by Tim Hornbaker
October 16, 2010
Wichita Wrestling Results - 1943