Indianapolis, Indiana:  Thursday, January 10, 1957

(The Armory) … The Russians (Boris and Nicoli Volkoff) b. The Lisowski Brothers (Reggie and Stanley Lisowski) to capture the World Tag Team Title (2/3) (Boris pinned Reggie for the first fall, Reggie pinned Boris for the second, and the Russians won the third fall when Stanley was counted out) … (matchmaker:  Dick Patton)

Notes:  The Indianapolis Star said “Tag Crown to Russians” over its article about the evening prior’s wrestling matches in its January 11, 1957 newspaper.

*The Lisowskis regained the World Tag Team Title from the Volkoffs, according to one source, on June 29, 1957 in Chicago.  However, the two teams wrestled to a double-disqualification on that night at the Marigold, according to the Chicago Daily Tribune.

Indianapolis, Indiana:  Thursday, October 17, 1957

(The Armory) … Guy Brunetti and Joe Tangaro b. The Lisowski Brothers (Reggie and Stanley Lisowski) to capture the World Tag Team Title (Brunetti pinned Stan in 13:00 for the first fall, Stanley beat Brunetti for the second in 10:00, Tangaro beat Reggie in 5:00) … (matchmaker:  Dick Patton)

Notes:  The headline of the article in the Indianapolis Star on October 18, 1957 was “Salt Lake City Tag Team Takes Wrestling Crown.”


*It should be noted that there were many inconsistences in the World Tag Team Title division, in the Midwest, during the mid-to-late 1950s.  Meaning that there wasn't a straight World Title lineage that crossed over territorial boundaries.  For example, the Lisowskis could drop their title claim in Indianapolis, yet appear as the defending champions a few days later in Milwaukee or Denver.  Verne Gagne won the championship at least two times, with two different partners, in 1957 (Denver and Milwaukee), but we don't have any results that he lost either claim back to the Volkoffs or the Lisowskis.  The latter teams just appeared again, elsewhere, as champs.  I suspect, as more research is uncovered, more title switches will be found that will just further add to this mystery.

*Research by Tim Hornbaker