Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, January 19, 1944
(The Coliseum) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon b. Al Szasz (1-0) (Szasz
was unable to continue) … Tony Barsanti, Al Gold and Jack League b. Martin “The Blimp” Levy
(4:00) … John Grandovich and Ras Samara drew (45:00) (1-1) … (promoter:  Pinkie George)
Notes:  The Des Moines Register stated:  “Ken Fenelon of Dubuque won what the Midwest
Wrestling Association refers to as the world’s light heavyweight title.  It is for wrestlers more than
175 pounds but under 190.” Another report said Fenelon held the “world junior heavyweight
wrestling title” and “hasn’t lost a match in his division in two years.” The Blimp’s three opponents
were outweighed by more than pounds.  League was a substitute for Cherry Vallina.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, January 26, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Ras Samara b. John Grandovich (2/3) … Billy Smith b. Jack Hader (2/3) …
Johnny Seals b. Pete Frocia (13:00) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  Jack League)
Notes:  George initially wanted Ray Steele to defend his NWA Title against Ras Samara on this
show.  Joe Dusek was booked to take on Andy Moen, but missed a train connection, and
League was initially scheduled to take on Stanley Mayslajck of Minneapolis in the opener.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, February 2, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Boxing and Wrestling Show … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken
Fenelon b. Al Szasz (2-0) … Del Cockayne b. Billy Heath (boxing) … Karl Gordinier b. Al
Washington (boxing) … Rocky Gabriel b. Bob Lindeman (boxing) … Bob Rossi b. Bobby Judge
(boxing) … John Kamber b. Billy Tate (boxing) … Sergeant Fugino and Private First Class Yano
put on a jiu-jitsu exhibition … (referee:  Joe Louis) … (4,000 fans)
Notes:  Des Moines and Minneapolis, on Tuesday night, were Louis’s only Midwestern stops.  
The boxing bouts were made up of amateurs.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, February 16, 1944
(The Coliseum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ray Steele b. Cowboy Luttrall (2-0) …
John Grandovich and Babe Zaharias drew (45:00) … Bill Kuusisto b. Gorilla Govra (Govro) (15:
00) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  Whitey Koopman)
Notes:  Gorilla Gorva was from Mason City.  Another article said he was a “balding Miami, Fla.,
grappler.” Koopman was from Minneapolis.  It was announced that Steele would wrestle the
junior champion Ken Fenelon next Wednesday.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, February 23, 1944
(The Coliseum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ray Steele and World Junior
Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon drew (90:00) (1-1) … Ras Samara b. Cherry Vallina (1-0)
(Vallina was unable to continue) … Johnny Seals b. Gorilla Govro (25:00) … (promoter:  Pinkie
George) … (2,500 fans)
Notes:  Steele’s heavyweight title was on the line.  There would be no full wrestling show in Des
Mones for three weeks.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Tuesday, February 29, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Boxing and Wrestling Show … Henry Armstrong b. Jackie Byrd (fourth round)
(boxing) … Jackie Graves b. Cecil Bradley (boxing) … Cyclone Lynch b. Duke Owens (boxing)
… Bob Jackson and Will Osborn drew (four rounds) (boxing) … George Shade b. Bob Lindeman
(three rounds) (points) (boxing) … Jack League and Johnny Seals drew (15:00) … (promoter:  
Pinkie George) … (3,200 fans)

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, March 15, 1944
(The Coliseum) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon b. Joe Dusek (2/3) …
Johnny Seals b. Jack Lee (2/3) (Lee was a substitute for Stanley Mayslajek) … Wladek Zbyszko
b. Whitey Govro (10:00) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  Pat McGill)
Notes:  Mayslajek was called a “former proteege (sic) of Zbyszko,” by the Des Moines Register.  
Gorilla Govro was also called “Whitey Govro,” said to be from Tampa and a “former Mason
Cityan.”

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, March 22, 1944
(The Coliseum) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon b. Tuffy Tako (2-0) …
Pierre DeGlane and John Grandovich drew (45:00) (1-1) … Jack League b. Whitey Govro (DQ)
(13:00) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  Johnny Seals)
Notes:  Tuffy Tako was from Montreal.  The preliminary bout on this show was scheduled to be
Albert Mills vs. Jack Lee, but Mills was sick.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, March 29, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Jack Hader b. Whitey Govro in the finals of a six-man battle royal … Johnny
Seals b. Jack Nelson (18:10) … Jack League b. Bill Dusen … (promoter:  Pinkie George) …
(referee:  Jack Lamphere)

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, April 5, 1944
(The Coliseum) … John Grandovich b. Ken Fenelon (2/3) (Fenelon won the first fall in 18:57,
Grandovich won in 11:13 for the second, Grandovich won the third in 16:00) (Fenelon was the
World Junior Heavyweight Champion) (non-title match) … Jack Hader b. Young Al Galento (2-0)
… Nick Elich and Johnny Seals drew … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (1,500+ fans)
Notes:  Grandovich weighed 260 pounds to Fenelon’s 190.  Young Galento was from West
Orange, New Jersey, reportedly, and was said to e the “cousin of Tony Galento.” Elich was a
“Canadian heavyweight.”

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, April 12, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Ken Fenelon b. John Grandovich (2-0) (1:27, 26:01) (special referee:  Lou
Nova (heavyweight boxer) (Fenelon was the World Junior Heavyweight Champion) … Jack Hader
b. Nick Elich (2-0) (21-minutes, 7:06) … Bill Dusen b. Johnny Seals (15:50) … (promoter:  Pinkie
George) … (3,200 fans)

*Lou Nova boxed in Des Moines on Friday, April 21, 1944 and won before nearly 3,000 fans at
the Coliseum.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, April 26, 1944
(The Coliseum) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon b. Jack Hader (2-0)
(Fenelon won the first fall in 27:25 and took the match when Hader could not continue) … Dave
Levin b. Babe Zaharias (2/3) …  Bill Kuusisto b. Bill Dusen (11:45) … (promoter:  Pinkie George)
… (1,500 fans)
Notes:  Kuusisto was originally booked to wrestle Al Long.  No show next week.

*On April 27, 1944, Dave Levin took a controversial victory over MWA World Heavyweight
Champion Orville Brown in Kansas City, winning only one-fall of a scheduled two-of-three-falls
match.  The bout was stopped at the midnight curfew.  Brown continued to claim the World
Championship, claiming that the bout had been scheduled for two-of-three-falls.  A week later,
Levin won a rematch to win a full claim to the World Championship.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, May 10, 1944
(The Coliseum) … MWA World Heavyweight Champion Dave Levin b. Ray Steele to capture the
National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title (2/3) (Levin won the first fall in 20:10, Steele
won the second in 12:17, Levin won the third in 4:50) … Tom Zaharias b. Jack Dillon (2/3) …
Cherry Vallina b. Johnny Seals (14:20) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  Jack League)
Note:  Seals was a replacement for Nick Elich.

*When Dave Levin beat Ray Steele in Des Moines, he became the undisputed World
Heavyweight Champion of the Central States.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, May 17, 1944
(The Coliseum) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon b. Petey Froshay (2-0) …
Orville Brown and Tom Zaharias drew (45:00) (1-1) … Al Galento b. Don Williams (19:51) …
(promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  Jack League)
Notes:  Don Williams was from Hastings, Nebraska and was “tutored by veteran John Pesek.”
Petey Froshay was from St. Francis, Quebec.  No show next week.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Monday, May 29, 1944
(The Coliseum) … The Swedish Angel b. Don Koch (2-0) … Earl Wampler b. Chico Salazar (2-0)
… Jack Dillon and Bill Kuusisto drew (30:00) ... (promoter:  Pinkie George)
Notes:  George stated that The Swedish Angel was “uglier than the French Angel and he holds a
victory over Thilet (sic) in Boston, Mass.  He was brought to this country by Jack Pfeffer, who,
believe it or not, is a former Russian opera singer.” Don Koch was from Platteville, Wisconsin.  
Chico Salazar was from Mexico City and Wampler was a sergeant from the Marines.  Dillon was
from Indianapolis.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Monday, June 5, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Earl Wampler and Tom Zaharias were both counted out in the third fall … Dr.
Len Hall b. Jack Dillon (2/3) (Dillon was unable to continue in the third fall) … Al Lovelock b. Don
Lee (13:35) … Judd Hilt b. Bill Moore (8:17) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referees:  Jack
League, Max McCord)
Note:  Al Lovelock was billed as “Allan Lovelock” from Winnipeg.  “Boom Boom” Lee was from
Atlanta.  Amateurs Judd Hilt and Bill Moore were Des Moines West Tech students, and were
wrestling a one fall match in a special feature.  Max McCord, their athletic coach, was referee.  
Wampler was on leave from the military and the newspaper stated he was 54-years old.  A
policeman named Henry Van Drud was “socked” during the melee between Wampler and
Zaharias.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Monday, June 12, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Earl Wampler b. Tom Zaharias (2/3) … Dr. Len Hall and Al Lovelock drew (45:
00) … Jack Dillon and Don Lee were both counted out (9:00) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) …
(referee:  Jack League)
Notes:  The Des Moines Register corrected their statement that Wampler was 54 years old.  
“The marine celebrated his forty-ninth birthday June 4.  He’s been in the marine corps 26
months, is a private, first class, and is engaged in the physical education program, teaching judo
and general athletics.”

Des Moines, Iowa:  Monday, June 19, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Elviry Sndograss b. Mae Young (2/3) … Purple Flash b. Gladys Gillem (2-0)
… Nell Stewart b. Rose Evans (9:01) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  Jack League)
… (2,300 fans)
Notes:  An all-girl wrestling show.  Young was a “former softball player” from Tulsa.  Purple Flash
was a masked wrestler from Waterloo.  “Nelle Stewart” was from Minneapolis.  She was called a
pretty blonde and was “rougher” than her opponent.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Monday, June 26, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Purple Flash b. Elviry Snodgrass (2/3) … Rose Evans b. Nell Stewart (2/3) …
Mae Young b. Ann Miller … (promoter:  Pinkie George)
Note: An all-girl wrestling show.

*On June 29, 1944, Lee Wykoff beat Dave Levin in Kansas City to capture the “MWA” World
Heavyweight Title.




*There was no shows in Des Moines through this point in August 1944.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Monday, August 28, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Jack Conley b. Jim Coffield … Women’s World Champion Mildred Burke b.
Mae Weston (2-0) … Earl Wampler b. Jack Hader (2/3) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) …
(referee:  Larry Tillman)
Notes:  Season opener.  Wampler was making his return from the war.  He was a “former
marine,” who “received an honorable discharge.”

Des Moines, Iowa:  Monday, September 4, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Earl Wampler b. Jack Hader (2/3) … Joe Dusek b. Jack Conley (2-0) … Larry
Tillman b. Bill Dusen … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  Joe Krejci)

Waterloo, Iowa:  Sunday, September 10, 1944
(Electric Park) … Ken Fenelon vs. Earl Wampler … Jack Hader vs. Tom Zaharias … Hal “Sonny”
Myers vs. Larry Tillman … (referee:  Gust Karras, billed as a nationally known wrestling referee)

Des Moines, Iowa:  Monday, September 11, 1944
(The Coliseum) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon b. Larry Tillman (2-0) …
Earl Wampler b. Hal “Sonny” Myers (Myers was unable to continue after the first fall) … Tom
Zaharias b. Jack Hader … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  Gust Karras) … (1,700 fans)

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, September 20, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Ken Fenelon b. Jack Conley (2-0) … Earl Wampler b. Al Galento (2-0) … Nick
Elitch b. Sam Langford … (promoter:  Pinkie George)
Note:  Nick Elitch was billed as “Elich” and was from Toronto, Ontario.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, September 27, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Joe Dusek b. Earl Wampler (2/3) … Nick Elitch b. Stan Pavolich (2-0) … Hal
“Sonny” Myers b. Jerry Meeker (DQ) (22:15) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  Joe
Krejci) … (2,000 fans)
Note:  No show next week.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, October 4, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Joe Dusek b. Earl Wampler (Wampler was unable to continue) … Babe
Zaharias b. Jack League (2-0) .. Tom Zaharias b. Bill Dusen … (promoter:  Pinkie George) …
(referee:  Joe Krejci)
Note:  Dusek reportedly had a 29 match winning streak.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, October 11, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Joe Dusek b. Babe Zaharias (2/3) … Jerry Meeker b. Tom Zaharias (DQ) …
Al Galento b. Jack Conley (DQ) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  Jack League)
Notes:  Meeker was said to be from Madison, Wisconsin.  No show next week.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, October 25, 1944
(The Coliseum) … Earl Wampler b. Jack Conley (2-0) … Elviry Snodgrass b. Ann Lavern (2/3)
… Ann Miller b. Violet Valentine … Al Caddell b. Al Galento (handicap match) (Galento said he’d
beat Caddell twice in 15:00)
Note:  Valentine was from St. Joseph.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, November 1, 1944
(The Coliseum) … NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon b. Eddie Campbell to
unify the latter’s claim to the MWA World Junior Title with his own (2-0) … Elviry Snodgrass b.
Mae Weston (2/3) … Al Caddell b. Jack Conley (DQ) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  
Al Galento)
Notes:  The Des Moines Reigster stated that “The National Wrestling Alliance now called
Fenelon the [junior heavyweight] champion, while the Midwest Wrestling Association gives it
blessing to [Eddie] Campbell.” “Recognition by two wrestling organizations will be the reward of
the winner of tonight’s” bout.  The headline of the article read “2 Mat Crowns To Become One.”
Campbell was said to be from St. Louis.  After the show, the newspaper claimed “It was Campbell’
s first defeat in the last 16 months.”

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, November 8, 1944
(The Coliseum) … World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown and World Junior Heavyweight
Champion Ken Fenelon drew (1-1) … Eddie Campbell b. Mike “Red” Ryan (8:08) … Al Galento
b. Jack Conley (11:00) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  Jack League)
Notes:  Brown was recognized as the World Heavyweight Champion.  “Both Brown and Fenelon
are recognized by the National Wrestling Association as champions.” Joe Dusek was supposed
to be apart of this show, but was sick and unable to appear.  Brown weighed 248 to Fenelon’s
198.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, November 15, 1944
(The Coliseum) … The Swedish Angel b. Tom Zaharias (2/3) … Earl Wampler b. Eddie Campbell
(2-0) … Al Galento and Mike “Red” Ryan drew (30:00) … (promoter:  Pinkie George)

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, November 22, 1944
(The Coliseum) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon b. Joe Dusek (2/3) (third
fall by DQ) (non-title match) … Lord Albert Mills b. Tom Zaharias (Zaharias was unable to
continue) … Jerry Meeker and Mike “Red” Ryan drew (30:00) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) …
(referee:  Pat O’Flaherty) … (1,800 fans)
Notes:  Fenelon reportedly had only lost two matches in three years.  Dusek had a 31-match
winning streak going into this bout.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, November 29, 1944
(The Coliseum) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon b. Jerry Meeker (2-0) (first
fall by DQ) … Earl Wampler b. Al Galento (2-0) .. Mike “Red” Ryan b. Al Caddell (15:14) …
(promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  John Krejci)

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, December 6, 1944
(The Coliseum) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon b. Joe Dusek (2/3) … Earl
Wampler b. Mike “Red” Ryan (2-0) … Honey Boy Hackney b. Jerry Meeker (countout) …
(promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referees:  Tony Galento, Harry Caddell) … (3,000 fans)
Note:  Honeyboy Hackney was from Tulsa.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, December 13, 1944
(The Coliseum) … World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown b. Jerry Meeker (2-0) … World
Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon b. Honey Boy Hackney (2-0) … Karl Davis and Lord
Albert Mills drew (30:00) … (promoter:  Pinkie George) … (referee:  Alex Fidler)
Notes:  Ed Lewis was supposed to appear on this show in a title match against Orville Brown, but
was stuck in Cleveland due to a snowstorm.  Lewis was replaced by Jerry Meeker.  No show next
week.

Des Moines, Iowa:  Wednesday, December 27, 1944
(The Coliseum) … World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown b. Ed “Strangler” Lewis (2/3) …
Karl Davis and Lord Albert Mills drew (45:00) (1-1) … Honey Boy Hackney b. Red Ryan (11:06)
… (promoter:  Pinkie George)
Notes:  Ed Lewis has been “Mr. Headlock of wrestling since 1916,” according to the newspaper
report.  “Since Pearl Harbor, Lewis has been teaching service men wrestling and judo, touring
army camps and navy bases around the nation.  Now he’s taking a little time out from those
duties with the avowed intention of being the world heavyweight wrestling champion for the sixth
time.” Hackney and Ryan were challengers to Ken Fenelon’s championship.

Research by Tim Hornbaker
December 5, 2007
Des Moines Wrestling Results - 1944