Des Moines, Iowa: Saturday, October 6, 1956 (Frank Gotch Memorial Arena) … The Volkoff Brothers (Boris and Nicolai Volkoff) b. Lou Kline and Seymour Koenig (2/3) … Little Panther b. Sky Low Low … Bobby Bruns b. Johnny Berger (2-0) … Dick Witt b. Johnny Lake … (promoter: Pinkie George) Notes: Crawford was from St. Joseph, Witt from Des Moines, and Berger from St. Joseph. The Volkoffs were called claimants to the tag team title. The main event was televised. Lake was from Topeka. The facility was at 801 Forest Avenue. Des Moines, Iowa: Saturday, October 13, 1956 (Frank Gotch Memorial Arena) … Verne Gagne and Roy McClarity drew (60:00) … Bill Melby b. Carl Engstrom … Dr. Lee Grable and Dick Webb drew … Craig Peterson b. Dick Moore (2-0) … (promoter: Pinkie George) Notes: The Gagne-McClarity and Engstrom-Melby matches were televised. Lee Grable was originally booked to wrestle Billy Wicks of St. Paul, and Dick Witt of Des Moines against Joe Snyder of St. Paul. Des Moines, Iowa: Saturday, October 20, 1956 (Frank Gotch Memorial Arena) … United States Heavyweight Champion Hans Schmidt and Bobby Bruns drew (1-1) … Little Panther and Tiny Tim b. Tiny Roe and Tom Thumb … Johnny Berger b. Jimmy Siskey (non-televised bout) … Tom Thumb b. Little Panther (non-televised bout) … (promoter: Pinkie George) … (sellout crowd) Notes: Schmidt was making his second defense in Des Moines. Bruns was billed as being from Des Moines. Des Moines, Iowa: Saturday, October 27, 1956 (Frank Gotch Memorial Arena) … Roy McClarity b. Seymour Koenig … Dick Raines b. Bob Taylor … Bobby Knox and Dick Witt drew … Bobby Bruns b. Benito Gardini … (promoter: Pinkie George) … (benefit for the B’nai B’rth charity fund) Notes: Roy Rogers was billed as being from Montreal and Bob Taylor from Omaha. The McClarity-Koenig and Raines-Rogers bouts were televised. It was announced that Jack Dempsey would referee on the next Saturday TV wrestling show. Des Moines, Iowa: Saturday, November 3, 1956 (Frank Gotch Memorial Arena) … World Tag Team Champions The Volkoff Brothers (Boris and Nicolai Volkoff) vs. Bobby Bruns and Roy McClarity … Dick Raines vs. Billy Wicks … (promoter: Pinkie George) Notes: The Volkoffs were billed as the “National Wrestling Alliance tag team champions.” George said: “This will be the first time Dempsey has refereed a wrestling bout on a television network.” Research by Tim Hornbaker December 5, 2007 |
| Des Moines Wrestling Results - 1956 |
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