Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling - A Time Line of Every Major Event in Pro Wrestling History - 1941
By: Karl Stern
Much of the text of this entry comes from issue 82 of the DragonKing Press Newsletter available as a downloadable .pdf in the digital downloads section.
The year 1941 in wrestling is covered on the Long Form History of Wrestling Podcast - Click Here.
1941
01-06-1941: Birmingham, Alabama: Attendance 5,500: World Light Heavyweight champion Rex Mobley defeated Farmer Jones... Flash Clifford defeated Gorilla Grubmyer by DQ... Rod Fenton beat Charlie Keene.
01-07-1941: In Hamilton, Ontario at the Civic Pool: World heavyweight champion Jim Londos beat Sandy O’Donnell.
01-10-1941: St Louis MO: Municipal Auditorium: Attendance 9,054: Dorv Roche defeats Pat Fraley… Frank Sexton battled Joe Dusek to a 20 minute draw… Ray Villmer defeats Jack Kennedy… George Koverly defeats Juan Humberto… NWAssociation World Heavyweight champion Ray Steele defeats Bronko Nagurski 2 falls to 1.
01-11-1941: Abdullah the Butcher (Larry Shreeve) is born.
01-13-1941: NWAssociation World champion Ray Steele defeated Rudy Strongberg in Duluth, MN.
01-14-1941: NWAssociation World champion Ray Steele defeated Hans Kampfer in Minneapolis, MN.
01-17-1941: Buffalo, NY: Memorial Auditorium: Attendance 10,086: Jake Patterson wrestled Pete Managoff to a Draw… Billy Hanson defeats Jack Russell… Bill Longson defeats Joe Millich… Don Evans defeats Roy Graham… Howard Burnell defeats George Koverly by DQ… Wladyslaw Talun defeats Ed Don George.
01-19-1941: Pat Patterson is born (real name: Pierre Clermont) in Ville-marie in Montreal.
01-21-1941: Ivan Putski is born.
In Hamilton, Ontario at the Civic Pool: World heavyweight champion Jim Londos beat Juan Humberto.
01-23-1941: In Hillsboro, TX, Billy Edwards, 51 years old, whom the newspaper reporter called “one of pro wrestling’s most picturesque figures for twenty years,” was killed in a car accident.
01-27-1941: St Louis, MO: Arena: Attendance 10,082: Frank Sexton battled Len Macaluso to a 20 minute draw… Ray Eckert defeats Chief Saunooke… Ray Villmer defeats Jack Hader… Gino Garibaldi defeats Joe Dusek… Ernie Dusek defeats George Koverly by DQ… NWAssociation World Heavyweight champion Ray Steele defeats Lou Thesz.
02-03-1941: Dory Funk, Jr. (Dorrance Funk, Jr.) is born.
02-05-1941: Los Angeles, CA: Olympic Auditorium: Attendance 8,000: Arturo Merjil defeats Dick Kanthe… Wayne Haley defeats Sonny Lamont… Vic Holbrook defeated Willie Meehan… Cliff Olson defeats Joe Woods… Australian Rounds Match: Earl McCready wrestled Howard Cantonwine to a draw… The Golden Terror (Bobby Stewart) defeats Tarzan White… World Heavyweight & Los Angeles World Heavyweight champion Jim Londos defeats Sandor Szabo 2 falls to 1.
02-11-1941: NWAssociation World champion Ray Steele battled Hans Kampfer to a draw in St. Paul, MN.
02-12-1941: Los Angeles, CA: Olympic Auditorium: Attendance 8,500: Wayne Haley defeats Cliff Olson by DQ… Bobby Coleman defeats Mitsugi Hamanaka… Vic Holbrook defeats Vic Hill… Chris Zaharias defeated Mike Collins… Howard Cantonwine wrestled Tarzan White to a draw… The Golden Terror (Bobby Stewart) defeats Chief Little Wolf… World Heavyweight & Los Angeles World Heavyweight champion Jim Londos defeats Sandor Szabo 2 falls to 1.
Buffalo, NY: Memorial Auditorium: Attendance 11,052: Roy Graham defeats Tom Mahoney… Nanjo Singh defeats Mike Burnell… George Koverly wrestled John Muscovich to a Draw… Don Evans defeats Juan Humbero… Ed Don George defeats Wladyslaw Talun.
02-18-1941: Hamilton, Ontario at the Civic Pool: World heavyweight champion Jim Londos beat Nanjo Singh.
02-20-1941: St. Louis, MO: Municipal Auditorium: Attendance 9,832: Emil Dusek defeats Harry Kent… Joe Dusek battled Ray Eckert to a 20 minute time limit draw… Gino Garibaldi defeats Don McIntyre… Ray Villmer defeats Andy Moen… NWAssociation World Heavyweight champion Ray Steele defeats Lou Thesz in 2 falls with special referee Ed “Strangler” Lewis.
02-24-1941: Roy Dunn claims a version of the World title by claiming Ray Steele will not face him. This title is called the “National Wrestling Alliance” World title and is based out of Wichita, KS.
03-11-1941: Bronko Nagurski defeats Ray Steele in Minneapolis, MN for the National Wrestling Association World title. Attendance 8,000. Also on the show: Ralph Garibaldi defeats Stan Mayslack… Jim Wright defeats Rudy Strongberg.
03-21-1941: NWAssociation World champion Bronko Nagurski battled Lou Thesz to a draw in St. Paul, MN.
In Oakland, CA The Black Panther (Frank Sexton) wins the Pacific Coast Heavyweight Title from Bobby Managoff.
03-26-1941: Los Angeles, CA: Olympic Auditorium: Attendance 9,000: Pete Mehringer defeats Louie Miller… Bobby Coleman defeats Don Sebastian… Ed Don Lewis wrestled Vic Holbrook to a 20-minute draw… Mark Hosley defeats Al George… Bobby Managoff defeats Wayne Haley… Ali Baba defeats Luigi Bacigalupi… World Heavyweight & Los Angeles World Heavyweight champion Jim Londos defeats The Golden Terror (Bobby Stewart) 2 falls to 1.
04-08-1941: NWAssociation World champion Bronko Nagurski defeated Lou Thesz in Minneapolis, MN.
Hamilton, Ontario at the Civic Pool: John Pesek (billed as world champion) battled Orville Brown to a draw.
04-17-1941: Lee Wyckoff defeats Orville Brown in Kansas City for the Midwest title.
04-22-1941: NWAssociation World champion Bronko Nagurski defeated Ray Steele by DQ in Minneapolis, MN.
05-06-1941: NWAssociation World champion Bronko Nagurski defeated Iron Talun by count out in Minneapolis, MN.
05-13-1941: NWAssociation World champion Bronko Nagurski battled Everett Marshall to a draw in Minneapolis, MN.
06-05-1941: Sandor Szabo defeats Bronko Nagurski by DQ in St. Louis, MO to win the National Wrestling Association World title.
06-09-1941: Birmingham, Alabama: Attendance 4,000: Ladies World champion Mildred Burke defeated Mae Young... Farmer Jones defeated Chin Lee... The Bat defeated Flash Clifford. There is no clear answer yet on who The Bat was in Birmingham. Al Stecher wrestled as The Bat in New Orleans during this era and it is possible he was The Bat here also.
06-11-1941: Los Angeles, CA: Olympic Auditorium: Attendance 9,000: Sonny Lamont defeats Giovanni Garibaldi… Otto Schnabel defeats Joe Woods… Bobby Coleman defeats Al Hogan… Dan Barnhart battled Tom Zaharias to a 30 minute draw… Chief Little Wolf battled Chris Zahariias to a 30 minute draw… Hans Schnabel defeats Pete Mehringer… World Heavyweight & Los Angeles World champion Jim Londos defeats Ray Steele two falls to one.
06-17-1941: In Minneapolis, MN: Attendance: 8,000: Cliff Gustafson beat Bronko Nagurski… Orville Brown drew Joe Cox… Hans Kampfer beat Benny Rosen… Stan Mayslack beat Jack Hader.
06-19-1941: Though she claims to have began her career in 1939 (and that is possible), the oldest match results I could ever find for Mae Young was from J. Michael Kenyen’s WAWLI Papers with this date which gave her a loss to Mildred Burke in Jacksonville, FL.
St. Louis, MO: Municipal Auditorium: Attendance 9,326: Jim McMillen defeats Ralph Garibaldi… Ray Eckert wrestled Ray Villmer to a Time Limit Draw… Warren Bockwinkel defeats Joe Dusek… Don McIntyre defeats Cherry Vallina… NWAssociation World Heavyweight champion Sandor Szabo defeats Bronko Nagurski. Jack Dempsey is special referee.
07-01-1941: NWAssociation World champion Sandor Szabo battled Cliff Gustafson to a draw in Minneapolis, MN.
07-21-1941: Birmingham, Alabama: Attendance 5,000: Farmer Jones defeated The Bat by DQ... Mike Nazarian defeated Jack Purdin… Bad Boy Brown defeated Bob Corby.
07-30-1941: Los Angeles, Olympic Auditorium: Attendance 8,000: Danno O'Mahoney defeats Tor Johnson… George Macricostas wrestled Ted Christy to a 20-minute draw…. Hardy Kruskamp defeats Jack Dillon… Alberto Corral defeats The Cardiff Giant… Dutch Hefner defeats Tom Zaharias… AWA World champion The French Angel defeats Ed Don George 2 falls to 1.
08-25-1941: Danny McShain defeats Paavo Ketonen in Hollywood, CA for the World -lightweight title.
08-29-1941: Former World boxing champion Primo Carnera announces he will become a professional wrestler.
09-01-1941: Wild Red Berry defeats Danny McShain for the World lightweight title in Hollywood, CA.
09-02-1941: Jack Claybourne wins the Kentucky Negro title from Hallie Samara in Louisville, KY. Many states including Kentucky and Texas had laws on the books during this time period where African-Americans could not wrestle against white wrestlers and, much like baseball, were segregated into competing among themselves.
09-17-1941: Yvon Robert wins his sixth Montreal AWA title defeating Lou Thesz.
09-21-1941: Jack Brisco is born in Seminole, OK.
09-22-1941: Birmingham, Alabama: “Largest crowd of all time” (that would put it over 5,500) The Bat defeated Bad Boy Brown... Elmer Snodgrass defeated Jack Purdin... Ray Schwartz battled Mike Nazarian to a draw... Mike Chacoma defeated Charlie Keene... Elvira Snodgrass was at ringside
09-1941: EMLL: Exact date unknown: 8th Anniversary Show: in Mexico City, Mexico: Old Arena Mexico: Jesus Anaya beat Black Guzman to become the first Mexican National Light Heavyweight champion.
10-07-1941: NWAssociation World champion Sandor Szabo defeated Joe Savoldi in Minneapolis, MN.
10-16-1941: Orville Brown wins his second Midwest title defeating Lee Wyckoff in Kansas City.
10-17-1941: NWAssociation World champion Sandor Szabo defeated Dick Raines in St. Paul, MN.
10-21-1941: NWAssociation World champion Sandor Szabo defeated Al Lovelock in Minneapolis, MN.
11-17-1941: In Birmingham, Alabama: The Bat defeated Babe Kasaboski... Ladies World champion Mildred Burke defeated Gladys Gillem … Mike Nazarian & Oki Shikina defeated Jack Curtis & Charlie Keene in the first ever traditional rules tag team match ever held in Birmingham, AL. There had been earlier “team” matches but they were not under traditional tag team rules. Tag team wrestling becomes a regular part of most Birmingham matches.
11-27-1941: Toronto, Canada: Maple Leaf Gardens: Attendance 10,000: Whipper Billy Watson defeats Jerry Monahan… Yvon Robert defeats Billy Hanson… Ed Don George wrestled Earl McCready to a 30 minute draw… Roland Kirchmeyer defeats Leo Numa by DQ… The French Angel (Maurice Tillet) defeats The Masked Wolf (John Grandovich) and unmasked him.
12-03-1941: St. Louis, MO: Municipal Auditorium: Attendance 8,957: Joe Millich defeats Carlos Rodriguez… Dick Raines defeats Dick Lever… Len Macaluso defeats Joe Dusek… Bill Longson defeats Ray Villmer… Lou Thesz defeats Ray Steele.
12-05-1941: Adrian Street is born.
12-16-1941: Black Guzman defeats Tarzán López (Carlos Lopez) in Mexico City, Mexico for the NWAssociation World Middleweight title.
Orville Brown
If you found this article interesting consider becoming a Patreon supporter. That is how When It Was Cool keeps our website and podcasts online, plus you get lots of bonus content including extra and extended podcasts, articles, digital comics, ebooks, and much more. Check out our Patreon Page to see what's up!
If you don't want to use Patreon but still want to support When It Was Cool then how about a one time $5 PayPal donation? Thank you!
