Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling - A Time Line of Every Major Event in Pro Wrestling History - 1940
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 1940 in wrestling is covered in the Long Form History of Pro Wrestling Podcast - Click Here.
1940
01-15-1940: Cleveland, OH: Arena: Attendance 12,357 (said to be the largest attendance in Cleveland up to this date for wrestling): Jack Zarnas defeats Jerry Turner… Frank Sexton defeats Tom Zaharias… Ivan Rasputin defeats Mark Hosely… Ray Steele defeats Jack Washburn by DQ… NWAssociation World Heavyweight champion Bronko Nagurski defeats George Zaharias.
01-22-1940: Cleveland, OH: Arena: Attendance 10,677: Pete Beltran defeats Fred Bozic… Frank Sexton defeats Jack Zarnas… Joe Marsh defeats Jack Washburn by DQ…. Everett Marshall defeats Ivan Rasputin by Count Out… World Heavyweight champion Jim Londos defeats Bob Wagner.
02-01-1940: In Salinas, CA: Sandor Szabo defeated Pan Manlapig to win the Pacific Coast heavyweight title.
02-05-1940: Cleveland, OH Arena: Attendance 10,439: Pete Beltran pinned Mark Hosely… Leo Numa beat Tom Zaharias via DQ… Hans Kampfer drew Frank Sexton 30 minute draw… Ivan Rasputin beat Joe Marsh… Ray Steele beat Jack Washburn.
02-12-1940: Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Arena: Attendance 11,884: Fred Bozic battled Pete Beltran to a 20 minute draw… Hans Kampfer defeats Mayes McLain… Bill Shalom defeats Fred Bozic… Lou Thesz defeats Tom Zaharias… World Heavyweight champion Jim Londos defeats Ivan Rasputin.
03-01-1940: Buffalo, NY: Broadway Auditorium: Attendance 7,528: Harry Kent wrestled Lee Henning to a Draw… Mark Hosley defeats Joe Marsh… Leo Numa defeats Rebel Russell… Bill Longson defeats Rudy Strongberg… The French Angel (Maurice Tillet) defeats Frank Sexton.
03-07-1940: St Louis, MO: Municipal Auditorium: Attendance 8,588: Joe Millich defeats Jim Logas… Leo Lefebvre defeats Dick Raines… Hans Kaempfer defeats Karl Sarpolis… Lou Thesz defeats Mike Mazurki… Everett Marshall defeats Len Macaluso… Ray Steele defeats Bronko Nagurski in St. Louis, MO to win the National Wrestling Association World title.
Toronto, Canada: Maple Leaf Gardens: Attendance 11,000: Lee Henning defeats Pete Baltran… Bill Longson defeats Frank Sexton by count out… Ted Cox defeats Leo Numa… The French Angel (Maurice Tillet) defeats Jerry Monahan.
04-04-1940: Toronto, Canada: Maple Leaf Gardens: Attendance 10,000: Lee Henning defeats Pete Baltram… Ted Christy defeats Rebel Russell… Tor Johnson defeats Leo Numa… Ed Don George defeats Ivan Rasputin by DQ… The French Angel (Maurice Tillet) defeats Ted Cox.
04-15-1940: Memphis, TN: Ellis Auditorium: Attendance 5,973: Lou Thesz wrestled Bill Lee to a 30 minute draw… Hans Schnabel defeats Jack Humberto 2 falls to 1… NWAssociation World champion Ray Steele defeats Dorv Roche 2 falls to 1.
05-13-1940: AWA: Boston, MA: Garden: Attendance 8,000: Jean Pusie defeats George Linehan… Pedro Brazil wrestled Rudy Dusek to a Time Limit Draw… Jim Casey wrestled Olaf Olson to a Time Limit Draw… Ben Shalom defeats Billy Bartush… Bobby Managoff wrestled Marvin Westenberg to a Time Limit Draw… Ed Don George defeats Charley Strack… Yvon Robert defeats Dutch Hefner… The French Angel (Maurice Tillet) defeats AWA World Heavyweight Steve Casey by DQ 2 falls to 1 to win the title. Gus Sonnenberg is the special referee.
05-24-1940: Richard Smith, 28 years old, dies in the ring during a match with Swede Hansen in Pleasant Green, MO after Hansen applied what amounts to a sleeper hold on Smith. No charges are filed.
In Kansas City, MO: Bobby Bruns beat Friedrich Otto Von Schact. The crowd mistook the iron cross on Schact’s cape with a swastika and the crowd rioted. Schacht refused to come out of locker room for 3rd fall. It was announced that Schact was from Milwaukee and had nothing to do with present day German Politics.
06-12-1940: Lou Thesz defeats Leo Numa for the Montreal AWA title.
06-13-1940: Orville Brown defeated Bobby Bruns in Kansas City, MO for the Midwest Wrestling Association World title.
06-21-1940: Buffalo, NY: Civic Stadium: Attendance 12,274: Ray Matty wrestled Vaso Dzakubula to a Time Limit Draw… Harry Kent wrestled Ted Christy to a Time Limit Draw… Tony Kawka defeats George Ryan… Marvin Westenberg wrestled Sol Slagel to a Time Limit Draw… Joe Cox wrestled Yvon Robert to a Time Limit Draw… Wladyslaw Talun defeats Leo Numa… AWA World Heavyweight champion The French Angel defeats Ed Don George by DQ.
06-27-1940: Orville Brown defeats Dick Shikat for the Midwest title in Columbus, OH.
07-01-1940: Boxer Jack Dempsey defeats Cowboy Luttrall in a boxing match in Atlanta, GA.
07-15-1940: Boxer Jack Dempsey defeats Bull Curry in a boxer verses wrestler match in Detroit, MI.
07-18-1940: One of the first major lucha libre stars to lose his mask takes place at Arena Mexico when Octavio Gaona defeats El Murcielago and unmasks him as Jesus Velazquez Quintero.
07-1940: Midwest wrestler Orville Brown is the reigning Midwest Wrestling Association World champion under promoter Pinkie George. The title may have been referred to as the “National Wrestling Alliance” World title as early as this date. Though the actual National Wrestling Alliance of regional promoters doesn’t take place until 1948, the predecessor to the world title itself now looks to have dated back to 1940.
09-12-1940: EMLL: 7th Anniversary Show: in Mexico City, Mexico: Old Arena Mexico: Results not known but promoted for the show were: Firpo Segura & Gorilla Macias vs. Tony Fellitto & Ray Ryan and World Middleweight champion Tarzan Lopez vs. John Nemenic.
10-23-1940: Lou Thesz loses the Montreal version of the World title to Yvon Robert. Montreal Forum: Attendance 7,000: Frank Valois defeats Tony Parkin… Tommy O'Toole defeats Henry Kulkavich… Tommy Rae defeats Lou Plummer by DQ.
10-31-1940: In Atlanta, GA: National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight champion Ray Steele defeated Frank Sexton.
11-20-1940: Los Angeles, CA: Olympic Auditorium: Pedro Brazil defeats Rudy LaDitzi… Dick Raines defeats Mike Mazurki… Tommy Nilan defeats Pat Riley… Hard Boiled Haggerty {Pat McClary) defeats Vic Christy… Bobby Managoff defeats Tom Zaharias by DQ 2 falls to none… World Heavyweight & Los Angeles World Heavyweight champion Jim Londos wrestled Sandor Szabo to a one hour draw with no falls.
11-22-1940: Buffalo, NY: Memorial Auditorium: Attendance 7,874: Howard Burnell defeats Jake Patterson… Don Evans wrestled Juan Humberto to a Draw… Frank Taylor wrestled Tony Kawka to a Draw… Ted Cox defeats Lee Henning… Sol Slagel defeats Sandy O'Donnell (Ray Eckert)… Ivan Rasputin defeats Wladyslaw Talun by Count Out.
12-12-1940: St. Louis, MO: Auditorium: Attendance: 7,281: NWAssociation World champion Ray Steele defeated Bronco Nagurski by DQ… Ray Villmer battled Ernie Dusek to a draw… Len Macaluso defeated Emil Dusek… Warren Bockwinkel defeated Frank Sexton… Joe Dusek defeated Pat Fraley.
Orville Brown
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