Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, January 7, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Roger Mackay and Tommy Martindale b. Southwest States Tag Team
Champions Karol Krauser and Ivan Kalmikoff (2-0) (non-title match) … Ace Freeman b.
Frankie Murdock (2-0) … George Overhuls b. Mr. Sakata (13:07) … Luis Martinez and
Whitey Whittler drew … Al Getz and Herb Parks drew (15:00) … (promoter:  Dory Detton)
… (referee:  Gene Detton)

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, January 14, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Southwest States Tag Team Champions Ivan Kalmikoff and Karol
Krauser b. Roger Mackay and Tommy Martindale (2/3) … Ruth Boatcallie b. Carol Cook
(11:04) … Frankie Murdock b. Whitey Whittler (12:37) … Bob Geigel and Herb Parks drew
(15:00) … (promoter:  Dory Detton)

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, January 21, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Roger Mackay b. Frankie Murdock (2/3) (Mackay earned a Southwest
States junior title match next week) … Barbara Baker and Carol Cook b. Ruth Boatcallie
and Betty Hawkins (15:59) … Bob Geigel b. Luis Martinez (16:35) … Herb Parks b. Benny
Trudell (12:39) … (promoter:  Dory Detton) … (referee:  Murray Warner) … (1,500 fans)

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, January 28, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Southwest States Junior Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk and Roger
Mackay drew (90:00) (1-1) … Southwest States Tag Team Champions Ivan Kalmikoff and
Karol Krauser b. Frankie Murdock and Whitey Whittler (2/3) … Ace Freeman and George
Overhuls drew (20:00) … (promoter:  Dory Detton) … (3,000+ fans)
Note:  Dory Funk, according to the Amarillo Daily News, claimed to not only be the
Southwest States Junior champion, but to be the United States Junior champion.  The
National Wrestling Alliance hadn’t yet backed him, or anyone, as titleholder.  Funk had
captured the Southwest title from Roger Mackay last October 29.


Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, March 4, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Southwest States Junior Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk b. Whitey
Whittler (2/3) … Southwest States Tag Team Champions Roy Shire and Bobby Wallace b.
Luis Martinez and Ricki Starr … Tony Morelli and George Overhuls drew (20:00) … Billy
Parks b. Benny Trudell (12:25) … (promoter:  Dory Detton) … (referees:  Bob Geigel, Joe
Tomaso)
Note:  Roy Shire and Bobby Wallace won the Southwest States Tag Team Title “last week”
in Lubbock from Ivan Kalmikoff and Karol Krauser.

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, March 11, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Roy Shire and Ricki Starr drew (60:00) (1-1) … Little Beaver b. Mighty
Schultz (2/3) … George Overhuls and Billy Parks b. Tony Morelli and Whitey Whittler (17:
57) … Luis Martinez b. John Pavich (11:54) … (promoter:  Dory Detton) … (referee:  Billy
Weidner) … (Amarillo Wrestling Commissioner:  Dr. Gil Knutson)
Note:  Little Beaver, according to the Amarillo newspaper, stood 42” tall and weighed 92
pounds.  Mighty Schultz was 47” and weighed 102 pounds.

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, March 18, 1954
(Sports Arena) … George Overhuls and Ricki Starr b. Southwest States Tag Team
Champions Roy Shire and Bobby Wallace (2/3) (non-title match) … Tony Morelli and Billy
Parks drew (45:00) (1-1) … Timmy Geohagen b. Al Getz (9:03) … (promoter:  Dory
Detton) … (referee:  Bob Cummings)

*Promoter Dory Detton sponsored the annual West Texas AAU Wrestling Championship
Tournament at Amarillo High School on Friday, March 19, 1954.

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, March 25, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Dory Funk b. Ricki Starr (2/3) … Timmy Geohagen b. George Overhuls
(30:31) … Bob Cummings b. Al Getz (6:07) … (promoter:  Dory Detton)
Note:  Ricki Starr reportedly participated in wrestling, swimming, fencing and gymnastics at
Purdue University.

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, April 1, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Roy Shire b. Dory Funk (2/3) (non-title match) … Timmy Geohagen and
Billy Parks b. George Overhuls and Ricki Starr (2/3) (the first fall, Parks over Starr, ended
in 46 seconds) … Danny O’Rourke b. John Pavich … (promoter:  Dory Detton) …
(referee:  Al Getz) … (near capacity crowd)

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, April 8, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Roy Shire b. Bob Cummings (2/3) … Tony Morelli b. Danny O’Rourke
(2/3) … Billy Parks b. Al Getz (16:14) … (promoter:  Dory Detton) … (1,750 fans)
Note:  Parks used a “Sunset Special” (leg nelson) to win his match, and the Amarillo
newspaper noted that “Sunset” was “named after the Parks lodge in Canada.”

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, April 15, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Dory Funk b. Roy Shire (2/3) (during the third fall, Shire’s manager
Bobby Wallace entered the ring, and a riot ensued) (Funk earned a match with NWA
champion Lou Thesz) … Tony Morelli and Ricki Starr drew (1-1) … Timmy Geohagen and
Billy Parks drew (20:00) … Bob Cummings b. Ace Abbott (DQ) (8:56) … (promoter:  Dory
Detton) … (referee:  Alex Perez)

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, April 22, 1954
(Sports Arena) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz b. Dory Funk (2/3) (third
fall by disqualification) … Roy Shire b. Bill Parks (2-0) … Danny O’Rourke an Ricki Starr b.
Ace Abbott and Tony Morelli (15:50) … Timmy Geohagen and Billy Weidner drew (15:00)
… (promoter:  Dory Detton) … (referee:  Bob Cummings)

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, April 29, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Women’s World Champion Mildred Burke b. Bonnie Watson (2/3) …
Tony Morelli b. Ricki Starr (2/3) … Timmy Geohagen b. Ace Freeman (10:44) … Luis
Martinez b. Danny O’Rourke (8:35) … (promoter:  Dory Detton)

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, May 6, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Roy Shire b. Dory Funk to capture the Southwest States Junior
Heavyweight Title (2/3) … Johnn Demchuck b. Salvador Flores (2/3) … Danny O’Rourke b.
Ace Abbott (15:58) … (promoter:  Dory Detton)
Notes:  The Amarillo newspaper stated that Johnny Demchuck was returning to the local
scene after a five year absence.  He was born in Russia and became a Canadian citizen in
1930.  He was a former World Light Heavyweight Champion.  Funk captured the junior title
in October 1953 when he beat Roger Mackay.

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, May 13, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Dory Funk b. Roy Shire to regain the Southwest States Junior
Heavyweight Title (2/3) (Funk was accompanied by Cowboy Carlson, Shire was
accompanied by Bobby Wallace) … Johnny Demchuck b. Danny O’Rourke (13:20) …
Timmy Geohagen b. Tony Morelli … Bob Cummings and Lou Palacio drew (15:00) …
(promoter:  Dory Detton) … (referee:  Bob Cummings)

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, May 20, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Cowboy Carlson and Dory Funk b. Southwest States Tag Team
Champions Roy Shire and Bobby Wallace (2-0) (second fall by DQ) (title didn’t change
hands) (the tag team trophy was destroyed by Funk) … Johnny Demchuck and Timmy
Geohagen drew (30:00) … Bob Cummings b. Bill Sledge (14:03) … (promoter:  Dory
Detton) … (referees:  Alex Perez, Larry Wright) … (3,110 fans)

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, May 27, 1954
(Sports Arena) … NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion Baron Michele Leone and
Roy Shire drew (60:00) (1-1) … Dory Funk b. Timmy Geohagen … Orville “Cowboy”
Carlson and Frankie Hill Murdock drew (20:00) … Johnny Demchuck b. Luis Martinez (12:
21) … Con Bruno b. Danny O’Rourke (10:59) … (promoter:  Dory Detton)
Note:  Cowboy Carlson was billed as being from Eklaka, Montana.

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, June 3, 1954
(Sports Arena) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Baron Michele Leone b. Cowboy
Carlson (2/3) … Johnny Demchuck b. The Mask (DQ) (15:12) … Timmy Geohagen and
Frankie Hill Murdock drew (20:00) … Billy Weidner b. Al Cortez (12:52) … (promoter:  Dory
Detton) … (referee:  Alex Perez)

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, June 10, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Southwest States Tag Team Champions Bob Cummings and Johnny
Demchuck b. Cowboy Carlson and Dory Funk (2/3) … The Mask b. Oyama Kato (2/3)
(Kato was accompanied by a manager) … Ray Stevens b. Elmer Larson (16:20) …
(promoter:  Dory Detton)
Notes:  The newspaper stated that Oyama Kato was a “Japanese Judo specialist,” who was
“known better to Amarillo fans as Sesue Oyama.” He used that name in 1952.  Bob
Cummings and Johnny Demchuck captured the Southwest States Tag Team Title from Roy
Shire and Bobby Wallace on May 28 in Borger.  It is apparent that Detton traded talent with
Al Haft of Columbus, Ohio.

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, June 17, 1954
(Sports Arena) … Orville “Cowboy” Carlson b. The Mask (2/3) (Carlson was accompanied
by Dory Funk, while Mask was accompanied by Jack Terry) (both seconds participated in
the match) … Bob Cummings and Johnny Demchuck b. Tommy Martindale and Ray
Stevens (2/3) … Frankie Hill Murdock b. Elmer Larson (15:47) … Billy Weidner b. Jack
Terry (DQ) … (promoter:  Dory Detton) … (referees:  Alex Perez, Larry Wright)

Amarillo, Texas:  Thursday, June 24, 1954
(Sports Arena) … The Mask and Jack Terry b. Cowboy Carlson and Dory Funk (2/3) …
Frankie Hill Murdock and Ray Stevens drew (45:00) (1-1) … Con Bruno and Alex Perez
drew (20:00) … (promoter:  Dory Detton) … (referees:  Billy Weidner, Larry Wright)

Research by Tim Hornbaker
Amarillo Wrestling Results - 1954