Chattanooga Wrestling Results

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, March 4, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … The [Masked] Boom Boom b. Ralph Garibaldi .. Roland
Kirchmeyer b. Dorv Roche … Rudy Strongberg b. Tiny Ruff (Ruff was a substitute for Nick
Elitch) … (promoter: Tom Humphreys) … (referee: William “Bill” Crusselle)
Notes: Crusselle was from the “state highway department,” and “has had some 13 years
experience as a wrestler and referee.” Elitch was “alleged to have been drafted. The
report that Nick has been called into service is the first inkling that the army is now taking
men over 50 years of age. Provided the report is true, which we hasten to doubt”
according to the Chattanooga News-Free Press.

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, March 11, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … Boom Boom vs. Dorv Roche … John Mauldin vs. Rudy
Strongberg … Charley Hardin vs. Roland Kirchmeyer … (promoter: Tom Humphreys)
Note: Roche unmasked Boom Boom during this show, revealing Don Lee.

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, March 18, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … Dorv Roche b. Don Lee (2-0) … George Pavich b. Dick Lever …
Rudy Strongberg b. Al Massey (DQ) … (promoter: Tom Humphreys)
Note: No show next week.

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, April 1, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … Joe Cox and Ralph Garibaldi vs. Joe Pavich and Rudy
Strongberg (team match) … Black Panther vs. Al Massey … Roland Kirchmeyer vs. John
Mauldin … (promoter: Tom Humphreys)

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, April 8, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … Al Massey vs. Rudy Strongberg (Massey was a substitute for Jim
Poole) … Dorv Roche b. Roland Kirchmeyer (after the match, Kirchmeyer smashed the
promoter Humphreys) … The Black Panther (masked) vs. Ralph Garibaldi … (promoter:
Tom Humphreys)
Note: Garibaldi was a “favorite with the fans.”

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, April 15, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … The Black Panther b. Roland Kirchmeyer (2/3) … Ralph Garibaldi
and Dorv Roche b. Cowboy Luttrall and Al Massey (2/3) (team match) … John Maudlin b.
Martin Sacks … (promoter: Tom Humphreys)
Note: Kirchmeyer was said to be from Wildwood, Georgia.

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, April 22, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … The Black Panther b. Cowboy Luttrall (2/3) … Ronnie Etchison b.
George Pavich (2/3) … Roland Kirchmeyer b. Rudy Strongberg … (Promoter: Tom
Humphreys) … (referee: Ed Henegar)
Notes: Heneger was a “former gridiron great at City High School.” He was on furlough from
the Coast Guard.

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, April 29, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … Black Panther and Cowboy Luttrall vs. Ralph Garibaldi and
George Pavich … Roland Kirchmeyer vs. Rudy Strongberg … Joe Estes vs. John Mauldin
… (promoter: Tom Humphreys) … (referee: Ed Henegar)

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, May 6, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … Black Panther vs. Ronnie Etchison … Prince Badui vs. John
Pavich … Ralph Garibaldi vs. Rudy Strongberg … (promoter: Tom Humphreys)

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, May 13, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … Dorv Roche b. The Black Panther (2/3) (Panther was unmasked
to be Al Mills) … Ronnie Etchison and Rudy Strongberg drew (Strongberg was a substitute
for George Pavich) … Ralph Garibaldi b. Bill Crussell (Crussell was a substitute for
Strongberg) … (promoter: Tom Humphreys) … (referee: Bill Crussell)
Note: Mills was said to be “an unknown to Chattanooga mat fans.”

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, May 20, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … The Golden Terror vs. Roy Graham … Bad Boy Brown vs. Ralph
Garibaldi … “Sailor” Fred Blassie vs. John Mauldin … (promoter: Tom Humphreys)
Notes: The Chattanooga News-Free Press, on May 19, 1943, talked about the Golden
Terror. “In private life, he’s just a big over-grown country boy who minds his own business
and enjoys living." Terror had not been in the city for four months and “is regarded as the
best box-office attraction uncovered by the profession in many years.”

Chattanooga. Tennessee: Wednesday, May 26, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … Roland Kirchmeyer b. John Granavich … “Sailor” Fred Blassie b.
Rudy Strongberg … Ralph Garibaldi and Roy Graham drew … (promoter: Tom
Humphreys)
Notes: The newspaper said “if a match is in progress when the balckout goes on, time will
be called until the all-clear signal is sounded. Except for this fact, the blackout will not
interfere with the show. Promoter Humphreys was going to bring Tony Galento to town on
June 7 and wanted to pit The Golden Terror against him. The specifics had not yet been
worked out, but soon would be.

*The Thursday, June 3, 1943 edition of the Chattanooga newspaper stated that Galento
was due in town “this afternoon” with his manager Willie Gilzenberg and his sparring
partners. “Meanwhile, an investigation of the Galento-Katz fight in Tampa is being
conducted. However, any action of the Tampa Boxing Commission will not affect the status
of the fight here because Florida is not affiliated with the National Boxing Association.” In
Tampa, Galento knocked out Herbie Katz in 25 seconds.

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, June 3, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … Ralph Garibaldi and Dorv Roche vs. Cowboy Luttrall and Al Mills
(2/3) (tag team match) … Roy Graham vs. John Granavich (2/3) … “Sailor” Fred Blassie
vs. Roland Kirchmeyer … (promoter: Tom Humphreys)
Note: This was the first “tag team match ever shown here at the Memorial Auditorium.”

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Monday, June 7, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … Tony Galento b. The Golden Terror (TKO in the third round) (10
round boxing exhibition) (referee stopped the fight) … Owen Gilpin b. Lloyd Barnett (1:59)
(second round) (boxing) … James Pierce b. Rufus Armour (1:30) (fourth round) (boxing)
… George Drake b. Kid Lightning (45 seconds) (fourth round) (boxing) … Hugh Gordon b.
Bubbie Walker (four rounds) (boxing) … Frank Smith b. Erwin Tennyson (four rounds)
(boxing) … (promoter: Tom Humphreys) … (referees: Jimmy Grunet, Troy Wilson)
Notes: The Golden Terror was said to have never been knocked out in either boxing or
wrestling. After losing the match, Terror said that he was able to continue when the
referee halted the fight. In the June 8 edition of the Chattanooga News-Free Press, E.T.
Bales, in his column “Sideline Slants,” slammed the show, saying that the Galento-Terror
“was no fight.” He said that it was a “farce,” calling it “a plain unadulterated exhibition in
which one guy chased in on his reputation as an alleged fighter and other grasped the
opportunity to make a few dollars.”

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, June 10, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Bill Longson vs. Dorv Roche
… Roy Graham vs. John Mauldin … Charley Harbin vs. Al Mills … (promoter: Tom
Humphreys)
Note: Longson was called a “protégé of Pete Sauer, former world champion and a willing
mixer.”

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, June 17, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … Cowboy Luttrell and Al Mills vs. Roy Graham and Dorv Roche
(tag team match) … John Granavich vs. Ralph Garibaldi … Joe Estes vs. John Mauldin …
(promoter: Tom Humphreys)
Notes: The tag team match, the “second of its kind ever seen in Chattanooga,” was
returning to the Memorial Auditorium. The first “tag match offered here” was “some two or
three weeks ago.”

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, June 24, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … Al Mills b. Roy Graham (2/3) … John Granavich b. Dorv Roche
(DQ) … Roland Kirchmeyer b. John Mauldin … (promoter: Tom Humphreys) … (referee:
Bill Cruselle)
Note: Cruselle was a “former Atlanta wrestler.”

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Thursday, July 1, 1943
(Memorial Auditorium) … Karl Davis vs. John Granavich … Roland Kirchmeyer vs. Babe
Zaharias … Ralph Garibaldi vs. John Mauldin (Mauldin was a substitute for Dorv Roche) …
(promoter: Tom Humphreys) … (referee: Jimmy Grunett)

Research by Tim Hornbaker
September 29, 2007

Chattanooga Wrestling Results - 1943