Houston TX: January 6, 1956
(City Aud) … Danny McShain beat Pepper Gomez (dq) … Referee: Marvin Jones …
Duke Keomuka vs Luther Lindsey … Joe Christie vs Manuel Cortez … Rocky
Columbo vs Skull Murphy … Dr. Jerry Graham vs Don Evans … Alvaro Velasco vs
Tony Borne

Houston TX: January 13, 1956
(City Aud) … Pepper Gomez beat Danny McShain (as Danny McShane) (2-1) …
Skull Murphy drew Alvaro Velasco (as Alvero Velasco) … Manuel Cortez beat
Don Evans (dq) … Ray Gunkel drew Dr. Jerry Graham … Len Hughes beat Doug
Donovan … Luigi Macera beat Joe Christie (as Joe Christy)

Houston TX: January 27, 1956
(City Aud) … (tournament, winner to meet Lou Thesz) (final) Pepper Gomez
beat Dr. Jerry Graham … (semifinal) Dr. Jerry Graham beat Luigi Macera …
(second round) Dr. Jerry Graham beat Manuel Cortez (dq) … Pepper Gomez beat
Kinji Shibuya (dq) … Luigi Macera beat Don Evans … (first round) Dr. Jerry
Graham beat Clyde Steeves … Kinji Shibuya beat Ray Gunkel … Luigi Macera
beat Danny McShain … NOTE: Results in Houston Chronicle were incomplete

Houston TX: February 3, 1956
(City Aud) … Pepper Gomez beat Kinji Shibuya (2-1, dq) … Danny McShain beat
Rocky Columbo … Len Hughes drew Dr. Jerry Graham … Don Evans beat Clyde
Steeves … Manuel Cortez beat Tiny Mills … Duke Keomuka & Danny McShain vs
Prince Maiava & Luigi Macera … NOTE: Tickets were priced at $2.70, $2.30,
$1.75 & $1.10 with “Reserved Section for Colored Fans” (this was a statewide
practice, and was observed generally throughout the southern states)

Houston TX: February 10, 1956
(City Aud) … Danny McShain beat Bull Curry

Houston TX: February 17, 1956
(City Aud) … Bull Curry beat Danny McShain

Houston TX: February 24, 1956
(City Aud, att. 5,000) … (NWA TITLE BOUT) Lou Thesz* beat Pepper Gomez
(2-1) … Referee: Marvin Jones … Prince Maiava w/Coconut Willie drew Bull
Curry (nc) … Referee: Otto Kuss … Duke Keomuka beat Len Hughes … Danny
McShain beat Jack Bence … Sammy Berg drew Joe Christie

Houston TX: March 9, 1956
(City Aud) … Duke Keomuka & Kinji Shibuya beat Bull Curry & Pepper Gomez
(2-1) … (Bear vs Man) Tarzan the Bear drew Joe Christie … Don Evans drew Ray
Gunkel … Prince Maiava beat Danny McShain (dq) … Sammy Berg beat Skull
Murphy … Bill Savage beat Alvaro Velasco

Houston TX: March 16, 1956
(City Aud) … Don Evans beat Pepper Gomez w/Black Guzman

Houston TX: March 23, 1956
(City Aud) … Pepper Gomez vs Don Evans … Bull Curry vs Sammy Berg … Kinji
Shibuya & Duke Keomuka vs Ray Gunkel & Prince Maiava … Danny McShain vs
Luigi Macera … Bill Savage beat Len Hughes

Houston TX: March 30, 1956
(City Aud) … Pepper Gomez vs Ray Gunkel … (Loser Leaves Town Match) Bull
Curry beat Danny McShain … Cyclone Anaya vs Joe Christie … Don Evans vs
Prince Maiava … Lou Plummer vs Alvaro Velasco … Bill Savage vs Clyde Steeves

Houston TX: April 6, 1956
(City Aud) … Pepper Gomez beat Bull Curry (2-0) … Prince Maiava beat Kinji
Shibuya … Cyclone Anaya beat Don Evans (dq) … Luigi Macera drew George
Drake … Ray (Thunder) Stern beat Joe Christie (dq) … Sammy Berg beat Len
Hughes

Houston TX: April 13, 1956
(City Aud) … (NWA TITLE BOUT) Whipper Billy Watson* beat Pepper Gomez … Ray
Gunkel vs Don Evans … Bull Curry vs Ray (Thunder) Stern … Ramon Torres vs
Joe Christie … Jack Vansky vs Luigi Macera

Houston TX: May 4, 1956
(City Aud) … Pepper Gomez beat Nanjo Singh … Ramon Torres beat Don Evans
(dq) … Ray Gunkel beat Danny Plechas … Mike DiBiase beat Sammy Berg … Luigi
Macera drew Danno McDonald … Joe Christie beat George Drake

Houston TX: May 11, 1956
(City Aud) … (12-Man Tag Team) Pepper Gomez & Luigi Macera & Ramon Torres &
Cowboy Carlson & Danno Mcdonald & Cyclone Anaya vs Don Evans & Mike DiBiase
& Joe Christie & Duke Keomuka & Danny Plechas & Bull Curry … Luigi Macera vs
Don Evans … Pepper Gomez vs Mike DiBiase (as Iron Mike) … Ramon Torres vs
Joe Christie … Cowboy Carlson vs Duke Keomuka … Danno McDonald vs Danny
(Bulldog) Plechas … Cyclone Anaya vs Bull Curry … NOTE: Believed to have
been the first 12-man tag team match … A point system was to be employed,
including the preliminary bouts, with a “$10,000 purse” to be thusly divided

Houston TX: May 18, 1956
(Coliseum) … (NWA TITLE BOUT) Whipper Billy Watson* beat Lou Thesz (2-1) …
NOTE: This was the 40th anniversary card at the Coliseum

Houston TX: June 1, 1956
(City Aud) … Buddy Rogers beat Pepper Gomez

Houston TX: June 8, 1956
(City Aud) … Ramon Torres beat Buddy Rogers (dq)

Houston TX: June 15, 1956
(City Aud) … Buddy Rogers beat Ramon Torres

Houston TX: June 22, 1956
(City Aud) … Buddy Rogers beat Duke Keomuka

Houston TX: June 29, 1956
(City Aud) … Buddy Rogers beat Tom Renesto (as Tony Martin)

Houston TX: July 6, 1956
(City Aud) … Buddy Rogers vs Duke Keomuka

Houston TX: July 13, 1956
(City Aud) … Buddy Rogers beat Gene Kiniski (as Gene Kelly) (dq)

Houston TX: July 20, 1956
(City Aud) … Buddy Rogers & Danny McShain vs Ramon Torres & Chico Casasola

Houston TX: July 27, 1956
(Coliseum, att. 8,000) … Buddy Rogers drew Pepper Gomez (1-1, nc) … (Texas
Tag Title*, Cage Match) Duke Keomuka & Tony Martin beat Mike DiBiase & Danny
Plechas (10:11) … NOTE: Main event was originally given to Rogers on a foul
but, when the crowd threatened to seriously riot, state deputy commissioner
Billy Smith ruled it “no contest’ and held up the Texas state heavyweight
belt … Jerry Woods beat Johnny Valentine (dq) … Larry Chene drew Chico
Casasola … Danny McShain beat Al Kashey … Gene Kiniski (as Gene Kelly) beat
Ramon Torres

Houston TX: August 3, 1956
(Coliseum, att. 7,500) … (Texas Title*) Pepper Gomez beat Buddy Rogers
(2-1) … Gene Kiniski (as Gene Kelly) & Danny McShain & Duke Keomuka & Tony
Martin beat Danny Plechas & Mike DiBiase & John Smith & Al Smith … Gene
Kiniski beat Mike DiBiase … Danny McShain beat Danny Plechas (dq) … Duke
Keomuka beat Al Smith … John Smith drew Tony Martin … Johnny Valentine beat
Len Rossi … Jim LaRock beat Dick Lever

Houston TX: August 10, 1956
(City Aud) … (NWA TITLE BOUT) Whipper Billy Watson* drew Pepper Gomez
(90:00, 1-1) … Buddy Rogers vs Johnny Valentine … Gene Kiniski (as Gene
Kelly) vs Duke Keomuka … Larry Chene vs Danny McShain … Mike DiBiase vs
Robin Hood … Danny Plechas (as The Bulldog) vs Leo Garibaldi

Houston TX: August 17, 1956
(City Aud) … (Texas Title*) Gene Kiniski (as Gene Kelly) & Lenny Montana (as
Len Crosby) w/Count Pietro Rossi beat Pepper Gomez w/Black Guzman & Ray
Gunkel (2-1) … Referee: Marvin Jones … Duke Keomuka & Tony Martin beat Leo
Garibaldi & Larry Chene … Danny McShain drew Chico Casasola … Johnny
Valentine beat Jim LaRock … Al Kashey beat Jack O’Reilly … NOTE: Count
Pietro Rossi, an early ‘30s refugee from a career as a Cleveland boxing
trainer, had been around, off and on, for 20-plus years in the mat business,
serving as the prototypical, interfering, cane-wielding ringside manager …
He had been brought in from California for a series of Houston histrionics

Houston TX: August 24, 1956
(City Aud) … Gene Kiniski (as Gene Kelly) drew Pepper Gomez (nc) … Red
Donovan beat Danny McShain … NOTE: Referee Otto Kuss held up the Texas title
belt

Houston TX: August 31, 1956
(City Aud) … (Texas Title*) Pepper Gomez beat Gene Kiniski (as Gene Kelly)
(2-1) … Referee: Otto Kuss … (Handicap) Jim LaRock beat Franklin Delano
Clarke & Danny LaMadrid … Suni War Cloud beat Johnny Valentine … Lenny
Montana (as Len Crosby) beat Ray Gunkel … Doug Donovan & Red Donovan beat
Leo Garibaldi & Tony Martin … (Handicap) Mighty Hercules beat Jerry Woods …
Mighty Hercules drew Maurice LaPointe

Houston TX: September 7, 1956
(City Aud) … Suni War Cloud vs Lenny Montana (as Len Crosby) … Pepper Gomez
beat Gene Kiniski (as Gene Kelly)

Houston TX: September 14, 1956
(City Aud) … Pepper Gomez beat Lenny Montana (as Len Crosby) … Pepper Gomez
beat Gene Kiniski (as Gene Kelly) … NOTE: Gomez earned right to meet Lou
Thesz

Houston TX: September 21, 1956
(Coliseum) … Pepper Gomez beat Lou Thesz (2-1, cor) … Referee: Otto Kuss …
El Medico beat Larry Chene … Amazing Zuma beat Lenny Montana (as Len
Crosby) … Tiger Conway beat Tex Brady … Stu Gibson drew Herb Freeman … The
Sheik (as Sheik of Araby) beat Cheto Gonzales … NOTE: This was the legendary
El Medico’s Houston debut … after bloodying Chene, he knocked out ringside
TV announcer Paul Boesch in a further display of petulance … Tiger Conway
was said to have won the Texas “colored championship”

Houston TX: September 28, 1956
(City Aud) … Pepper Gomez beat El Medico (2-1, dq) … Referee: Marvin Jones …
Duke Keomuka & Tony Martin beat Herbie Freeman (Herbie Schiff) & Ray
Gunkel … Al Lovelock (as Great Bolo) beat Suni War Cloud … Tiger Conway beat
Emerson Crozier … The Sheik beat Maurice LaPointe … NOTE: El Medico was
taken back to the dressing room in handcuffs by policemen.

Houston TX: October 19, 1956
(City Aud) … (Texas Title*) El Medico beat Pepper Gomez (2-1) … Ray Gunkel &
Jim LaRock beat Tony Martin & Duke Keomuka … Amazing Zuma beat The Sheik
(dq) … Gene Kiniski (as Gene Kelly) beat Suni War Cloud … Stu Gibson drew
Doug Donovan

Houston TX: December 7, 1956
(City Aud) … El Medico beat Pepper Gomez (2-1) … Lee Henning vs Bull Curry …
Duke Keomuka vs El Mortero … Sam Steamboat vs Stu Gibson … Amazing Zuma vs
Maurice Vachon … Tiger Conway vs Red Donovan … NOTE: If not the first
mixed-race match in Houston history, Conway-Donovan was close to it.

Houston TX: December 14, 1956
(NWA TITLE BOUT) Lou Thesz* beat El Medico



Research by J Michael Kenyon
Houston Wrestling Results - 1956