Little Rock Wrestling Results

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, September 6, 1938
(American Legion Stadium) … Dick Trout b. George Ligosky in the finals of a six-man
rassle royal … Red Berry b. Jimmy Lott (21:00) … Danny McShain b. Bob Montgomery
(19:00) … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe) … (referee: Alfred “Lefty” Williams)

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, September 13, 1938
(American Legion Stadium) … Dick Trout b. Gil LaCrosse (boxing match) (Trout won by
knockout in the eighth round) … Danny McShain b. Jimmy Lott (2/3) … Bob Montgomery
b. George Ligosky … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe)
Notes: Montgomery was billed as being from Hot Springs. Trout was from Carbondale,
Illinois.

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, September 20, 1938
(American Legion Stadium) … Danny McShain b. Dick Trout (2/3) (after the match, Trout
knocked McShain out with a punch) … Toots Estes b. Bob Montgomery (2/3) … Bob
Castle b. Eddie Rogers … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe) … (referee: Lefty Williams)

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, September 27, 1938
(American Legion Stadium) … World Light Heavyweight Champion Leroy McGuirk b.
Danny McShain (2/3) … Toots Estes and Dick Trout drew (no falls) … Sugy Hayamaka b.
Bob Castle (DQ) … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe) … (referee: Lefty Williams)

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, October 4, 1938
(American Legion Stadium) … Red Berry and Danny McShain wrestled to a no contest (1-
1) (third fall ended in controversey) (at one point, Berry and McShain brawled in a
dressing room) (fans wanted the wrestlers to continue the match for as long as 30
minutes after the affair ended, but it never happened) … Toto Higami b. Sugy Hayamaka
(2/3) (Japanese jiu-jitsu match) (newspaper said it looked like a “father-and-son act.”) …
Lefty Williams b. Bob Castle (2-0) … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe) … (referee: Eddie
Rogers) … (1,000 fans)
Note: Wolfe was reportedly out of town “on business.”

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, October 11, 1938
(American Legion Stadium) … Danny McShain b. Dick Trout (2-0) (after the match,
McShain and referee Hulsey began punching each other, followed by Trout, and then
some of the fans, leading to a “riot”) … Red Berry b. Toto Higami (2/3) … Sugy
Hayamaka and Eddie Rogers drew (30:00) … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe) … (referee: Joe
Hulsey)

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, October 18, 1938
(The Sportatorium) … Danny McShain b. Leroy McGuirk to capture the “light heavyweight
wrestling championship of the National Wrestling Association,” according to the Arkansas
Gazette) (1-0) (two hour match) (McShain won the only fall in 94 minutes) … Toto Higami
b. Red Berry (DQ) … Allah Pasha b. Eddie Rogers … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe) … (in
attendance: National Wrestling Association President Col. Harry J. Landry)
Notes: This marked the wrestling debut at the Sportatorium, at Markham and Ringo
streets), which had a wrestling capacity of 5,000 fans. McGuirk reportedly won the 175-
pound championship from McShain in Tulsa “early in the year.” It was said that this title
switch was the “first time in the history of wrestling that a national championship changed
hands in a Little Rock ring.” Also, “Col. Harry Landry, president of the NWA was on hand
to present the belt to McShane.” The newspaper said “It was the fourth time in his six
years of professional wrestling that McGuirk had lost the championship. Several months
ago, he lost to Ralph (“Wild Red”) Berry in a championship bout at Tulsa, Okla. Berry
then lost to McShane in California and McGuirk defeated McShane two months ago, to
regain the title.” The newspaper claimed this match was “dull and uninteresting.”

Notes: The December 5, 1938 edition of the Los Angeles Times said that five weeks
before, McShain challenged McGuirk for the title in Little Rock, and after two hours,
McShain had the only fall. From there, he claimed to be the champion. McGuirk
protested to the NWA, which “favored” matches ending with two falls. “The Arkansas
commission seized the belt McGuirk had brought with him awaiting a ruling from the
NWA.” McShain went on the road, claiming the title, while McGuirk lost two falls to Paul
Orth in Hollywood, leaving the latter to claim the championship as well. The NWA ordered
McGuirk and McShain to wrestle for the title, with the winner meeting Orth within 30-days
to settle all disputes.

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, October 25, 1938
(The Sportatorium) … Women’s World Lightweight Champion Clara Mortensen b. Mildred
White (14:00) … Red Berry b. Toots Estes (2/3) … Bob Montgomery b. Ali Pasha (2-0) …
Fritz Kruger b. Leo Mortensen (19:00) … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe) … (referee: Tommy
Freeman) … (in attendance: Mortenson’s parents)
Notes: The Arkansas Gazette stated that Clara Mortensen was trained by her father,
“who wrestled for years under the name of Leo Milo,” and her brother Leo. Mildred White
was trained by her “well-known middleweight” brother, Jack White. “Miss White has not
lost a match in four years of professional wrestling.” Clara was from Glendale, California.

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, November 1, 1938
(The Sportatorium) … World Light Heavyweight Champion Danny McShain b. Red Berry
(2/3) … Bob Montgomery b. Fritz Kruger (2-0) … Toots Estes b. Ali Pasha … (promoter:
Leslie Wolfe) … (referee: Tommy Freeman)
Notes: The McShain-Berry championship match was “endorsed by Col. Harry J. Landry,
NWA President, and Bill Burns, secretary of the state athletic commission,” according to
the Arkansas Gazette. Wolfe wanted to give McGuirk a rematch versus McShain. Berry
reportedly “complained” to officials Burns and Landry to get the bout.

Little Rock, Arkansas: Monday, November 7, 1938
(The Sportatorium) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Sergeant Bob Keneston b.
Bob Montgomery (2/3) … Joe Smolinski b. Toots Estes (2-0) … Ali Pasha b. Bennie
Wilson (2-0) … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe) … (referee: Joe Hulsey)
Notes: The Arkansas Gazette (11/6/1938) stated that Keneston “recently defeated Toots
Estes for the junior heavyweight crown.”

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, November 15, 1938
(The Sportatorium) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Sergeant Bob Keneston b.
Joe Smolinski (2-0) (fans nearly rioted after the first fall) … Women’s World Lightweight
Champion Clara Mortensen b. Mildred White (2-0) … Tony Morelli b. Ali Pasha … Bob
Montgomery b. Leo Mortensen … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe) … (referee: Joe Hulsey)

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, November 22, 1938
(The Sportatorium) … World Junior Heavyweight Champion Sergeant Bob Keneston b.
World Light Heavyweight Champion Danny McShain (2/3) … Tony Morelli b. Eddie
Rogers (Rogers was a substitute for Bob Montgomery, who had a rib injury) … Joe
Smolinski b. Bennie Wilson … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe)
Notes: A disabled war veteran, Soldier Caruso, entertained the audience with songs
prior to the last match. Keneston was expected to win the match because he had a
weight advantage, and was “taller and stronger.”

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, November 29, 1938
(The Sportatorium) … Jesse James b. Tony Morelli (2-0) (James reportedly made an
impact with fans) … Joe Smolinski b. World Junior Heavyweight Champion Sergeant Bob
Keneston (2/3) (non-title match) … Speedy Lawrence and Lefty Williams drew (45:00) (1-
1) … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe)

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, December 6, 1938
(The Sportatorium) … Jesse James b. Speedy Lawrence (2/3) … Frank Stojack b. Joe
Smolinski (2-0) … Bob Montgomery and Lefty Williams drew (45:00) (1-1) … (promoter:
Leslie Wolfe) … (referee: Tommy Freeman)

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, December 13, 1938
(The Sportatorium) … “Wild” Red Berry b. Jesse James (2/3) (James was injured during
the third fall) … Frank Stojack b. Speedy Lawrence (36:00) … Alfred “Lefty” Williams b.
Emir Badui (17:00) … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe)
Notes: The Arkansas Gazette reported that “Berry lost his [ligth heavyweight]
championship to Danny McShain early this year.”

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, December 20, 1938
(The Sportatorium) … “Wild” Red Berry b. Jesse James (2/3) … Frank Stojack b. “Wild”
Bill Zimovich (2-0) … Jose Rodriguez b. Emir Badui (17:00) … (promoter: Leslie Wolfe)
… (referee: Tommy Freeman)

Little Rock, Arkansas: Tuesday, December 27, 1938
(The Sportatorium) … Leroy McGuirk b. Fritz Kreuger in the finals of a Rassle Royal (31:
00) … Larry Tillman b. Ernie Aultman … Frank Stojack b. Jose Rodriguez … (promoter:
Leslie Wolfe) … (referee: Tommy Freeman) … (in attendance: Dale Burnett and Jim
Poole of the New York Giants, NFL football team, who were en route to Los Angeles)
Notes: Tommy Freeman was said to be a “former welterweight boxing champion.” Tillman
was said to be from Muskogee, Oklahoma. The Wednesday, December 28, 1938 edition
of the Arkansas Gazette said the following: “Bill Burns, secretary of the state athletic
commission, said the new junior heavyweight champion recognized by the National
Wrestling Association was Dan Savage of Utah. Savage, well known here, dethroned
Sergt. Bob Keneston, in a match in Toledo, O., recently.”

Research by Tim Hornbaker
July 28, 2007

Little Rock Wrestling Results - 1938