Posted June 30, 20223 yr comment_5984880 History of Pro Wrestling #17 (04:22:31) Matches from April-October 1955 HANS SCHMIDT vs LOU NEWMAN (04/15/1955; NWA Chicago; 00:13:09) Newman wrestled in the U.S., Japan, Australia and Europe. A very good bio on Slam Wrestling. MIGHTY ATLAS vs CARL ENGSTROM (04/15/1955; NWA Chicago; 00:19:50) Carl Engstrom never made it huge in wrestling, but was accomplished amateur wrestler and boxer and a highly-skilled dancer. He taught gymnastics at the Engstrom School of Dance and Acrobatics in Oak Park, Illinois, where one of his pupils was a 7-year old Lanny Poffo, a student of Engstrom’s for three years. He also trained Angelo Poffo in pro wrestling. This Slam Wrestling bio has more information on Engstrom. VERNE GAGNE vs DON LEO JONATHAN (04/15/1955; NWA Chicago; 00:32:42) ANTONINO ROCCA & ROY MCCLARITY vs DON LEO JONATHAN & HANS SCHNABEL (06/10/1955; NWA Chicago; 00:37:38) BILLY DARNELL vs HANS HERMANN (06/10/1955; NWA Chicago; 00:13:27) DICK THE BRUISER vs IVAN RASPUTIN (06/10/1955; NWA Chicago; 00:07:01) Dick the Bruiser was still billed under his real name, Dick Afflis, at this point. GREAT YAMATO vs LEN ROSSI (06/10/1955; NWA Chicago; 00:32:22) Rossi was a major drawing card in Tennessee and Alabama and formed what’s believed to be the first racially-integrated tag team in history with Bearcat Brown. This article has a lot more on Rossi. RIKIDOZAN & AZUMAFUJI vs PRIMO CARNERA & HARDY KRUSKAMP (07/15/1955; JWA International Big Competition; 00:02:47) RIKODOZAN & AZUMAFUJI vs JESSE ORTEGA & BUD CURTIS (07/28/1955; JWA International Big Competition; 00:09:51) DICK THE BRUISER vs CHEST BERNARD (08/26/1955; NWA Chicago; 00:12:53) JUNE BYERS vs PENNY BANNER (08/26/1955; NWA Chicago; 00:14:04) RUDY KAY vs JACK BAUER (08/26/1955; NWA Chicago; 00:18:36) Rudy was a big star in Montreal in the 1960s. RIKIDOZAN vs JESSE ORTEGA (09/07/1955; JWA International Big Competition; 00:04:28) ANGELO POFFO vs MAURICE ROBERRE (10/28/1955; NWA Chicago; 00:17:43) Poffo is of course the father of Lanny, and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. ROSE ROMAN & LORRAINE JOHNSON vs SHIRLEY STRIMPLE & RAMONA TESELLE (10/28/1955; NWA Chicago; 00:36:00)
