1966 Match History
The Assassin vs Luke Brown
1966 Omaha Rankings
March Boxing Illustrated/Wrestling News
(Read Article Here!)
(Read Article Here!)
Wrestling Scout Article
Place in History – Many of the great tag teams came together by happenstance when two individuals were paired up and all the pieces fell into alignment. Jake Smith and Luke Brown were two huge men trying to find their way in the pro-wrestling world. Smith is credited with fashioning their famous country boy personas, the Kentuckians, that got over and drew money across the United States. Rather than work as a typical babyface tag team, they were a pair of unskilled hillbillies wearing plaid shirts, blue jeans and moccasins to the ring and they even changed their in-ring work to look reflect this persona. Their soft-spoken, laid-back personalities and rural backgrounds allowed them to easily live the gimmick outside of the ring. As with any great heroes, they needed great antagonists and found that combination in the Assassins (sometimes known as the Bolos). The marriage was perfect. The Kentuckians were relatable characters to the audience and could use their size and strength to best their foes, but ultimately fell prey to the skill and guile of the Assassins. They built to a hot comeback with a bullhorn being employed to rally the crowd and selling Kentuckian. The other would come in and bump the Assassins all over the ring leading into the finish. The formula was so perfect that it was taken around the US in the 1960s in a way that only a handful of programs have been over the years. The Kentuckians eventually went their own ways with very different paths. Big Boy Brown worked for a few more years but injuries slowed him down and while he struggled to find a place after pro-wrestling, he was well-respected as an affable figure up until his death in 1997. Tiny Smith became better known as Grizzly Smith and became one of the most highly regarded road agents. He was considered a good finish man who mentored and championed many young wrestlers during his time working for Tri-State, Mid-South, WCW and the WWF. Despite this reputation, his less admirable qualities have thoroughly tarnished his name. While many of his peers enjoyed having young ladies on the road, Smith preferred them younger than most and encountered legal problems and has been accused and suspected of sexual abusing his own daughters. Three of children became pro-wrestlers with varying degrees of success, but all had significant demons. Jake “the Snake” Roberts was a huge star in his day, Sam Houston was an excellent worker although undersized by the standards of the 80s and Rockin’ Robin was a successful lady wrestler although her career was brief. Roberts and Robin were largely estranged from Grizz, but his other son lived with him for years in New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina took their home and almost took Smith’s leg. A few years after, Alzheimer’s claimed the once mighty Kentuckian.
Tri-State Wrestling 1966 – Feuds
– April 06, 2019
This week we are going to take a look at the most frequently occurring matchups (I hesitate to call them “feuds” because while many of them were feuds, some appear to be just a series of matches between opponents) in the McGuirk territory in 1966. What were the matchups, over how long a period of time did they occur, which towns did they occur in, and what stipulation matches were used?
When coming up with the matchups on this list, I used two criteria: how may times the matchup was advertised, and where on the card it was. Certainly, a matchup that is always in the main event spot should be given more weight than one that occurred on the mid-card. When I calculate the SPOT ratings for matches, you’ll recall the main event on a specific show gets a 1.000, with matches further down the card getting a lower number (based on the total # of matches on the card involving unique wrestlers). So if we just take the sum of the individual SPOT ratings for a specific matchup, we can rank them in descending order by this sum.
Doing that, here are the matchups with the highest sums:
26.000 The Assassins vs Danny Hodge & Tiny Smith
22.000 The Assassins vs The Kentuckians (Big Boy Brown & Tiny Smith)
20.000 Danny Hodge vs Jack Brisco
16.633 Joe McCarthy vs Lorenzo Parente
12.750 Chris Tolos vs Danny Hodge
12.233 Chris Tolos vs Jerry Kozak
10.000 The Assassins vs Great Matsuda & Krusher Kowalski
9.000 Battleship Johnson & Jack Brisco vs Don Kent & Tor Kamata
9.000 Danny Hodge vs Tor Kamata
8.417 Danny Hodge vs Joe McCarthy
First, I’ll take a look at The Assassins vs The Kentuckians. This feud had already drawn big in a few other territories, but was the first time it happened in this territory. The first matchup occurred on February 18th in Oklahoma City. The following week it was advertised on cards in Tulsa, Little Rock, Springfield and Wichita Falls (the Assassins did not appear on the Wichita Falls card as advertised, with the newspaper saying they were injured in a car accident) before coming back to OKC, this time in what was billed as a Mountaineer match (aka Lumberjack match). The following week, the Mountaineer match took place in Tulsa and Little Rock, plus a regular match in Wichita Falls, and then back to OKC in what was billed as a Battle to the Finish (no time limit, presumably no DQ, and in at least one town it was said the Assassins “posted a $500 bond to ensure they wouldn’t run away”). The Battle to the Finish stipulation also happened the following week in Tulsa, Little Rock and Springfield, plus a Lumberjack match in Wichita Falls. That week’s Oklahoma City card saw them face one another in a Texas Death match, and two days later they had a regular match in Shreveport. The Texas Death match then occurred the following week in Tulsa, Little Rock, Springfield, Wichita Falls and Shreveport. On at least two of the cards with Texas Death matches, they did an injury angle with Big Boy Brown “injuring his ankle”.
So the feud ran for a total of four weeks, with the weeks “beginning” on Friday in Oklahoma City. First week was a regular match, second week was a Mountaineer match, third week was a Battle to the Finish, and the fourth week was a Texas Death match. Where I have results for these matches, the Kentuckians generally won the matches in the first three weeks by various means (count-out, referee’s decision, disqualification, or getting 1 fall of a 2/3 falls match) with the Assassins winning the Texas Death match blowoff. It should also be noted that the feud occurred only in the bigger towns, with Shreveport getting two matches only because they shifted those cards to Sunday instead of its’ regular night of Monday. In addition, the teams faced one another again on December 30th in Oklahoma City (and two days later in Tulsa).
With Big Boy Brown being “injured”, this led directly into the Assassins vs Danny Hodge & Tiny Smith matchups. The first one was March 19th in Oklahoma City, with matches the following week in Tulsa, Little Rock and Springfield before going back to OKC with a “3 out of 5 falls” stipulation instead of the normal 2/3 falls. The 3/5 falls stipulation happened the following week in Tulsa, Little Rock and Springfield, followed by a Falls Count Anyplace in the Arena match in OKC. That stipulation occurred the following week in Tulsa, Little Rock and Springfield, plus a regular match in Wichita Falls which was followed a week later by a 3/5 falls bout. For the next couple of weeks the matchup did not occur in the main towns, but matches between the teams occurred in Joplin and Monroe. In the main towns, a tournament was being held for the vacant US Tag Team titles, which would be won by the Assassins. After winning the titles, they would defend them against Hodge & Smith in Tulsa, Little Rock, Springfield and Wichita Falls, with at least two of those matches having an extended 90 minute time limit. Then on May 20th in Oklahoma City, the teams faced off in a title match with no DQ, no time limit, and the ring enclosed by a steel fence. This match was then repeated in Shreveport, Tulsa, Little Rock, Springfield and Wichita Falls. As with the Assassins vs Kentuckians feud, the babyfaces won most of the early matches in non-clean finishes, and the Assassins won the blowoff series inside the cage.
Just like the Assassins vs Kentuckians matchups, these happened in the same towns pretty much every night of the week, with (generally) the same stipulations in every town each week.
Next on the list is Danny Hodge vs Jack Brisco. This was generally a two-match series, with both matches being 2/3 falls for Hodge’s World Junior Heavyweight title. Most of the time, the first match ended with Brisco being up 1 fall to none when the time limit expired. Thus, Brisco would win the match but not the title. There were several different outcomes in the second match in the series, with the most frequent ones being Hodge winning outright or by countout/default when Brisco would get hurt and couldn’t continue.
Unlike the Assassins-Kentuckians and Assassins-Hodge & Smith matchups, the Hodge-Brisco matchups occurred at different times in different towns. The first match between them was on July 18th in Tulsa, and the final one (for this year at least) on September 28th in Fort Smith. It worked its’ way from the A towns in July and early August to the B towns between mid-August into September.
When coming up with the matchups on this list, I used two criteria: how may times the matchup was advertised, and where on the card it was. Certainly, a matchup that is always in the main event spot should be given more weight than one that occurred on the mid-card. When I calculate the SPOT ratings for matches, you’ll recall the main event on a specific show gets a 1.000, with matches further down the card getting a lower number (based on the total # of matches on the card involving unique wrestlers). So if we just take the sum of the individual SPOT ratings for a specific matchup, we can rank them in descending order by this sum.
Doing that, here are the matchups with the highest sums:
26.000 The Assassins vs Danny Hodge & Tiny Smith
22.000 The Assassins vs The Kentuckians (Big Boy Brown & Tiny Smith)
20.000 Danny Hodge vs Jack Brisco
16.633 Joe McCarthy vs Lorenzo Parente
12.750 Chris Tolos vs Danny Hodge
12.233 Chris Tolos vs Jerry Kozak
10.000 The Assassins vs Great Matsuda & Krusher Kowalski
9.000 Battleship Johnson & Jack Brisco vs Don Kent & Tor Kamata
9.000 Danny Hodge vs Tor Kamata
8.417 Danny Hodge vs Joe McCarthy
First, I’ll take a look at The Assassins vs The Kentuckians. This feud had already drawn big in a few other territories, but was the first time it happened in this territory. The first matchup occurred on February 18th in Oklahoma City. The following week it was advertised on cards in Tulsa, Little Rock, Springfield and Wichita Falls (the Assassins did not appear on the Wichita Falls card as advertised, with the newspaper saying they were injured in a car accident) before coming back to OKC, this time in what was billed as a Mountaineer match (aka Lumberjack match). The following week, the Mountaineer match took place in Tulsa and Little Rock, plus a regular match in Wichita Falls, and then back to OKC in what was billed as a Battle to the Finish (no time limit, presumably no DQ, and in at least one town it was said the Assassins “posted a $500 bond to ensure they wouldn’t run away”). The Battle to the Finish stipulation also happened the following week in Tulsa, Little Rock and Springfield, plus a Lumberjack match in Wichita Falls. That week’s Oklahoma City card saw them face one another in a Texas Death match, and two days later they had a regular match in Shreveport. The Texas Death match then occurred the following week in Tulsa, Little Rock, Springfield, Wichita Falls and Shreveport. On at least two of the cards with Texas Death matches, they did an injury angle with Big Boy Brown “injuring his ankle”.
So the feud ran for a total of four weeks, with the weeks “beginning” on Friday in Oklahoma City. First week was a regular match, second week was a Mountaineer match, third week was a Battle to the Finish, and the fourth week was a Texas Death match. Where I have results for these matches, the Kentuckians generally won the matches in the first three weeks by various means (count-out, referee’s decision, disqualification, or getting 1 fall of a 2/3 falls match) with the Assassins winning the Texas Death match blowoff. It should also be noted that the feud occurred only in the bigger towns, with Shreveport getting two matches only because they shifted those cards to Sunday instead of its’ regular night of Monday. In addition, the teams faced one another again on December 30th in Oklahoma City (and two days later in Tulsa).
With Big Boy Brown being “injured”, this led directly into the Assassins vs Danny Hodge & Tiny Smith matchups. The first one was March 19th in Oklahoma City, with matches the following week in Tulsa, Little Rock and Springfield before going back to OKC with a “3 out of 5 falls” stipulation instead of the normal 2/3 falls. The 3/5 falls stipulation happened the following week in Tulsa, Little Rock and Springfield, followed by a Falls Count Anyplace in the Arena match in OKC. That stipulation occurred the following week in Tulsa, Little Rock and Springfield, plus a regular match in Wichita Falls which was followed a week later by a 3/5 falls bout. For the next couple of weeks the matchup did not occur in the main towns, but matches between the teams occurred in Joplin and Monroe. In the main towns, a tournament was being held for the vacant US Tag Team titles, which would be won by the Assassins. After winning the titles, they would defend them against Hodge & Smith in Tulsa, Little Rock, Springfield and Wichita Falls, with at least two of those matches having an extended 90 minute time limit. Then on May 20th in Oklahoma City, the teams faced off in a title match with no DQ, no time limit, and the ring enclosed by a steel fence. This match was then repeated in Shreveport, Tulsa, Little Rock, Springfield and Wichita Falls. As with the Assassins vs Kentuckians feud, the babyfaces won most of the early matches in non-clean finishes, and the Assassins won the blowoff series inside the cage.
Just like the Assassins vs Kentuckians matchups, these happened in the same towns pretty much every night of the week, with (generally) the same stipulations in every town each week.
Next on the list is Danny Hodge vs Jack Brisco. This was generally a two-match series, with both matches being 2/3 falls for Hodge’s World Junior Heavyweight title. Most of the time, the first match ended with Brisco being up 1 fall to none when the time limit expired. Thus, Brisco would win the match but not the title. There were several different outcomes in the second match in the series, with the most frequent ones being Hodge winning outright or by countout/default when Brisco would get hurt and couldn’t continue.
Unlike the Assassins-Kentuckians and Assassins-Hodge & Smith matchups, the Hodge-Brisco matchups occurred at different times in different towns. The first match between them was on July 18th in Tulsa, and the final one (for this year at least) on September 28th in Fort Smith. It worked its’ way from the A towns in July and early August to the B towns between mid-August into September.
Match History
January 11, 1966 – Edmonton Alberta, Canada – Pavilion
Battle Royal: The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Alexander the Great – Czaya Nandor – Tom Andrews – Rocky Johnson – Dave Ruhl
Fairgrounds Coliseum (The Dirt Palace)
January 15, 1966 – Salt Lake City, UT – Fairgrounds Coliseum
Jake Smith def. The Terror
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def The Mad Russian
Eric The Great def. Al Skinner
Monk Burns def. Bill Boyer
Ox Anderson def Dave Cox
Luke “Big Boy” Brown won a 10-man battle royal
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def The Mad Russian
Eric The Great def. Al Skinner
Monk Burns def. Bill Boyer
Ox Anderson def Dave Cox
Luke “Big Boy” Brown won a 10-man battle royal
Tooele High School Gym – Tooele, UT
January 19, 1966 – Tooele, UT – Tooele High School Gym
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Black Jack Daniels – Monk Burns
January 25, 1966 – Ogden, UT – Golden Spike Coliseum
Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. Black Jack Daniels – Monk Burns
January 27, 1966 – Price, UT – Helper Auditorium
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. Ox Anderson – Ray Burns
January 31, 1966 – Pocatello, ID
Luke Brown – Jake Smith def. Monk Burns – Blackjack Daniels
February 1, 1966 – Little Rock, AR
Boris Managoff def. Luke Brown
Mike Clancy def. Assassin #1
Mike Clancy def. Assassin #1
The Assassins
The Assassins def. Mike Clancy & Ray Gordon
Shrine Mosque – Springfield, MO
February 2, 1966 – Springfield, MO – Shrine Mosque
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. The Assassins
February 3, 1966 – Oregonian Newspaper Article
February 4, 1966 – Oklahoma City, OK
Assassin #1 def. Mike Clancy
The Great Bolo (aka Al Lovelock)
The Assassins def. Mike Clancy – The Great Bolo
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Chuck Karbo – Kurt von Steiger
Lorenzo Parente def. Joe McCarthy
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Chuck Karbo – Kurt von Steiger
Lorenzo Parente def. Joe McCarthy
February 5, 1966 – Oklahoma City, OK – TV
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Boris Managoff – Kurt Steiger
February 7, 1966 – Tulsa, OK
Assassin #1 def. Mike Clancy
Assassin #2 def. The Great Bolo
The Assassins NC Mike Clancy – The Great Bolo
Amazing Zuma def. Joe McCarthy
Assassin #2 def. The Great Bolo
The Assassins NC Mike Clancy – The Great Bolo
Amazing Zuma def. Joe McCarthy
Kurt von Steiger – Chuck Karbo
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Chuck Karbo – Kurt von Steiger
February 7, 1966 – Heber, UT – Wasatch Junior High School Gym (Not sure about this, it seems out of place.)
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. Blackjack Daniels – Otto Anderson
February 8, 1966 – Little Rock, AR
The Assassins vs. Mike Clancy – Great Bolo
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. Chuck Karbo – Kurt von Steiger
Assassin #1 vs. Mike Clancy
Jake Smith vs. Kurt von Steiger
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. Chuck Karbo – Kurt von Steiger
Assassin #1 vs. Mike Clancy
Jake Smith vs. Kurt von Steiger
February 9, 1966 – Springfield, MO – Shrine Mosque
Mike Clancy def. Assassin #1
Assassin #2 def. Ray Gordon
The Assassins def. Mike Clancy – Ray Gordon
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Chuck Karbo – Kurt von Steiger
Assassin #2 def. Ray Gordon
The Assassins def. Mike Clancy – Ray Gordon
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Chuck Karbo – Kurt von Steiger
February 11, 1966 – Oklahoma City TV, OK
Assassin #1 def. Torbellino Blanco
The Assassins def. Torbellino Blanco – Ken Hill
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Boris Managoff – Kurt von Steiger
The Assassins def. Torbellino Blanco – Ken Hill
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Boris Managoff – Kurt von Steiger
February 11, 1966 – Oklahoma City, OK – Stockyard Coliseum
Joe McCarthy vs Lorenzo Parente
Don Kent
Don Kent – Bozo Brown – Boris Managoff vs. The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown
The Assassins vs. Ray Gordon – Al “Great Bolo” Lovelock
The Assassins vs. Ray Gordon – Al “Great Bolo” Lovelock
February 12, 1966 – Oklahoma City TV, OK
Assassin #1 def. Great Bolo
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Frank Hickey – Chuck Karbo
The Assassins def. Bob Clay – Great Bolo
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Frank Hickey – Chuck Karbo
The Assassins def. Bob Clay – Great Bolo
February 13, 1966 – Shreveport, LA (Southern Tag Team Champions)
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. The Red Raiders (Tommy Rollins and Leo Morgan) (C)
February 14, 1966 – Tulsa, OK
Bozo Brown (a.k.a. Frank Hickey) – Boris Managoff – Chuck Karbo vs. The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown
The Assassins vs. Al “Great Bolo” Lovelock – Ray Gordon
Argentina Zuma vs. Lorenzo Parente
The Assassins vs. Al “Great Bolo” Lovelock – Ray Gordon
Argentina Zuma vs. Lorenzo Parente
February 15, 1966 – Little Rock, AR
The Assassins vs. Great Bolo – Lorenzo Parente
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. Frank Hickey – Chuck Karbo – Boris Managoff
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. Frank Hickey – Chuck Karbo – Boris Managoff
February 16, 1966 – Springfield, MO – Shrine Mosque
The Great Bolo def. Assassin #2
Assassin #1 drew Irish Mike Clancy
The Assassins def. Great Bolo – Irish Mike Clancy (DQ)
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Bozo Brown – Chuck Karbo – Kurt von Steiger
Assassin #1 drew Irish Mike Clancy
The Assassins def. Great Bolo – Irish Mike Clancy (DQ)
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Bozo Brown – Chuck Karbo – Kurt von Steiger
February 18, 1966 – Oklahoma City, OK – Stockyard Coliseum
The Assassins
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. The Assassins
Amazing Zuma def. Lorenzo Parente
Ray Gordon def. Boris Managoff
Torbellino Blanco def. Frank Hickey
Jerry Kozak def. Bruce Kirk
Amazing Zuma def. Lorenzo Parente
Ray Gordon def. Boris Managoff
Torbellino Blanco def. Frank Hickey
Jerry Kozak def. Bruce Kirk
Convention Center Arena – Tulsa, OK
February 21, 1966 – Tulsa, OK – Convention Center Arena
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. The Assassins
Joe McCarthy def. Amazing Zuma
Lorenzo Parente def. Jerry Kozak
Ray Gordon def. Boris Managoff
Joe McCarthy def. Amazing Zuma
Lorenzo Parente def. Jerry Kozak
Ray Gordon def. Boris Managoff
February 22, 1966 – Little Rock, AR
The Assassins vs. The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown
Amazing Zuma vs. Joe McCarthy
Jerry Kozak vs. Lorenzo Parente
Amazing Zuma vs. Joe McCarthy
Jerry Kozak vs. Lorenzo Parente
February 23, 1966 – Springfield, MO – Shrine Mosque
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. The Assassins
Torbellino Blanco def. Kurt von Steiger
Ray Gordon def. Boris Managoff
Torbellino Blanco def. Kurt von Steiger
Ray Gordon def. Boris Managoff
February 25, 1966 – Oklahoma City, OK – Stockyards Coliseum
The Assassins def. The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown
Joe McCarthy def. Amazing Zuma
Lorenzo Parente def. Jerry Kozak
Ray Gordon def. Chuck Karbo
Mike Clancy def. Boris Managoff
Joe McCarthy def. Amazing Zuma
Lorenzo Parente def. Jerry Kozak
Ray Gordon def. Chuck Karbo
Mike Clancy def. Boris Managoff
February 28, 1966 – Tulsa, OK – Convention Center Arena
The Assassins def. The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown
Joe McCarthy vs. Lorenzo Parente
Ray Gordon vs. Pedro Zapata
Bruce Kirk vs. Boris Managoff
Joe McCarthy vs. Lorenzo Parente
Ray Gordon vs. Pedro Zapata
Bruce Kirk vs. Boris Managoff
March 6, 1966 – Shreveport, LA – Municipal Auditorium
Paper from March 13, but it refers to the Assassins vs. The Kentuckians on Sunday, March 6. Over 3,000 attended.
March 9, 1966 – Springfield, MO – Shrine Mosque
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. The Assassins
Stockyards Coliseum – Oklahoma City, OK
March 11, 1966 – Oklahoma City, OK – Stockyards Coliseum
The Assassins vs. The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown
March 13, 1966 – Shreveport, LA – Municipal Auditorium (3,900 attend.)
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. The Assassins (DQ)
March 16, 1966 – Springfield, MO – Shrine Mosque
The Assassins def. The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown
Shreveport Municipal Auditorium – Shreveport, LA
March 20, 1966 – Shreveport, LA – Municipal Auditorium
The Kentuckians: Tiny Anderson – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. The Assassins
March 23, 1966 – Springfield, MO – Shrine Mosque
March 28, 1966 – Omaha, NE – KETV
Verne Gagne def Jim Wehba
Haru Sasaki def John Dante
Haru Sasaki def John Dante
Stan Pulaski
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def Stan Pulaski
Mad Dog Vachon def Kenny Mack
Mad Dog Vachon def Kenny Mack
March 31, 1966 – Mankato, MN
Reggie Parks – the Crusher def AWA Tag Team Champions Larry Hennig – Harley Race (DQ)
Chris Markoff
Luke “Big Boy” Brown drew Chris Markoff
Dale Lewis def Chris Tolos (DQ)
Dale Lewis def Chris Tolos (DQ)
April 2, 1966 – Omaha, NE – Civic Auditorium (att. 3,526)
Texas Death Match
AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon def Haru Sasaki
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def Mad Russian Stan Pulaski
Mighty Igor Vodik def Mitsu Arakawa
Tim Woods def Ivan Kalmikoff
Billy Red Cloud drew Pat O’Connor (sub Bob Geigel)
AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon def Haru Sasaki
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def Mad Russian Stan Pulaski
Mighty Igor Vodik def Mitsu Arakawa
Tim Woods def Ivan Kalmikoff
Billy Red Cloud drew Pat O’Connor (sub Bob Geigel)
Sioux City Municipal Auditorium – Sioux City, IA
April 5, 1966 – Sioux City, IA – Sioux City Auditorium
Danny Hodges
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Danny Hodge def. Haru Sasaki – Stan Pulaski
April 9, 1966 – Charlotte, NC – Newspaper Article
April 9, 1966 – Omaha, NE – Civic Auditorium (att. 3,023)
Mad Dog Vachon
AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon def Luke “Big Boy” Brown (DQ)
Mighty Igor Vodik – Mr.Wrestling Tim Woods – Billy Red Cloud def Haru Sasaki – Tor Kamata – Oki Shikina
Mad Russian Stan Pulaski def Ivan Kalmikoff
Mr.Wrestling Tim Woods def Oki Shikina
Mighty Igor Vodik – Mr.Wrestling Tim Woods – Billy Red Cloud def Haru Sasaki – Tor Kamata – Oki Shikina
Mad Russian Stan Pulaski def Ivan Kalmikoff
Mr.Wrestling Tim Woods def Oki Shikina
April 12, 1966 – Sioux City, IA – Sioux City Auditorium
AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon def Mighty Igor Vodik (DQ)
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods def Mad Russian Stan Pulaski – Haru Sasaki
Butcher Vachon def Ivan Kalmikoff
Billy Red Cloud def Jim Wehba
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods def Mad Russian Stan Pulaski – Haru Sasaki
Butcher Vachon def Ivan Kalmikoff
Billy Red Cloud def Jim Wehba
City Auditorium – Fremont, NE
April 13, 1966 – Fremont, NE – City Auditorium
Billy Red Cloud – Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. Haru Sasaki – Stan Pulaski
April 13, 1966 – Springfield, MO – Shrine Mosque (I don’t know how to reconcile this with Fremont, NE. I have articles from both places. I’m assuming Springfield is accurate and he had to miss Fremont.)
The Kentuckians: Tiny Smith – Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Danny Hodge vs. The Assassins – Joe McCarthy
April 18, 1966 – KETV – Omaha, NE
Dale Lewis def Frank Hickey
Stan Pulaski def Bob Hart
Butcher Vachon def The Great Dane
Stan Pulaski def Bob Hart
Butcher Vachon def The Great Dane
“Mighty” Igor Vodik
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Igor Vodik def Dale Jones – Ken Mack
Pershing Auditorium – Lincoln, NE
April 20, 1966 – Lincoln, NE – Pershing Auditorium
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Igor Vodik def. Haru Sasaki – Stan Pulaski
April 23, 1966 – Civic Auditorium – Omaha, NE (att. 2,873)
Paul “Butcher” Vachon
One of my earliest memories is of my father taking my mom and I to visit with Paul Vachon in a Silver Bullet, (AirStream) where he and his family were staying. This was against the rules since my father was a “baby face” and Mr. Vachon was a “heel”. I just remember hanging out with them.
One of my earliest memories is of my father taking my mom and I to visit with Paul Vachon in a Silver Bullet, (AirStream) where he and his family were staying. This was against the rules since my father was a “baby face” and Mr. Vachon was a “heel”. I just remember hanging out with them.
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def Paul ‘Butcher’ Vachon
Dale Lewis def Igor Vodik
Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods drew Mad Russian Stan Pulaski
Haru Sasaki def Billy Red Cloud
Dale Lewis def Igor Vodik
Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods drew Mad Russian Stan Pulaski
Haru Sasaki def Billy Red Cloud
April 25, 1966 – KETV – Omaha, NE
Dale Lewis def Eddie Sharkey
Stan Pulaski def Frankie Hester
Butcher Vachon drew Tim Woods
Stan Pulaski def Frankie Hester
Butcher Vachon drew Tim Woods
Danny Plechas
Igor Vodik – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def Ray Burns – Danny Plechas
April 26, 1966 – Sioux City, IA – Sioux City Auditorium
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Stan Pulaski
April 27, 1966 – Beatrice, NE – City Auditorium
Dale Lewis def. Ivan Kalmikoff
Tim Woods drew Haru Sasaki
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Igor Vodik def. Paul Vachone – Mad Russian
Tim Woods drew Haru Sasaki
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Igor Vodik def. Paul Vachone – Mad Russian
May 2, 1966 – KETV – Omaha, NE
Kenny Mack
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Verne Gagne def Kenny Mack – Danny Plechas
Stan Pulaski – Butcher Vachon def The Great Dane – Jim Wehba
Dale Lewis def Bob Hart
Stan Pulaski – Butcher Vachon def The Great Dane – Jim Wehba
Dale Lewis def Bob Hart
May 4, 1966 – Lincoln, NE – Pershing Auditorium
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def. Paul Vachon – Stan Pulaski
May 6, 1966 – Civic Auditorium – Omaha, NE (1,771 attend.)
Verne Gagne
Verne Gagne – Luke “Big Boy” Brown def Paul Vachon – Stan Pulaski
Dale Lewis def Reggie Parks
Tim Woods def Haru Sasaki
Billy Red Cloud drew “Bull Dog” Plechas
Dale Lewis def Reggie Parks
Tim Woods def Haru Sasaki
Billy Red Cloud drew “Bull Dog” Plechas
May 9, 1966 – KETV – Omaha, NE
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def The Great Dane – Danny Plechas
Dale Lewis – Stan Pulaski def Bobby Hart – Frankie Hester
Butcher Vachon def Ken Mack
Dale Lewis – Stan Pulaski def Bobby Hart – Frankie Hester
Butcher Vachon def Ken Mack
May 10, 1966 – Sioux City, IA – Sioux City Auditorium
Reggie Parks vs. Stan Pulaski
Haru Sasaki vs. Lee Hennig
Reggie Parks – Tim Woods vs. Dale Lewis – Stan Pulaski
Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. Paul “The Butcher” Vachone
Haru Sasaki vs. Lee Hennig
Reggie Parks – Tim Woods vs. Dale Lewis – Stan Pulaski
Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. Paul “The Butcher” Vachone
May 11, 1966 – Beatrice, NE – City Auditorium
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def. Haru Sasaki – Stan Pulaski
May 13, 1966 – Columbus, NE
Haru Sasaki def. Bob Hart
Dale Lewis def Jack Pesek
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def Danny Plechas – Stan Pulaski
Dale Lewis def Jack Pesek
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def Danny Plechas – Stan Pulaski
May 14, 1966 – Civic Auditorium – Omaha, NE (att. 1,803)
Dale Lewis
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def Dale Lewis
Tim Woods def Paul Vachone
Stan Pulaski def Jack Pesek
Haru Sasaki drew Jerry Kozak
Tim Woods def Paul Vachone
Stan Pulaski def Jack Pesek
Haru Sasaki drew Jerry Kozak
May 16, 1966 – KETV – Omaha, NE
Butcher Vachon def Bob Hart
Dale Lewis def Jim Wehba
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def Kenny Mack – Danny Plechas
Verne Gagne def Frank Altman
Dale Lewis def Jim Wehba
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def Kenny Mack – Danny Plechas
Verne Gagne def Frank Altman
May 18, 1966 – Lincoln, NE – Pershing Auditorium
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods vs. Paul Vachone – Dale Lewis
May 23, 1966 – KETV – Omaha, NE
Dale Lewis – Stan Pulaski def Bob Hart – Danny Plechas
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def Chuck Karbo – Kenny Mack
Little Brutus def Little Beaver
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def Chuck Karbo – Kenny Mack
Little Brutus def Little Beaver
May 24, 1966 – Sioux City, IA – Sioux City Auditorium
Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. Haru Sasaki
May 26, 1966 – Omaha Newspaper Article
May 28, 1966 – Omaha, NE – Civic Auditorium (att. 2,582)
Mad Dog Vachon
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon (DQ)
Midwest Tag Team Champions Dale Lewis – Mad Russian Stan Pulaski def Jack Pesek – Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods
Jamaica Kid – Little Beaver def Little Brutus – Sky Low Low
Midwest Tag Team Champions Dale Lewis – Mad Russian Stan Pulaski def Jack Pesek – Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods
Jamaica Kid – Little Beaver def Little Brutus – Sky Low Low
May 30, 1966 – KETV – Omaha, NE
Dale Lewis – Stan Pulaski def Kenny Mack – Danny Plechas
Mad Dog Vachon def Ramon Zavalla
Mad Dog Vachon def Ramon Zavalla
Frank Altman
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def Frank Altman – Chuck Karbo
June 1, 1966 – Lincoln, NE – Pershing Auditorium
Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. Haru Sasaki
June 4, 1966 – Civic Auditorium – Omaha, NE (att. 1,575) (Midwest Tag Team Champs)
Midwest Tag Title Match
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def Dale Lewis – Stan Pulaski for the Tag Team Title
Ernie Ladd def Haru Sasaki
Ron Reed drew Jack Pesek
Reggie Parks drew Paul “Butcher” Vachon
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def Dale Lewis – Stan Pulaski for the Tag Team Title
Ernie Ladd def Haru Sasaki
Ron Reed drew Jack Pesek
Reggie Parks drew Paul “Butcher” Vachon
June 6, 1966 – KETV – Omaha, NE (Midwest Tag Team Champions)
Dale Lewis def Frank Altman
Haru Sasaki def Chuck Karbo
Haru Sasaki def Chuck Karbo
Guy Taylor
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods (C) def Al Perez – Guy Taylor
June 9, 1966 – Sioux City, IA – Sioux City Auditorium (Midwest Tag Team Champions)
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. The Alaskan
June 11, 1966 – Civic Auditorium – Omaha, NE (Midwest Tag Team Champs)
Midwest Tag Team Championship
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def Dale Lewis – Stan Pulaski
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods def Dale Lewis – Stan Pulaski
June 15, 1966 – Civic Auditorium – Omaha, NE
“Iron Mike” DiBiase vs. “Cowboy Bob” Ellis
Dale Lewis vs. The Avenger
Dale Lewis vs. The Avenger
“Handsome” Harley Race
Luke “Big Boy” Brown vs. “Handsome” Harley Race
Doug Gilbert vs. Vic Rossi
Doug Gilbert vs. Vic Rossi
June 16, 1966 – Sioux Falls, SD – Coliseum
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def. Bulldog Plechas
June 18, 1966 – Civic Auditorium – Omaha, NE (att. 3,225)
I remember watching video of this match at home. Dad was DQ’d because he wouldn’t break. As they were lifting him out of the cage with some sort of crane he kept jumping off of the seat back into the ring to keep beating on Dale Lewis. The fans were going crazy. And people wonder why I’m so weird!!
Main Event Cage Match
Dale Lewis def Luke “Big Boy” Brown (DQ)
Tim Woods – Reg Parks def Mad Dog – Butcher Vachon (DQ)
Haruo Sasaki def Bobby Hart
Tim Woods drew Butcher Vachon
Dale Lewis def Luke “Big Boy” Brown (DQ)
Tim Woods – Reg Parks def Mad Dog – Butcher Vachon (DQ)
Haruo Sasaki def Bobby Hart
Tim Woods drew Butcher Vachon
June 22, 1966 – Lincoln, NE – Pershing Auditorium (Midwest Tag Team Champions)
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods (C) vs. Mad Dog Vachon – Paul Vachon
June 23, 1966 – Sioux City, IA – Sioux City Auditorium (1,837 attend.) AWA Heavyweight Title Match
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon (DQ)
Dale Lewis def Billy Red Cloud
Mr.Wrestling Tim Woods def Bulldog Danny Plechas
Jack Pesek drew Haru Sasaki
Dale Lewis def Billy Red Cloud
Mr.Wrestling Tim Woods def Bulldog Danny Plechas
Jack Pesek drew Haru Sasaki
July 4, 1966 – KETV – Omaha, NE (Midwest Tag Team Champions)
Dale Lewis def Morris Weeks
Haru Sasaki
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods (C) def Haru Sasaki – Ramon Zavalza
Stan Pulaski def Frankie Hester
Tim Woods def Carlos Colon
Stan Pulaski def Frankie Hester
Tim Woods def Carlos Colon
July 4, 1966 – Sioux City, IA – Sioux City Auditorium
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def Chris Markoff
Mr.Wrestling Tim Woods def Dale Lewis
Mad Russian Stan Pulaski def Carlos Colon
Ron Reed drew Haru Sasaki
Mr.Wrestling Tim Woods def Dale Lewis
Mad Russian Stan Pulaski def Carlos Colon
Ron Reed drew Haru Sasaki
July 6, 1966 – The Southeast Missourian Advertisemen
“Robert McMorris recorded this “street scene” in hi Omaha Evening World Herald column: “A tiny Volkswagen wheels to a stop at the curb and out of it steps non other than Big Luke Brown, a bearded, long-haired rassler who stands 6 feet 8 inches and weighs 360 pounds.” Early VW trips for Brown included a 200-mile drive with his “rassling partner,” Tim Woods, who tips the scales at 232. “That’s nothing,” McMorris quotes Big Luke as saying. “Yesterday I took three of my friends for a spin” The friends were Tony Oddo, 38 pounds; Nick Nicotero, 31, and Lou Brunetti, 322.”
July 6, 1966 – Sioux City, IA – Advertisement
Hey kids . . . . bring mom and pop to Bellas Hess Thursday, July 7, 6:30 p.m. to meet your favorite
July 7, 1966 – Sioux City, IA – Sioux City Auditorium
Luke “Big Boy” Brown def Chris Markoff
Mr Wrestling Tim Woods def Dale Lewis
Mad Russian Stan Pulaski def Carlos Colon
Ron Reed drew Haru Sasaki
Mr Wrestling Tim Woods def Dale Lewis
Mad Russian Stan Pulaski def Carlos Colon
Ron Reed drew Haru Sasaki
Rosenblatt Stadium – Omaha, NE
July 9, 1966 – Omaha, NE – Rosenblatt Stadium (1,572 attend.)
Main Event Lumberjack Match
Dale Lewis def Luke “Big Boy” Brown
Tim Woods def Alex Perez
Stan “The Mad Russian” Pulaski drew Ron Reed
Jack Pesek def Haruo Sasaki (DQ)
Dale Lewis def Luke “Big Boy” Brown
Tim Woods def Alex Perez
Stan “The Mad Russian” Pulaski drew Ron Reed
Jack Pesek def Haruo Sasaki (DQ)
July 11, 1966 – KETV – Omaha, NE (Midwest Tag Team Champs)
Stan Pulaski def Ramon Zavalza
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods (C) def Alex Perez – Danny Plechas
Bobby Hart – Frankie Hester def Dale Lewis – Harley Race (DQ)
Ron Reed def Roberto Gonzalez
Luke “Big Boy” Brown – Tim Woods (C) def Alex Perez – Danny Plechas
Bobby Hart – Frankie Hester def Dale Lewis – Harley Race (DQ)
Ron Reed def Roberto Gonzalez
July 14, 1966 – Sioux Falls, SD – Coliseum (1,250 attend.) (Midwest Tag Team Champs)
Midwest Tag Team Champions: Luke “Big Boy” Brown & Tim Woods (C) def. Mad Russian Stan Pulaski & Haru Sasaki 2/3
1. Brown & Woods won 1st fall
2. Pulaski & Sasaki won 2nd fall
3. Brown & Woods won 3rd fall in under 5 minutes
Dale Lewis def. Doug Gilbert 2/3
Ron Reed def. Bulldog Danny Plechas
Tim Woods def. Mad Russian Stan Pulaski DQ
Dale Lewis offered $1,000 to any spectator to stay in the ring for 20 minutes
Dale Lewis pinned spectator Howard Homan of Adrian, MN in 4:44
1. Brown & Woods won 1st fall
2. Pulaski & Sasaki won 2nd fall
3. Brown & Woods won 3rd fall in under 5 minutes
Dale Lewis def. Doug Gilbert 2/3
Ron Reed def. Bulldog Danny Plechas
Tim Woods def. Mad Russian Stan Pulaski DQ
Dale Lewis offered $1,000 to any spectator to stay in the ring for 20 minutes
Dale Lewis pinned spectator Howard Homan of Adrian, MN in 4:44