The McGuirk/Watts Wrestling Almanac - Chapter 8 (Q3 1961)
Welcome to Chapter 8 of The McGuirk/Watts Wrestling Almanac, an in-depth data-driven look at the wrestling territory run by Leroy McGuirk (and later, Bill Watts). The territory is most commonly known as Tri-State Wrestling and/or Mid-South Wrestling, though neither of those names were actually used until September 1979 when Watts split from McGuirk.
Each chapter covers a three-month period of time and will list our exclusive statistics:
1) SPOT (Statistical Position Over Time) Ratings, which measure a wrestlers average position on the cards
2) FEUD (Frequent Encounters Using Data) Scores, which measure the frequency and breadth of a series of matches between the same wrestlers (or tag teams)
In addition, we list the advertised lineups for all known house shows in the territory during the time period, along with an index of newcomers and other wrestlers (special attractions, women, midgets, etc) that passed through the territory.
Previous chapters:
Chapter 1 (Q4 1959)
Chapter 2 (Q1 1960)
Chapter 3 (Q2 1960)
Chapter 4 (Q3 1960)
Chapter 5 (Q4 1960)
Each chapter covers a three-month period of time and will list our exclusive statistics:
1) SPOT (Statistical Position Over Time) Ratings, which measure a wrestlers average position on the cards
2) FEUD (Frequent Encounters Using Data) Scores, which measure the frequency and breadth of a series of matches between the same wrestlers (or tag teams)
In addition, we list the advertised lineups for all known house shows in the territory during the time period, along with an index of newcomers and other wrestlers (special attractions, women, midgets, etc) that passed through the territory.
Previous chapters:
Chapter 1 (Q4 1959)
Chapter 2 (Q1 1960)
Chapter 3 (Q2 1960)
Chapter 4 (Q3 1960)
Chapter 5 (Q4 1960)
Chapter 6 (Q1 1961)
ADVERTISED LINEUPS FOR ALL KNOWN HOUSE SHOWS
6/26/61 Tulsa, OK (Cimarron Arena)
One night tag team tournament for the vacant Southwest tag team titles featuring Baby Blimp & Bruiser Collins, Bob Boyer & Pepper Martin, Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo, Jack Curtis Jr & Mike Clancy, Joe McCarthy & Nelson Royal and Oni Wiki Wiki & Tiny Smith
6/27/61 Little Rock, AR (Robinson Auditorium)
Ring surrounded by wire fence: Great Bolo vs Tiny Smith
Bruiser Collins vs Mike Clancy
Jack Curtis Jr vs Joe McCarthy
6/28/61 Fort Smith, AR (Sports Arena)
Bruiser Collins vs Jack Curtis Jr
Joe McCarthy vs Red McKim
6/28/61 Springfield, MO (Shrine Mosque)
Baby Blimp & Ken Hill & Nelson Royal vs Bob Clay & Danny Hodge & Tiny Smith
Danny Hodge vs Nelson Royal
Baby Blimp vs Tiny Smith
Bob Clay vs Ken Hill
6/29/61 New Orleans, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo vs Mike Clancy & Oni Wiki Wiki
Al Galento vs Bob Boyer
Great Bolo vs Mike Clancy
Mighty Bolo vs Oni Wiki Wiki
6/29/61 Wichita Falls, TX (4-H Arena)
Danny Hodge vs Nelson Royal
Bruiser Collins & Joe McCarthy vs Jack Curtis Jr & Tiny Smith
Joe McCarthy vs Tiny Smith
6/30/61 Oklahoma City, OK (Stockyards Coliseum)
Danny Hodge & Mike Clancy vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Baby Blimp vs Nelson Royal
Bruiser Collins vs Jack Curtis Jr
Joe McCarthy vs Oni Wiki Wiki
7/3/61 Shreveport, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Jack Curtis Jr vs Nelson Royal
Judy Grable vs Rita Cortez
Baby Blimp vs Oni Wiki Wiki
7/3/61 Stillwell, OK (National Guard Armory)
Danny Hodge & Vicki Page vs Fabulous Moolah & Hassan Bey
Fabulous Moolah vs Vicki Page
Danny Hodge vs Hassan Bey
7/3/61 Tulsa, OK (Cimarron Arena)
Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo vs Mike Clancy & Red McKim
Baby Cheryl vs Darling Dagmar
Bob Boyer vs Corsica Joe
Bruiser Collins vs Joe McCarthy
7/4/61 Little Rock, AR (Robinson Auditorium)
Great Bolo vs Mike Clancy
Baby Cheryl & Fabulous Moolah vs Darling Dagmar & Vicki Page
Hassan Bey vs Jack Curtis Jr
7/5/61 Fort Smith, AR (Sports Arena)
Bruiser Collins & Rita Cortez vs Jack Curtis Jr & Judy Grable
Bruiser Collins vs Jack Curtis Jr
Judy Grable vs Rita Cortez
7/5/61 Springfield, MO (Shrine Mosque)
NWA World Junior Heavyweight title: Danny Hodge vs Nelson Royal
Baby Cheryl & Vicki Page vs Darling Dagmar & Fabulous Moolah
Corsica Joe vs Red McKim
7/6/61 New Orleans, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Great Bolo vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Baby Blimp vs Mike Clancy
Bob Boyer vs Hassan Bey
7/6/61 Wichita Falls, TX (4-H Arena)
Jack Curtis Jr vs Nelson Royal
Baby Cheryl & Vicki Page vs Darling Dagmar & Fabulous Moolah
Corsica Joe vs Red McKim
7/7/61 Oklahoma City, OK (Stockyards Coliseum)
Danny Hodge & Mike Clancy vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Baby Cheryl & Vicki Page vs Darling Dagmar & Fabulous Moolah
Bob Boyer vs Hassan Bey
Corsica Joe vs Jack Curtis Jr
7/10/61 Shreveport, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Nelson Royal vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Baby Cheryl & Fabulous Moolah vs Darling Dagmar & Judy Grable
Bob Boyer vs Hassan Bey
7/10/61 Stillwell, OK (National Guard Armory)
Baby Blimp & Rita Cortez vs Jack Curtis Jr & Vicki Page
Plus two other bouts, likely singles matches involving participants from the tag bout
7/10/61 Tulsa, OK (Cimarron Arena)
Danny Hodge & Mike Clancy vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo (special referee Al Galento)
Bruiser Collins vs Red McKim
Corsica Joe vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Mighty Bolo vs Mike Clancy
7/11/61 Little Rock, AR (Robinson Auditorium)
Bob Boyer & Mike Clancy & Red McKim vs Great Bolo & Hassan Bey & Joe McCarthy
Fabulous Moolah vs Judy Grable
Bob Boyer vs Joe McCarthy
Hassan Bey vs Mike Clancy
Great Bolo vs Red McKim
7/11/61 Monroe, LA (Roll Arena)
Danny Hodge vs Nelson Royal
Baby Cheryl vs Darling Dagmar
Baby Blimp vs Oni Wiki Wiki
7/12/61 Baton Rouge, LA (VFW Hall)
Danny Hodge & Judy Grable vs Fabulous Moolah & Nelson Royal
Plus two other bouts, likely singles matches involving participants from the tag bout
7/12/61 Fort Smith, AR (Sports Arena)
Baby Blimp & Rita Cortez vs Oni Wiki Wiki & Vicki Page
Baby Blimp vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Rita Cortez vs Vicki Page
7/12/61 Springfield, MO (Shrine Mosque)
Battle royal featuring Al Galento, Bruiser Collins, Corsica Joe, Jack Curtis Jr, Mighty Bolo and Red McKim
Plus three additional bouts determined by order of elimination
7/13/61 New Orleans, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Great Bolo vs Mike Clancy
Baby Cheryl & Fabulous Moolah vs Darling Dagmar & Judy Grable
Hassan Bey vs Red McKim
7/13/61 Wichita Falls, TX (4-H Arena)
Bob Boyer & Jack Curtis Jr & Oni Wiki Wiki vs Corsica Joe & Joe McCarthy & Mighty Bolo
Plus three other bouts, likely singles matches involving participants from the six-man tag
7/14/61 Clinton, OK (Tornado Stadium)
Battle royal featuring Al Galento, Baby Blimp, Corsica Joe, Nelson Royal and Oni Wiki Wiki
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
7/14/61 Oklahoma City, OK (Stockyards Coliseum)
Danny Hodge & Mike Clancy & Red McKim vs Great Bolo & Hassan Bey & Mighty Bolo
Rita Cortez vs Vicki Page
Bob Boyer vs Bruiser Collins
Danny Hodge vs Hassan Bey
Mighty Bolo vs Mike Clancy
Great Bolo vs Red McKim
7/17/61 Shreveport, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Bob Boyer & Jack Curtis Jr & Oni Wiki Wiki vs Corsica Joe & Hassan Bey & Nelson Royal
Jack Curtis Jr vs Hassan Bey
Corsica Joe vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Bob Boyer vs Nelson Royal
7/17/61 Tulsa, OK (Cimarron Arena)
Danny Hodge vs Mighty Bolo
Great Bolo vs Mike Clancy
Donnie Fargo vs Red McKim
Baby Blimp vs Ronnie Fargo
7/18/61 Little Rock, AR (Robinson Auditorium)
Danny Hodge & Mike Clancy vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Donnie Fargo vs Red McKim
Danny Hodge vs Great Bolo
Mighty Bolo vs Mike Clancy
7/18/61 Monroe, LA (Roll Arena)
Baby Blimp & Hassan Bey vs Bob Boyer & Oni Wiki Wiki
Hassan Bey vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Baby Blimp vs Bob Boyer
7/19/61 Baton Rouge, LA (VFW Hall)
Baby Blimp & Great Bolo vs Bob Boyer & Oni Wiki Wiki
Baby Blimp vs Bob Boyer
Great Bolo vs Oni Wiki Wiki
7/19/61 Fort Smith, AR (Sports Arena)
Donnie Fargo vs Red McKim
Jack Curtis Jr vs Ronnie Fargo
7/19/61 Springfield, MO (Shrine Mosque)
Al Galento & Danny Hodge vs Corsica Joe & Mighty Bolo
Bruiser Collins vs Joe McCarthy
Corsica Joe vs Danny Hodge
Al Galento vs Mighty Bolo
7/20/61 New Orleans, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Great Bolo vs Mike Clancy
Baby Blimp vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Hassan Bey vs Jack Curtis Jr
Bob Boyer vs Nelson Royal
7/20/61 Wichita Falls, TX (4-H Arena)
NWA World Junior Heavyweight title: Corsica Joe vs Danny Hodge
Donnie Fargo vs Red McKim
Bruiser Collins vs Mighty Bolo
7/21/61 Oklahoma City, OK (Stockyards Coliseum)
NWA World Junior Heavyweight title: Danny Hodge vs Mighty Bolo
Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo vs Jack Curtis Jr & Oni Wiki Wiki
Corsica Joe vs Nelson Royal
7/21/61 Paris, TX (Fairgrounds Coliseum)
Bob Boyer & Mike Clancy vs Great Bolo & Hassan Bey
Great Bolo vs Mike Clancy
Bob Boyer vs Hassan Bey
7/22/61 Henryetta, OK (Cameron Stadium)
Corsica Joe & Great Bolo vs Danny Hodge & Oni Wiki Wiki
Plus two other bouts, likely singles matches involving participants from the tag bout
7/24/61 Shreveport, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Corsica Joe vs Jack Curtis Jr
Hassan Bey vs Mike Clancy
Bruiser Collins vs Pepper Martin
7/24/61 Tulsa, OK (Cimarron Arena)
Danny Hodge vs Great Bolo
Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo vs Oni Wiki Wiki & Red McKim
Bob Boyer vs Nelson Royal
Donnie Fargo vs Oni Wiki Wiki
7/25/61 Little Rock, AR (Robinson Auditorium)
Danny Hodge & Mike Clancy vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Donnie Fargo vs Oni Wiki Wiki
George Curtis vs Ronnie Fargo
7/25/61 Monroe, LA (Roll Arena)
Battle royal featuring Corsica Joe, Hassan Bey, Jack Curtis Jr, Nelson Royal and Red McKim
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
7/26/61 Baton Rouge, LA (VFW Hall)
Bob Boyer & Jack Curtis Jr vs Great Bolo & Hassan Bey
Plus two other bouts, likely singles matches involving participants from the tag bout
7/26/61 Fort Smith, AR (Sports Arena)
Al Galento vs Bruiser Collins
George Curtis vs Ronnie Fargo
7/26/61 Springfield, MO (Shrine Mosque)
NWA World Junior Heavyweight title: Corsica Joe vs Danny Hodge
Donnie Fargo vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Bob Clay vs Joe McCarthy
7/27/61 New Orleans, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo vs Jack Curtis Jr & Mike Clancy
Nelson Royal vs Red McKim
Bob Boyer vs Hassan Bey
Jack Curtis Jr vs Mighty Bolo
7/27/61 Wichita Falls, TX (4-H Arena)
Bruiser Collins & Danny Hodge vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Corsica Joe vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Plus two other bouts, likely singles matches involving participants from the tag bout
7/28/61 Oklahoma City, OK (Stockyards Coliseum)
One night tag team tournament featuring Bruiser Collins & Hassan Bey, Corsica Joe & Joe McCarthy, Danny Hodge & Red McKim, Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo, Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo and Mike Clancy & Oni Wiki Wiki
7/31/61 Shreveport, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
No referee, no time limit, winner take all: Corsica Joe vs Jack Curtis Jr
Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo vs Joe McCarthy & Mike Clancy
Great Bolo vs Mike Clancy
Joe McCarthy vs Mighty Bolo
7/31/61 Tulsa, OK (Cimarron Arena)
Danny Hodge & Red McKim vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Nelson Royal vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Bob Boyer vs Hassan Bey
Donnie Fargo vs Red McKim
8/1/61 Little Rock, AR (Robinson Auditorium)
NWA World Junior Heavyweight title: Danny Hodge vs Great Bolo
Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo vs Joe McCarthy & Oni Wiki Wiki
Donnie Fargo vs Joe McCarthy
Oni Wiki Wiki vs Ronnie Fargo
8/1/61 Monroe, LA (Roll Arena)
Corsica Joe & Mighty Bolo vs Jack Curtis Jr & Mike Clancy
Mike Clancy vs Mighty Bolo
Corsica Joe vs Jack Curtis Jr
8/2/61 Baton Rouge, LA (VFW Hall)
Bob Boyer & Jack Curtis Jr vs Bruiser Collins & Corsica Joe
Plus two other bouts, likely singles matches involving participants from the tag bout
8/2/61 Fort Smith, AR (Sports Arena)
Al Galento & Joe McCarthy vs Hassan Bey & Nelson Royal
Hassan Bey vs Joe McCarthy
Al Galento vs Nelson Royal
8/2/61 Springfield, MO (Shrine Mosque)
Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo vs Oni Wiki Wiki & Red McKim
Bob Clay vs Ken Hill
Donnie Fargo vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Red McKim vs Ronnie Fargo
8/3/61 New Orleans, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Danny Hodge & Mike Clancy vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Bruiser Collins vs Jack Curtis Jr
Bob Boyer vs Corsica Joe
Mighty Bolo vs Mike Clancy
8/3/61 Wichita Falls, TX (4-H Arena)
Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo vs Joe McCarthy & Red McKim
Hassan Bey vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Donnie Fargo vs Joe McCarthy
Red McKim vs Ronnie Fargo
8/4/61 Oklahoma City, OK (Stockyards Coliseum)
Danny Hodge & Oni Wiki Wiki vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Nelson Royal vs Red McKim
Hassan Bey vs Jack Curtis Jr
Bruiser Collins vs Corsica Joe
Donnie Fargo vs Oni Wiki Wiki
8/5/61 Henryetta, OK (Cameron Stadium)
Corsica Joe & Hassan Bey vs Danny Hodge & Jack Curtis Jr
Corsica Joe vs Danny Hodge
Hassan Bey vs Jack Curtis Jr
8/7/61 Shreveport, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo vs Joe Costello & Oni Wiki Wiki
Bob Boyer vs Bruiser Collins
Great Bolo vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Joe Costello vs Mighty Bolo
8/7/61 Tulsa, OK (Cimarron Arena)
Danny Hodge & Mike Clancy vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Corsica Joe vs Nelson Royal
Hassan Bey vs Jack Curtis Jr
Donnie Fargo vs Mike Clancy
8/8/61 Little Rock, AR (Robinson Auditorium)
Al Galento & Mike Clancy vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Hassan Bey vs Jack Curtis Jr
Donnie Fargo vs Mike Clancy
8/8/61 Monroe, LA (Roll Arena)
Corsica Joe & Great Bolo vs Danny Hodge & Joe Costello
Danny Hodge vs Great Bolo
Corsica Joe vs Joe Costello
8/9/61 Baton Rouge, LA (VFW Hall)
Bob Boyer & Joe Costello vs Bruiser Collins & Mighty Bolo
Plus two other bouts, likely singles matches involving participants from the tag bout
8/9/61 Fort Smith, AR (Sports Arena)
Al Galento & Jack Curtis Jr vs Hassan Bey & Nelson Royal
Al Galento vs Hassan Bey
Jack Curtis Jr vs Nelson Royal
8/10/61 New Orleans, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
No referee: Danny Hodge vs Great Bolo
Mighty Bolo vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Corsica Joe vs Joe Costello
Bob Boyer vs Bruiser Collins
8/11/61 Anadarko, OK (Warrior Stadium)
Jack Curtis Jr & Joe McCarthy vs Nelson Royal & Ronnie Fargo
Jack Curtis Jr vs Ronnie Fargo
Joe McCarthy vs Nelson Royal
8/11/61 Clinton, OK (Tornado Stadium)
Donnie Fargo & Hassan Bey vs Jack Curtis Jr & Red McKim
Hassan Bey vs Red McKim
Donnie Fargo vs Jack Curtis Jr
8/11/61 Oklahoma City, OK (Stockyards Coliseum)
Danny Hodge & Great Antonio vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Corsica Joe vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Bruiser Collins vs Joe Costello
Danny Hodge vs Great Bolo
8/12/61 Ada, OK (Ada Fair Grounds)
Danny Hodge & Oni Wiki Wiki vs Great Bolo & Hassan Bey
Danny Hodge vs Great Bolo
Hassan Bey vs Oni Wiki Wiki
8/14/61 Shreveport, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Battle royal featuring Bob Boyer, Great Bolo, Happy Humphrey, Joe Costello, Joe McCarthy, Mighty Bolo and Oni Wiki Wiki
Plus three additional bouts determined by order of elimination
8/14/61 Tulsa, OK (Cimarron Arena)
NWA World Junior Heavyweight title: Danny Hodge vs Donnie Fargo
Handicap match: Bruiser Collins & Nelson Royal vs Great Antonio
Corsica Joe vs Jack Curtis Jr
Hassan Bey vs Red McKim
8/15/61 Little Rock, AR (Robinson Auditorium)
Al Galento & Danny Hodge vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Hassan Bey vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Danny Hodge vs Donnie Fargo
8/15/61 Monroe, LA (Roll Arena)
Battle royal featuring Great Bolo, Happy Humphrey, Joe Costello, Joe McCarthy and Mighty Bolo
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
8/16/61 Baton Rouge, LA (VFW Hall)
Bob Boyer vs Joe McCarthy
Hassan Bey vs Oni Wiki Wiki
8/16/61 Fort Smith, AR (Sports Arena)
Al Galento & Jack Curtis Jr vs Corsica Joe & Nelson Royal
Al Galento vs Nelson Royal
Corsica Joe vs Jack Curtis Jr
8/16/61 Springfield, MO (Shrine Mosque)
Danny Hodge & Red McKim vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Bruiser Collins vs Great Antonio
Danny Hodge vs Donnie Fargo
Red McKim vs Ronnie Fargo
8/17/61 New Orleans, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Battle royal featuring Bob Boyer, Great Bolo, Happy Humphrey, Hassan Bey, Joe Costello, Joe McCarthy, Mighty Bolo and Oni Wiki Wiki
Plus four additional bouts determined by order of elimination
8/17/61 Wichita Falls, TX (4-H Arena)
Danny Hodge vs Donnie Fargo
Great Antonio vs Nelson Royal
Corsica Joe vs Jack Curtis Jr
8/18/61 Eunice, LA (Bobcat Stadium)
Bob Boyer & Joe Costello vs Hassan Bey & Mighty Bolo
Bob Boyer vs Hassan Bey
Joe Costello vs Mighty Bolo
8/18/61 Oklahoma City, OK (Fairgrounds Grandstand)
NWA World Junior Heavyweight title: Danny Hodge vs Sonny Myers
Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Lorraine Johnson vs Millie Stafford
Handicap match: Bruiser Collins & Nelson Royal vs Happy Humphrey
Corsica Joe vs Jack Curtis Jr
Oni Wiki Wiki vs Red McKim
8/19/61 Fayetteville, AR (Fairgrounds Ball Park)
Battle royal featuring Bruiser Collins, Donnie Fargo, Happy Humphrey, Nelson Royal and Oni Wiki Wiki
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
8/21/61 Shreveport, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo vs Happy Humphrey & Jack Curtis Jr
Joe Costello vs Nelson Royal
Great Bolo vs Jack Curtis Jr
8/21/61 Tulsa, OK (Cimarron Arena)
Danny Hodge & Great Antonio vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Oklahoma Junior Heavyweight title: Corsica Joe vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Hassan Bey vs Joe McCarthy
Bob Boyer vs Bruiser Collins
8/22/61 Little Rock, AR (Robinson Auditorium)
Danny Hodge & Mike Clancy vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Handicap match: Bruiser Collins & Joe McCarthy vs Great Antonio
Danny Hodge vs Donnie Fargo
Mike Clancy vs Ronnie Fargo
8/22/61 Monroe, LA (Roll Arena)
Handicap match: Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo vs Happy Humphrey
Jack Curtis Jr vs Nelson Royal
8/23/61 Fort Smith, AR (Sports Arena)
Al Galento vs Corsica Joe
Bob Boyer vs Bruiser Collins
8/23/61 New Orleans, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo vs Happy Humphrey & Mike Clancy
Jack Curtis Jr vs Nelson Royal
Joe Costello vs Tony Neopolitan
Mighty Bolo vs Mike Clancy
8/23/61 Springfield, MO (Shrine Mosque)
Danny Hodge & Great Antonio vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Hassan Bey vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Danny Hodge vs Donnie Fargo
8/24/61 Baton Rouge, LA (VFW Hal)
Jack Curtis Jr & Joe Costello vs Nelson Royal & Tony Neopolitan
Plus two other bouts, likely singles matches involving participants from the tag bout
8/24/61 Wichita Falls, TX (4-H Arena)
Battle royal featuring Bob Boyer, Corsica Joe, Danny Hodge, Donnie Fargo, Great Antonio, Hassan Bey and Ronnie Fargo
Plus three additional bouts determined by order of elimination
8/25/61 Antlers, OK (Antlers Football Field)
Battle royal featuring Bruiser Collins, Danny Hodge, Happy Humphrey, Jack Curtis Jr and Joe McCarthy
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
8/25/61 Oklahoma City, OK (Stockyards Coliseum)
Battle royal featuring Donnie Fargo, Great Antonio, Great Bolo, Hassan Bey, Jack Curtis Jr, Joe Costello, Mighty Bolo, Mike Clancy, Nelson Royal, Oni Wiki Wiki and Ronnie Fargo
Plus four additional bouts determined by order of elimination
8/26/61 Tishomingo, OK (Murray Football Field)
Battle royal featuring Corsica Joe, Donnie Fargo, Happy Humphrey, Jack Curtis Jr and Ronnie Fargo
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
8/28/61 Shreveport, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
NWA World Junior Heavyweight title: Corsica Joe vs Danny Hodge
Chuck Conley & Rip Collins vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Donnie Fargo vs Rip Collins
8/28/61 Stillwell, OK (National Guard Armory)
Battle royal featuring Bob Boyer, Bolo Jr, Happy Humphrey, Joe McCarthy and Oni Wiki Wiki
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
8/28/61 Tulsa, OK (Cimarron Arena)
Great Antonio & Mike Clancy vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Nelson Royal vs Torbellino Blanco
Hassan Bey vs Jack Curtis Jr
Mighty Bolo vs Mike Clancy
8/29/61 Little Rock, AR (Robinson Auditorium)
Great Antonio & Mike Clancy vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Nelson Royal vs Torbellino Blanco
Bob Boyer vs Jack Curtis Jr
8/29/61 New Orleans, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
NWA World Junior Heavyweight title match: Corsica Joe vs Danny Hodge
Chuck Conley & Rip Collins vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Red McKim vs Tony Neopolitan
Donnie Fargo vs Rip Collins
8/30/61 Baton Rouge, LA (VFW Hall)
Chuck Conley & Rip Collins vs Corsica Joe & Tony Neopolitan
Plus two other bouts, likely singles matches involving participants from the tag bout
8/30/61 Fort Smith, AR (Sports Arena)
Battle royal featuring Happy Humphrey, Hassan Bey, Jack Curtis Jr, Joe McCarthy and Oni Wiki Wiki
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
8/30/61 Springfield, MO (Shrine Mosque)
Great Antonio & Mike Clancy vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Nelson Royal vs Torbellino Blanco
Mighty Bolo vs Mike Clancy
8/31/61 Monroe, LA (Roll Arena)
Chuck Conley & Rip Collins vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Donnie Fargo vs Rip Collins
Chuck Conley vs Ronnie Fargo
8/31/61 Wichita Falls, TX (4-H Arena)
Great Antonio & Mike Clancy & Torbellino Blanco vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo & Nelson Royal
Nelson Royal vs Torbellino Blanco
Mighty Bolo vs Mike Clancy
9/1/61 Blackwell, OK (Fairgrounds Pavilion)
Battle royal featuring Danny Hodge, Great Bolo, Happy Humphrey, Hassan Bey and Mighty Bolo
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
9/1/61 Oklahoma City, OK (Stockyards Coliseum)
Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo vs Great Antonio & Mike Clancy
Chuck Conley & Rip Collins vs Corsica Joe & Nelson Royal
Jack Curtis Jr vs Oni Wiki Wiki
Joe McCarthy vs Torbellino Blanco
9/2/61 Duncan, OK (Halliburton Stadium)
Battle royal featuring Danny Hodge, Great Bolo, Happy Humphrey, Mighty Bolo, Nelson Royal and Oni Wiki Wiki
Plus three additional bouts determined by order of elimination
9/4/61 Eunice, LA (EHS Stadium)
Corsica Joe & Joe McCarthy vs Danny Hodge & Oni Wiki Wiki
Danny Hodge vs Joe McCarthy
Corsica Joe vs Oni Wiki Wiki
9/4/61 Pawnee, OK (National Guard Armory)
Battle royal featuring Chuck Conley, Great Bolo, Happy Humphrey, Hassan Bey and Rip Collins
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
9/4/61 Tulsa, OK (Cimarron Arena)
Battle royal featuring Bob Boyer, Donnie Fargo, Great Antonio, Great Bolo, Mighty Bolo, Mike Clancy, Ronnie Fargo, Sputnik Monroe and Torbellino Blanco
Plus three additional bouts determined by order of elimination
9/5/61 Little Rock, AR (Robinson Auditorium)
Battle royal featuring Donnie Fargo, Great Antonio, Great Bolo, Mighty Bolo, Mike Clancy, Ronnie Fargo, Silento Rodriguez, Sputnik Monroe and Torbellino Blanco
Plus three additional bouts determined by order of elimination
9/5/61 Monroe, LA (Roll Arena)
Corsica Joe & Joe McCarthy vs Danny Hodge & Oni Wiki Wiki
Danny Hodge vs Joe McCarthy
Corsica Joe vs Oni Wiki Wiki
9/6/61 Fort Smith, AR (Sports Arena)
Battle royal featuring Chuck Conley, Great Antonio, Hassan Bey, Rip Collins and Sputnik Monroe
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
9/6/61 Springfield, MO (Shrine Mosque)
Battle royal featuring Donnie Fargo, Great Bolo, Happy Humphrey, Mighty Bolo, Mike Clancy, Ronnie Fargo and Torbellino Blanco
Plus three additional bouts determined by order of elimination
9/7/61 Hugo, OK (Choctaw County Fair)
Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo vs Mike Clancy & Great Antonio
Donnie Fargo vs Mike Clancy
Great Antonio vs Ronnie Fargo
9/7/61 Wichita Falls, TX (4-H Arena)
Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo vs Mike Clancy & Torbellino Blanco
Hassan Bey vs Sputnik Monroe
Great Bolo vs Mike Clancy
Mighty Bolo vs Torbellino Blanco
9/8/61 Ada, OK (venue not listed)
Battle royal featuring Great Bolo, Happy Humphrey, Joe McCarthy and Mike Clancy
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
9/8/61 Oklahoma City, OK (Stockyards Coliseum)
NWA World Junior Heavyweight title: Danny Hodge vs Donnie Fargo
Oni Wiki Wiki vs Sputnik Monroe
Chuck Conley & Rip Collins vs Hassan Bey & Joe McCarthy
Ronnie Fargo vs Torbellino Blanco
9/9/61 Sulphur, OK (Legion Hall)
Battle royal featuring Corsica Joe, Danny Hodge, Donnie Fargo, Happy Humphrey and one other person
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
9/11/61 Shreveport, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Danny Hodge & Mike Clancy vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Corsica Joe & Pancho Villa vs Great Antonio
Danny Hodge vs Don Fargo
Mike Clancy vs Ronnie Fargo
9/11/61 Tulsa, OK (Cimarron Arena)
Chuck Conley & Rip Collins vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Handicap match: Bob Boyer & Oni Wiki Wiki vs Happy Humphrey
Joe McCarthy vs Sputnik Monroe
Silento Rodriguez vs Torbellino Blanco
9/12/61 Little Rock, AR (Robinson Auditorium)
Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Oni Wiki Wiki vs Sputnik Monroe
Silento Rodriguez vs Torbellino Blanco
9/12/61 Monroe, LA (Roll Arena)
NWA World Junior Heavyweight title: Corsica Joe vs Danny Hodge
Mike Clancy vs Pancho Villa
9/13/61 Baton Rouge, LA (VFW Hall)
Corsica Joe & Ronnie Fargo vs Jack Curtis Jr & Mike Clancy
Plus two other bouts, likely singles matches involving participants from the tag bout
9/13/61 Fort Smith, AR (Sports Arena)
Mike Clancy vs Sputnik Monroe
Bolo Jr vs Scufflin' Hillbilly (either Chuck Conley or Rip Collins)
9/13/61 Springfield, MO (Shrine Mosque)
Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo vs Happy Humphrey & Torbellino Blanco
Oni Wiki Wiki vs Silento Rodriguez
Great Bolo vs Torbellino Blanco
9/14/61 New Orleans, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Danny Hodge & Mike Clancy vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Handicap match: Corsica Joe & Pancho Villa vs Great Antonio
Jack Curtis Jr vs Tony Neopolitan
Mike Clancy vs Ronnie Fargo
9/14/61 Wichita Falls, TX (4-H Arena)
Chuck Conley & Rip Collins vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Silento Rodriguez vs Sputnik Monroe
Chuck Conley vs Mighty Bolo
Great Bolo vs Rip Collins
9/15/61 Oklahoma City, OK (Stockyards Coliseum)
Chuck Conley & Rip Collins vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Great Bolo vs Torbellino Blanco
Silento Rodriguez vs Sputnik Monroe
Corsica Joe vs Pancho Villa
9/15/61 Vici, OK (City Hall)
Battle royal featuring Happy Humphrey, Joe McCarthy, Mighty Bolo, Oni Wiki Wiki and Red McKim
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
9/16/61 Fairview, OK (City Auditorium)
Battle royal featuring Great Bolo, Happy Humphrey, Mighty Bolo, Oni Wiki Wiki and Red McKim
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
9/18/61 Shreveport, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Battle royal featuring Great Antonio, Great Bolo, Jerry London, Mighty Bolo, Mike Clancy, Oni Wiki Wiki and Pancho Villa
Plus two additional bouts determined by order of elimination
9/18/61 Tulsa, OK (Cimarron Arena)
NWA World Junior Heavyweight title: Danny Hodge vs Donnie Fargo
Rocky Lee vs Tiny Smith
Corsica Joe & Sputnik Monroe vs Happy Humphrey & Torbellino Blanco
Ronnie Fargo vs Silento Rodriguez
9/19/61 Little Rock, AR (Robinson Auditorium)
Loser leave town, winner take all: Donnie Fargo vs Great Bolo
Sputnik Monroe vs Torbellino Blanco
Oni Wiki Wiki vs Rocky Lee
Ronnie Fargo vs Silento Rodriguez
9/19/61 Monroe, LA (Roll Arena)
Great Bolo & Pancho Villa vs Jerry London & Mike Clancy
Great Bolo vs Mike Clancy
Jerry London vs Pancho Villa
9/20/61 Baton Rouge, LA (VFW Hall)
Jack Curtis Jr & Jerry London vs Mighty Bolo & Nick Carter
Plus two other bouts, likely singles matches involving participants from the tag bout
9/20/61 Fort Smith, AR (venue not listed but it was almost certainly the Sports Arena)
Al Galento & Happy Humphrey vs Corsica Joe & Sputnik Monroe
Al Galento vs Sputnik Monroe
9/20/61 Springfield, MO (Shrine Mosque)
Fargos will leave town if they lose: Danny Hodge & Torbellino Blanco vs Donnie Fargo & Ronnie Fargo
Rocky Lee vs Tiny Smith
Danny Hodge vs Donnie Fargo
Ronnie Fargo vs Torbellino Blanco
9/21/61 New Orleans, LA (Municipal Auditorium)
Great Antonio & Mike Clancy vs Great Bolo & Mighty Bolo
Oni Wiki Wiki vs Tony Neopolitan
Jerry London vs Pancho Villa
Great Bolo vs Mike Clancy
9/21/61 Wichita Falls, TX (4-H Arena)
NWA World Junior Heavyweight title, Ronnie Fargo to be handcuffed outside the ring: Danny Hodge vs Donnie Fargo
Sputnik Monroe vs Torbellino Blanco
Ronnie Fargo vs Silento Rodriguez
9/22/61 Jackson, MS (City Auditorium)
Jerry London & Oni Wiki Wiki vs Mighty Bolo & Pancho Villa
Jack Curtis Jr vs Tony Neopolitan
Plus two other bouts, likely singles matches involving participants from the tag bout
9/22/61 Oklahoma City, OK (Stockyards Coliseum)
Loser leaves town: Donnie Fargo vs Great Bolo
Handicap match: Happy Humphrey vs Red McKim & Silento Rodriguez
Mike Clancy vs Sputnik Monroe
Corsica Joe vs Torbellino Blanco
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NEW TO THE TERRITORY THIS QUARTER
CHUCK CONLEY & RIP COLLINS – Chuck & Rip were the original incarnation of the Scufflin’ Hillbillies tag team. They first joined forces in 1960 for Al Haft, then worked for Doyle/Barnett’s AWA promotion in Indianapolis before coming here.
CORSICA JOE – Francois Miquet was born in France but moved to the US prior to beginning his wrestling career. After using his real name for several years, he changed his ring name to Corsica Joe in 1957 and was a mainstay in the southeast as well as other territories. He often teamed with Corsica Jean (Jean Louis Roy) as the Corsicans. This was his first stint in the McGuirk territory, and he would return again in 1963.
DONNIE FARGO & RONNIE FARGO – Don Kalt wrestled under many different ring names over the years but is best known as Don Fargo. He first used that name in 1957 when he was brought in to the Gulas territory to team with Jackie Fargo. While wrestling in western Pennsylvania in early 1961, Don teamed up with Jim Baugus (aka Jim Dalton), who was using the name Jimmy Dykes. Don re-christened him Ronnie Fargo and brought him here, kicking off a long partnership that saw them work as Fargo “brothers” and also as Dalton “brothers” (Jack & Jim)
GREAT ANTONIO – Antonio, real name Antonio Barichievich, was born in Yugoslavia and arrived by refugee ship in Nova Scotia in 1945. Shortly thereafter he embarked on a career as a strongman. The earliest reference I have found regarding him in a wrestling ring was in July 1958 in Ontario, where he was billed as 6'8" and 407 pounds and defeated four other men in a handicap match. He is perhaps most well-known in wrestling for a famous (well, infamous) match against Antonio Inoki in December 1977. An article, which includes an embedded video of the match, can be found at https://grantland.com/the-triangle/wrestlings-greatest-shoots-volume-3-antonio-inoki-vs-the-great-antonio/
HAPPY HUMPHREY – Humphrey came in shortly after Antonio. Both men were presented as larger-than-life special attractions, Antonio being the giant strongman and Humphrey being billed as the world’s heaviest (762 pounds) wrestler. With the territory expanding into Louisiana, they were running multiple cards per night. Antonio and Humphrey were generally booked in different towns and didn’t work together. They were often booked in battle royals or handicap matches.
JERRY LONDON – London wrestled for about 15 years in various territories, centered in the south/southwestern US. In September 1966 in Mexico, he won a hair vs hair match against Karloff Lagarde at Arena Mexico. Four weeks later at the same venue, he lost a hair vs hair match to Rene Guajardo.
MIGHTY BOLO – This was Pepper Martin, who had been wrestling here under his own name until the Great Bolo (Al Lovelock) asked him to be his masked tag team partner. In Martin’s book Shrapnel of the Soul and Redemption, Martin claims to have had a disagreement with McGuirk over a backstage altercation Pepper had with Jerry London. Lovelock then told him that he overheard Leroy saying he was going to get Danny Hodge to break Martin's leg during an upcoming match, with Lovelock telling him he'd better leave the area right away. Pepper says he and his family packed up their trailer right then and there and "took off for Canada".
PANCHO VILLA – Villa also used the names Roberto Pico and Bobby Lane during his twenty-plus year career. He had wrestled here previously in 1958 as Roberto Pico; some of the early newspaper ads for this run still listed him as Pico, though he ended up using the Pancho Villa gimmick instead this time around.
SILENTO RODRIGUEZ – Legitimately deaf and mute, Rodriguez nonetheless carved out a 15 plus year career as a pro in the US and Mexico. An article on prowrestlinghistoricalsociety.com describes a notable angle in Amarillo involving him: “…he got married in the center of the ring with four top wrestlers serving as his BEST MEN. Ricky Romero, Sir Nelson Royal, and Danny Miller politely kissed the bride on the cheek and wished them the best of luck. Then came John Tolos who grabbed her by both sides of her hair and laid a hard kiss on her lips. The groom and Tolos had to be kept apart. However, next week the Amarillo Sports Arena was packed to see Silento get his revenge”
SPUTNIK MONROE – Sputnik is best known as the man responsible for desegregating the Ellis Auditorium in Memphis. Seating for African Americans had been limited to the balcony, and when Monroe appeared the balcony would be sold out while the floor seats were half-empty. Sputnik then refused to work the venue unless all patrons were allowed to sit in any seat they chose. I’ve also read that Sputnik bribed arena employees to allow more African Americans inside than they were supposed to as a way of forcing the venue’s hand. Shortly after the auditorium was desegregated, Sputnik set an attendance record for Memphis in a match against Billy Wicks that was said to have lasted until the 1990s.
TONY NEOPOLITAN – Neopolitan was based in Louisiana and only wrestled on cards in the lower part of the state. Keep in mind that Shreveport and Monroe, which are in the northern half of the state, were (and still are) demographically very different than the rest of Louisiana. He likely was involved behind the scenes as well; when the local promoters in those cities stopped using talent from McGuirk’s booking office, Neopolitan still worked those shows, which used talent supplied by Jack Pfefer.
TORBELLINO BLANCO – Spanish-born Blanco, whose ring name translated to “white tornado”, was a masked wrestler that appeared in Mexico and numerous US territories (primarily in the south/southwest) in the late 50s through the mid 60s. This was his first stint in the territory though he would come back for a few more runs.
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OTHER WRESTLERS NOT LISTED IN THE SPOT RATINGS
PART-TIMERS
Al Galento
Bob Clay
Bolo Jr (this was likely the same person as the Mighty Bolo)
George Curtis
Joe Costello
Ken Hill
Rocky Lee
Sonny Myers
WOMEN WRESTLERS
Fabulous Moolah
Judy Grable
Lorraine Johnson
Millie Stafford
Rita Cortez
Vicki Page
(the overall SPOT Rating for the women wrestlers here this quarter was a .66)
WOMEN MIDGET WRESTLERS
Baby Cheryl
Darling Dagmar
(the overall SPOT Rating for the women midget wrestlers here this quarter was a .68)
