Indiana AWA Champions:
AWA Heavyweight Title, U.S.Title, NWA/AWA Tag Team Title
3/26/60 Pat O'Connor, recognized as the NWA and AWA champion, defeats Hercules Cortez 2/3 falls in Indianapolis
10/12/61 Buddy Rogers, NWA and AWA champ, defeats Killer Kowalski 1 fall at the Fairgrounds before 5485 fans
3/4/62 Denver, Colorado; Don Leo Jonathan defeats Killer Kowalski in a tournament final.
9/14/62 Columbus, Ohio; Karl Gotch defeats Don Leo Jonathan.
12/17/63 Indianapolis, In; Wilbur Snyder defeats Karl Gotch on an accidental foul, and refuses the belt.
9/7/64 Columbus, Ohio; Lou Thesz defeats Karl Gotch to unify the AWA and NWA titles.
12/27/58 Cincinnati, Ohio; Angelo Poffo defeats Wilbur Snyder on TV to win the U.S. title. This title history gets skewered after this, as title changes in other places are sometimes recognized, and sometimes not, until Indianapolis has a separate lineage from other towns up to Estes and Barnett closing up shop.
6/26/59 Wilbur Snyder recognized as U.S. champ, defeats Angelo Poffo
10/12/59 Mitsu Arakawa defeats Joe Blanchard in defense of his U.S. title
6/27/61 Bruiser defends the U.S. title against Haystacks Calhoun
8/4/61 Bob Ellis defeats the Bruiser in a Texas Death bout at Victory Field, Indianapolis
8/25/61 Bruiser stops Ellis on a disputed decision at Victory Field before 6,000
4/16/63 Bruiser billed as former U.S. champion against NWA champ Lou Thesz. Listed as having lost it to Fritz Von Erich.
4/23/63 Ray Stevens defeats Emile Dupre to win U.S. title tournament in Indianapolis.
5/7/63 Bruiser defeats Ray Stevens for U.S. title. Stevens was billed as "having won the title a year and a half ago from Buddy Rogers. Rogers had taken it from Fritz Von Erich, who had dethroned Dick the Bruiser." Uh....what about the tournament??
5/29/63 Bob Ellis, subbing for Ray Stevens, stops the Bruiser.
6/11/63 Bruiser stops Bob Ellis
9/24/63 Dory Funk Jr.'s second and final Indianapolis appearance, going to a double DQ against U.S. champ Dick the Bruiser
5/12/64 Johnny Valentine, billed as U.S. champion, stops Guy Mitchell 2 straight falls. Valentine is billed as having defeated the Beast in Toronto 3 months ago.
9/18/64 Last Estes card has Valentine going to a draw with Tex McKenzie for the title.
8/6/59 Victory Field :The Shire Brothers w/ Angelo Poffo and Dick Afflis in a 4 team tournament to win the NWA tag team title before 10,200 for a gate of $23,000
2/11/60 Coliseum: Gene Kiniski and Dick Afflis w/The Shire Brothers for the now rechristianed (1/60)AWA tag team title 11,000
4/9/60 Coliseum: The Shires regained the AWA tag team title when Kiniski and Bruiser got into a fight amongst themselves
11/5/60 Coliseum: John and Chris Tolos stopped the Shires before 8,900
2/9/61 Ft. Wayne Coliseum: The Bastien Brothers, Lou and Red stopped the Tolos Brothers
5/12/61 Anderson Armory: Ray Shire and Art Nielson stopped the Bastiens
6/27/61 Northside Armory: Bastiens w/Shire and Nielson
7/18/61 Northside Armory: Art and Stan (Holek) Nielson stopped the Bastiens
2/27/62 Northside Armory: Magnificant Maurice and Handsome Johnny Barend w/the Neilsons
3/6/62 Northside Armory: Neilsons stopped Maurice and Barend
7/27/62 Victory Field : George and Sandy Scott stopped the Neilsons before 5,500
8/17/62 Victory Field: Neilsons over the Scotts before 6,000
11/22/62 Coliseum: Von Brauners w/ Neilsons before 6,000
1/1/63 Coliseum: Neilsons over the Von Brauners before 4,000
8/63 Ivan and Karol Kalmikoff allegedly win the title in Bryant, SD. The belts hadn't been defended in Indianapolis in some months before this "took place".
10/63 Karol Kalmikoff dies and is replaced by Nikita Kalmikoff
11/5/63 Northside Armory: Bruiser and Wilbur Snyder stop the Kalmikoffs
12/3/63 Northside Armory: Masked Terror and Cyclone Negro stop Snyder and Bruiser
12/10/63 Northside Armory: Bruiser and Snyder regain the title from Negro and Terror
In February of 1964, Bruiser and Snyder take out a license to promote wrestling, and they were stripped by the Estes office of the AWA tag team title. When Bruiser and Snyder start running shows under their own banner, they continue to be billed as World Tag Team Champions, using this claim. Estes in the mean time, had a tournament and recognized a new set of tag team champions. All bout were at the Northside Armory, and were as follows:
3/17/64 Gallaghers stopped the Scotts in the finals
3/24/63:Scotts over the Gallaghers
4/14/64:Title held up between Scotts and Gallaghers
4/21/64:Gallaghers stop the Scotts
Estes promotion went out of business in September of 1964.
Copyright 2008 by Chris Parsons
11/28/2011 02:50 AM
