Georgia Wrestling History - the Home of Peach State Pandemonium: Cards & Results

1957

OCTOBER 4 (FRIDAY) – ATLANTA, GA – ATLANTA MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM [P] (Paul Jones – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Don McIntyre defeated Fritz Von Brawner > Mike Paidousis defeated Nick Roberts > Bill Melby defeated Jack Steele > International Tag Team Title Match: Ray Gunkel & Don McIntyre defeated Kurt & Fritz Von Brawner* to win title / Notes: Kurt & Fritz Von Brawner had been billed as International Tag Team Champions since September 27, 1957. George Curtis was the special referee for the match. It was announced that Gorgeous George, Billy Red Lyons, and Wild Red Berry would be wrestling in Atlanta soon.

OCTOBER 11 (FRIDAY) – ATLANTA, GA – ATLANTA MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM (Paul Jones – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Mike Paidousis defeated Tom Clark > Gorgeous George defeated Oni Wiki Wiki > Don McIntyre defeated Fritz Von Brawner > Ray Gunkel defeated Kurt Von Brawner

OCTOBER 14 (MONDAY) – AUGUSTA, GA – WILLIAM BELL AUDITORIUM (Tom Mahoney – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Mike Paidousis versus Billy Red Lyons > Southern Heavyweight Title Match: Kurt Von Brawner* versus Ray Gunkel / Notes: No documented results for this card have been found. It is unclear as to how Kurt Von Brawner came to be recognized as Southern Heavyweight Champion. However, he had been billed as such at different times throughout 1957 in Atlanta, Marietta, and Augusta. The separate offices seemed to be in dispute about who they wanted to recognize for most of the year, but it appears to have settled itself by September 30, 1957, as Von Brawner appears to be the undisputed champion around this time.

OCTOBER 16 (WEDNESDAY) – AUGUSTA, GA – WRDW STUDIOS (Tom Mahoney – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Gorgeous George defeated Tarzan White (2-1)

OCTOBER 18 (FRIDAY) – ATLANTA, GA – ATLANTA MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM (Paul Jones – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Billy Red Lyons defeated the Black Monster > Mike Paidousis defeated Tarzan White > Bill Melby and Baron Gattoni wrestled to a draw > Southern Heavyweight Title Match: Ray Gunkel defeated Kurt Von Brawner* to win title / Notes: During the match between Billy Red Lyons and the Black Monster, Lyons removed the Monster’s mask, but he was apparently not identified. It is unclear as to how Kurt Von Brawner came to be recognized as Southern Heavyweight Champion. However, he had been billed as such at different times throughout 1957 in Atlanta, Marietta, and Augusta. The separate offices seemed to be in dispute about who they wanted to recognize for most of the year, but it appears to have settled itself by September 30, 1957, as Von Brawner appears to be the undisputed champion around this time.

OCTOBER 21 (MONDAY) – AUGUSTA, GA – WILLIAM BELL AUDITORIUM (Tom Mahoney – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Mike Paidousis & Baron Gattoni versus Bill Melby & Billy Red Lyons > Ray Gunkel versus Gorgeous George / Notes: No documented results for this card have been found.

OCTOBER 25 (FRIDAY) – ATLANTA, GA – ATLANTA MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM [P] (Paul Jones – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Kurt Von Brawner defeated Nick Roberts > Bill Melby & Billy Red Lyons defeated Mike Paidousis & Baron Gattoni > Southern Heavyweight Title Match: Ray Gunkel* defeated Gorgeous George by disqualification / Notes: Ray Gunkel had been the reigning Southern Heavyweight Champion since he defeated Kurt Von Brawner on October 18, 1957, in Atlanta.

OCTOBER 29 (TUESDAY) – AUGUSTA, GA – WILLIAM BELL AUDITORIUM (Tom Mahoney – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Billy Red Lyons versus Baron Gattoni > Ray Gunkel & Oni Wiki Wiki versus Gorgeous George & Wild Red Berry / Notes: No documented results for this card have been found.

NOVEMBER 1 (FRIDAY) – ATLANTA, GA – ATLANTA MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM (Paul Jones – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Ray Gunkel and Kurt Von Brawner wrestled to a draw > Wild Red Berry defeated Tarzan White > Billy Red Lyons defeated Mike Paidousis by disqualification > Bill Melby and Gorgeous George wrestled to a draw > Ray Gunkel, Bill Melby, Billy Red Lyons & Tarzan White versus Mike Paidousis, Gorgeous George, Kurt Von Brawner & Wild Red Berry / Notes: Ray Gunkel, Bill Melby, Billy Red Lyons & Tarzan White and Mike Paidousis, Gorgeous George, Kurt Von Brawner & Wild Red Berry were scheduled to wrestle each other, but no results were reported after the card.

NOVEMBER 8 (FRIDAY) – ATLANTA, GA – ATLANTA MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM (Paul Jones – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Ray Gunkel & Billy Red Lyons defeated Gorgeous George & Wild Red Berry > Freddie Blassie defeated Bill Melby > World Heavyweight Title Match: Edouard Carpentier* defeated Mike Paidousis / Notes: The NWA no longer recognized Carpentier as it champion at this time, and only promoters who disputed the decision by the NWA to recognize Lou Thesz continued to bill Carpentier as World Heavyweight Champion. Apparently Paul Jones was one of them. Following the match between Carpentier and Mike Paidousis, Freddie Blassie entered the ring and issued a challenge for Carpentier’s title, to which he accepted and said he would sign a contract to do so.

NOVEMBER 11 (MONDAY) – AUGUSTA, GA – WILLIAM BELL AUDITORIUM (Tom Mahoney – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Ray Gunkel, Billy Red Lyons & Marco Polo versus Wild Red Berry, Gorgeous George & Fritz Von Brawner / Notes: No documented results for this card have been found.

NOVEMBER 15 (FRIDAY) – ATLANTA, GA – ATLANTA MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM [P] (Paul Jones – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Baron Gattoni defeated Billy Red Lyons > Wild Red Berry defeated Marco Polo > Ray Gunkel defeated Gorgeous George > World Heavyweight Title Match: Edouard Carpentier* defeated Freddie Blassie / Notes: The NWA no longer recognized Carpentier as it champion at this time, and only promoters who disputed the decision by the NWA to recognize Lou Thesz continued to bill Carpentier as World Heavyweight Champion. Apparently Paul Jones was one of them. It should be noted that Dick Hutton defeated Thesz on November 14, 1957, in Toronto, ON, to become the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. According to the program for this card, the “Live Atlanta Wrestling” television program can now be seen “on Channel 11 every Saturday afternoon at 5:00”. It is also mentioned that Ray Gunkel and Don McIntyre still hold the International Tag Team Title. It was announced that Bob Nandor and the Fabulous Moolah would be wrestling in Atlanta soon.

NOVEMBER 18 (MONDAY) – AUGUSTA, GA – WILLIAM BELL AUDITORIUM (Tom Mahoney – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Marco Polo versus Wild Red Berry > Don McIntyre versus Baron Gattoni > Brass Knucks Title Match: Gorgeous George defeated Kurt Von Brawner (2-1) to win title / Notes: Aside from the match between Gorgeous George and Kurt Von Brawner, no documented results for the remaining matches on this card have been found. It is unclear to us at this time as to whether this is the same Brass Knucks Title that was first referenced on September 13, 1957, in a match between Freddie Blassie and Kurt Von Brawner in Atlanta.

NOVEMBER 22 (FRIDAY) – ATLANTA, GA – ATLANTA MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM (Paul Jones – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Mike Paidousis and Billy Red Lyons wrestled to a draw > Southern Heavyweight Title Match: Ray Gunkel* defeated Kurt Von Brawner > World Tag Team Title Match: Reggie & Stan Lisowski* defeated Gorgeous George & Wild Red Berry / Notes: Ray Gunkel had been the reigning Southern Heavyweight Champion since he defeated Kurt Von Brawner on October 18, 1957, in Atlanta. Reggie & Stan Lisowski had been the reigning World Tag Team Champions as recognized by the Chicago, IL, office since they defeated Nicoli & Boris Volkoff on June 29, 1957, in Chicago.

NOVEMBER 25 (MONDAY) – AUGUSTA, GA – WILLIAM BELL AUDITORIUM (Tom Mahoney – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Gorgeous George, Wild Red Berry & the Great Togo versus Ray Gunkel, Marco Polo & Farmer Powell / Notes: No documented results for this card have been found.

NOVEMBER 29 (FRIDAY) – ATLANTA, GA – ATLANTA MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM (Paul Jones – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Al Galento and Tarzan White wrestled to a draw > The Mighty Yankee defeated Bob Nandor > Gorgeous George defeated Wild Red Berry > World Tag Team Title Match: Reggie & Stan Lisowski* defeated Ray Gunkel & Billy Red Lyons / Notes: Reggie & Stan Lisowski had been the reigning World Tag Team Champions as recognized by the Chicago, IL, office since they defeated Nicoli & Boris Volkoff on June 29, 1957, in Chicago.

DECEMBER 2 (MONDAY) – AUGUSTA, GA – WILLIAM BELL AUDITORIUM (Tom Mahoney – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Women’s Match: LeChona LeClaire versus Vicki Lynn > World Tag Team Title Match: Reggie & Stan Lisowski* versus Ray Gunkel & Marco Polo / Notes: No documented results for this card have been found. Reggie & Stan Lisowski had been the reigning World Tag Team Champions as recognized by the Chicago, IL, office since they defeated Nicoli & Boris Volkoff on June 29, 1957, in Chicago.

DECEMBER 6 (FRIDAY) – ATLANTA, GA – ATLANTA MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM (Paul Jones – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Mike Paidousis defeated Marco Polo > The Mighty Yankee defeated Wild Red Berry > Women’s Match: LeChona LeClaire defeated Vicki Lynn > World Tag Team Title Match: Reggie & Stan Lisowski* versus Ray Gunkel & Don McIntyre ruled a no contest / Notes: Reggie & Stan Lisowski had been the reigning World Tag Team Champions as recognized by the Chicago, IL, office since they defeated Nicoli & Boris Volkoff on June 29, 1957, in Chicago.

DECEMBER 9 (MONDAY) – AUGUSTA, GA – WILLIAM BELL AUDITORIUM (Tom Mahoney – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Marco Polo defeated Stan Lisowski by disqualification > The Mighty Yankee defeated Nick Roberts > World Tag Team Title Match: Reggie & Stan Lisowski* defeated Ray Gunkel & Marco Polo (2-1) / Notes: It was reported that 800 were in attendance for this card. Reggie & Stan Lisowski had been the reigning World Tag Team Champions as recognized by the Chicago, IL, office since they defeated Nicoli & Boris Volkoff on June 29, 1957, in Chicago.

DECEMBER 13 (FRIDAY) – ATLANTA, GA – ATLANTA MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM (Paul Jones – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Al Galento and Billy Red Lyons wrestled to a draw > Gorgeous George defeated Marco Polo > The Mighty Yankee defeated Nick Roberts > World Tag Team Title Match: Reggie & Stan Lisowski* defeated Ray Gunkel & Don McIntyre by disqualification / Notes: Reggie & Stan Lisowski had been the reigning World Tag Team Champions as recognized by the Chicago, IL, office since they defeated Nicoli & Boris Volkoff on June 29, 1957, in Chicago.

DECEMBER 16 (MONDAY) – AUGUSTA, GA – WILLIAM BELL AUDITORIUM (Tom Mahoney – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Marco Polo and the Mighty Yankee wrestled to a draw at 20:00 > Women’s Match: LeChona LeClaire defeated Violet Ray > Southern Heavyweight Title Match: Ray Gunkel* defeated Gorgeous George / Notes: Ray Gunkel had been the reigning Southern Heavyweight Champion since he defeated Kurt Von Brawner on October 18, 1957, in Atlanta.

DECEMBER 20 (FRIDAY) – ATLANTA, GA – ATLANTA MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM (Paul Jones – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Mike Paidousis, Jack Steele & Bibber McCoy defeated Bob Nandor, Tarzan White & Billy Red Lyons > Don McIntyre and the Mighty Yankee wrestled to a draw > Southern Heavyweight Title Match: Ray Gunkel* defeated Gorgeous George / Notes: Ray Gunkel had been the reigning Southern Heavyweight Champion since he defeated Kurt Von Brawner on October 18, 1957, in Atlanta.

DECEMBER 23 (MONDAY) – AUGUSTA, GA – WILLIAM BELL AUDITORIUM (Tom Mahoney – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Marco Polo defeated Al Galento by disqualification > Don McIntyre defeated Gorgeous George > The Mighty Yankee defeated Bibber McCoy by countout

DECEMBER 27 (FRIDAY) – ATLANTA, GA – ATLANTA MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM (Paul Jones – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Mike Paidousis & Gorgeous George defeated Marco Polo & Farmer Powell > The Mighty Yankee defeated Bibber McCoy > Southern Heavyweight Title Match: Ray Gunkel* defeated Don Lee / Notes: Ray Gunkel had been the reigning Southern Heavyweight Champion since he defeated Kurt Von Brawner on October 18, 1957, in Atlanta.

DECEMBER 30 (MONDAY) – AUGUSTA, GA – WILLIAM BELL AUDITORIUM (Tom Mahoney – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Mike Paidousis versus Marco Polo > Ray Gunkel & Bibber McCoy versus Al Galento & the Mighty Yankee / Notes: Mike Paidousis and Marco Polo were scheduled to wrestle each other, but no results were reported after the card.