Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling
A Recap of December 1950
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December opened with a Friday night card held in Montgomery. Charles (Jake) Guercio, who had been serving as promoter Joe Gunther’s matchmaker, took over as the wrestling promoter in Montgomery. Guercio’s first card featured a main event with Miguel Torres & Hans Hermann teaming to take on Chico Ortiz & Angelo Austeri.
The card opened with two one fall preliminary matches made up of the participants in the main event.
No results are known for this card.
Also on Friday in Jackson Charlie Laye defeated Bill France in the one fall opening match of the evening.
The semi-final match had Vicksburg buddies George Curtis & Henry Harrell teaming to take on the duo of Paddy Mack & George Thomas in a tag team match. Curtis & Harrell won two out of three falls to win the match. Following the third fall Mack, who had received a bloody head in the encounter, blamed the loss on Thomas. The two began fighting among themselves until outsiders managed to separate them.
In the main event Jack Curtis, the busy World Light-Heavyweight champion, put his title on the line one more time, this time against the Black Phantom. In this encounter, just as had been the case in their previous title matches, the Phantom agreed to unmask win, lose or draw. The match was even at a fall apiece going into the final fall. The battle was nip and tuck until Curtis managed to upend the Phantom and pinned him to win the fall and the match to retain his title. The Phantom lived up to his word as he allowed referee Claude Skidmore to remove his mask. As soon as the mask came off, he grabbed it back from Skidmore and covered his face once again. He left the ring without anyone getting a good look at him and refusing any further revelation.
There was no wrestling card held in Anniston on Friday. Promoter Al Bragg announced plans for a big card the following week.
The following Monday in Shreveport the card opened with a match between Rex Mobley and Charlie Laye. The two veterans battled to a 30 minute draw in the one fall match.
In the semi-final George Curtis took on Wild Bill Steddum, returning after a lengthy absence. Each man scored a fall apiece going into the third and deciding fall. During the third fall Steddum slugged Commissioner Charlie Oliver, who was serving as the special referee, and was disqualified. Curtis was awarded the fall and the match.
The main event of the evening featured World Light-Heavyweight champion Jack Curtis putting up his title against the Black Phantom once again. Again the Phantom’s mask would also be on the line. Curtis pinned the Phantom to win the first fall. The masked man evened the score by forcing Curtis to submit to an arm twist to win the second fall. The Phantom attempted the arm twist again in the deciding fall but Curtis managed to reverse it and pinned the Phantom to win the fall and the match, retaining his title. The Phantom initially refused once again to remove the mask until a spectator jumped into the ring and tried to remove it himself. Once the interloper was removed from the scene, the Phantom seemed disgusted with the whole thing and removed his mask. Once again he quickly left the ring without revealing his name.
On Tuesday in Monroe the card featured a main event tag team match with George Curtis & Henry Harrell teaming to take on Charlie Laye & Wild Bill Steddum.
The four wrestlers were also matched in two singles preliminary matches to open the card.
No results are known for this card.
That same Tuesday evening in Baton Rouge the card opened with a match between Irish Jack Kelly and Chico Ortiz.
The main event was a return match between Miguel Torres and Hans Hermann.
No results are known for this card.
On Wednesday in Alexandria, the first of a double main event was a match between Jack Kelly and Chico Ortiz. Kelly won two out of three falls to win the match. Ortiz got into a row with referee Bill France and challenged him to a match the following week.
The final event was a return match between Miguel Torres and Hans Hermann. Torres flattened Hermann with a series of bodyblocks and pinned him to win the first fall. Torres made it two straight as he applied a backbreaker on Hermann and forced him to submit to win the second fall and the match.
On Thursday in New Orleans, the opening match was a one fall preliminary between Pat Malone and the Killer. The Killer was caught by referee Red Byrd using illegal tactics and was disqualified.
The semi-final match was a tag team battle with Charley Keene teaming with Bill France, who was substituting for an ailing Tarzan White, to take on the team of Angelo Austeri & Jack Kelly. France finally had a taste of victory as he & Keene won two out of three falls to win the match.
The main event was yet another match between Miguel Torres and Hans Hermann. Torres emerged victorious once again as he took two straight falls to win the match, using a leglock submission in both.
On Friday in Montgomery the card opened with a 60 minute preliminary match between Billy French and Chico Ortiz.
The main event was a grudge match between Miguel Torres and Angelo Austeri. The two had gotten into a scuffle following a tag team match they were both involved with the previous week. Torres had challenged Austeri, the reigning World Jr. Heavyweight champion, to put his title up. Austeri refused to do so. In fact, Austeri had not defended the title against anyone in several weeks, content to keep it in the deep freeze
No results are known for this card.
Also on Friday in Jackson, Charlie Laye and Wild Bill Steddum battled to a draw in the one fall opening event.
The second event of the evening was also a one fall match between George Curtis and the Black Phantom. An odd thing happened when the Phantom entered the ring. He was minus his mask and asked for the microphone. He said that he had tired of all of the speculation as to his identity and he was ready to spill the beans. He claimed that his name was “Indian Ike” and that would be the name he would compete under from then on. It was later revealed that his actual name was Bill Cazzell. He would alternate using both names from there on out. As for this match Curtis got the victory when Cazzell was disqualified.
In the main event, Jack & George Curtis teamed with Henry Harrell to face Cazzell, Steddum & Paddy Mack in a six-man tag team match. The Vicksburg trio took two out of three falls from Cazzell, Steddum & Mack to win the match.
The same Friday wrestling returned to Anniston after a week off. The opening match featured another former masked man whose identity had been revealed. Chief Tommy Marvin, the former masked Killer faced Charley Keene in a one fall match. It had been Keene who had unmasked the Killer in Baton Rouge the previous week.
Marvin was a veteran who had spent many years as a popular favorite in the previous decades. Keene pinned Marvin to win the one fall match.
Jack Kelly and Pat Malone battled to a 30 minute draw in the second match of the evening, also a one fall affair.
In the main event Keene & Kelly teamed to take on Marvin & Malone in a tag team match. Marvin & Malone took two out of three falls to win the match. Kelly suffered cuts at the end of the match.
The following Monday in Shreveport a double main event was presented. The first event was a match between Charlie Laye and Wild Bill Steddum in a best two out of three falls match.
The final event, also best two out of three falls, was a tag team match pitting Jack Curtis & Rex Mobley against Paddy Mack & the former Black Phantom, Bill (Indian Ike) Cazzell.
No results are known for this card.
On Tuesday in Monroe was another card featuring a double main event. In the first event Henry Harrell faced Charlie Laye in a best two out of three falls match.
The main event was a World Light-Heavyweight title match with champion Jack Curtis defending the title against Bill (Indian Ike) Cazzell, the former Black Phantom.
Once again, no results are available for this card.
That same Tuesday evening in Baton Rouge the main event was a tag team match with Irish Jack Kelly & Billy France taking on Pat Malone & Chico Ortiz.
There were also 2 preliminary matches involving these same four wrestlers.
No results are known for this card.
On Wednesday in Alexandria the first match on the card was between Pat Malone and Jack Kelly. Each man had won a fall apiece going into the third and deciding fall. Referee Phil Brummett stopped the match in the third fall because of a cut over the nose suffered by Kelly. The fall and the match were awarded to Malone when it was decided that Kelly could not continue.
The main event was a special challenge match between Bill France and Chico Ortiz. The two had gotten into an altercation the previous week during a match where France was the referee in a match Ortiz was participating in. Ortiz won the first fall when he pinned France after ramming his head into the corner turnbuckle several times.
France was awarded the second fall on a disqualification when Ortiz tore referee Phil Brummett’s shirt off his back. When the third and deciding fall began Ortiz was suddenly wearing heavy tape on his knee. He used the tape to rub across France’s eyes several times, blinding him. Referee Brummett stopped the match and Commissioner Emile Delcomyn entered the ring. After much discussion Ortiz removed the tape from his knee and tossed it aside. When the match started back up France grabbed the tape and used it across the eyes of Ortiz before tossing it from the ring. France then tossed Ortiz from the ring and he landed in the lap of a ringsider, nearly causing a riot. When Ortiz got back into the ring he pulled a piece of string from his trunks and proceeded to choke France with it. Brummett had finally had enough and disqualified Ortiz for the second time and awarded the fall and the match to France.
On Thursday in New Orleans, newcomer Don (Lucky) Gilpin made his debut in the area and made it a successful one. He defeated veteran Pat Malone in the one fall opening match.
In the second one fall preliminary match Charley Keene pinned Chico Ortiz to win the match.
The main event promised to be a fast clean match as George Curtis took on Miguel Torres. The match was even at a fall apiece going into the third and deciding fall. Curtis began to gain the advantage and Torres surprised the fans by resorting to some roughhouse tactics. Curtis fought back with much the same and wore Torres down and pinned him to win the fall and the match.
On Friday in Montgomery, Al Massey defeated veteran Cowboy Jack Purdin, who was substituting for the absent Charley Keene, in the opening preliminary match.
In the main event Lucky Gilpin made his debut in Montgomery a spectacular one. He not only took two out of three falls to defeat the Killer, he unmasked the feared grappler as well. Once again the Killer was revealed to be Chief Tommy Marvin.
Also on Friday in Jackson the card opened with a one fall preliminary match between George Curtis and Rex Mobley. The two battled to a 30 minute draw.
Henry Harrell defeated Bill Cazzell by disqualification in the second one fall preliminary match.
In the semi-final match, Primo Carnera made his return to the area and faced Wild Bill Steddum. Carnera was the former Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World and Steddum was himself was a former boxer. Carnera had a surprisingly hard time with Steddum, who gave him a hard time throughout the match. Finally Carnera managed to pin Steddum to win the deciding fall and the match after the match was tied at a fall apiece. Just as referee Charlie Laye raised Carnera’s hand in victory, Steddum was joined in the ring by Bill Cazzell & Paddy Mack. The three issued a challenge to Carnera, who left the ring before any trouble could occur. Following the match, Carnera’s manager, Milo Steinborn, said that his wrestler was jet lagged after flying into Jackson from Boston where he had wrestled the night before and that explained the hard time he had had with Steddum. Furthermore he stated that Carnera could beat any two of the threesome that had challenged him on his own, but would just need one partner to beat the three of them.
In the main event Jack Curtis once again faced off with Paddy Mack. This time Curtis’ World Light-Heavyweight title would be left safely in the dressing room because this was a non-title match. Each man scored a fall apiece when referee Charlie Laye disqualified Mack in the third and deciding fall, giving the match to Curtis.
There was no wrestling held in Anniston on the same Friday evening.
The following Monday in Shreveport, George Curtis scored a disqualification win over Wild Bill Steddum in the opening one fall event.
In the semi-final match Rex Mobley won to out of three falls over Charlie Laye to win the match.
In the main event Jack Curtis teamed with Primo Carnera to take on the team of Paddy Mack & Bill Cazzell. Curtis & Carnera had a fairly easy time of it as the won two straight falls to win the match.
This card was the final card held in Shreveport for 1950.
On Tuesday in Monroe the card opened with Henry Harrell and Charlie Laye battling to a draw in the one fall preliminary match.
In the main event Jack Curtis & Primo Carnera teamed once again, this time facing Bill (Indian Ike) Cazzell & Wild Bill Steddum. Curtis pinned Cazzell in 12 minutes to win the first fall for his team. Cazzell got a bit of revenge when he forced Curtis to submit to an arm twist after 15 minutes to win the second fall. Carnera beat Steddum in 5 minutes to win the third fall and the match for his team.
This was the final wrestling card of 1950 in Monroe.
Also on Tuesday in Baton Rouge Pat Malone won two straight falls over Chico Ortiz to win the opening match of the evening.
In the main event Lucky Gilpin faced Jack Kelly. Kelly won the first fall when he tossed Gilpin out of the ring and Gilpin was unable to return before the count of 20. Gilpin used a series of flying dropkicks on Kelly and pinned him to win the second fall. Gilpin also used dropkicks and a pin on Kelly to win the third fall and the match.
On Wednesday in Alexandria Jack Kelly and Pat Malone met in the opening match. This was a rematch between the two and Kelly was anxious to pay Malone back for the bloody cut he received on his nose the previous week. Kelly used a cobra clutch to force Malone to submit to win the first fall in 12 minutes. Malone came back and used a Boston Crab to force Kelly to submit to win the second fall. The third and deciding fall ended after 12 minutes when Malone was disqualified by referee Phil Brummett for refusing to break an illegal hold.
In the main event Lucky Gilpin, quickly becoming a bobby-sox darling of the fans, took on Chico Ortiz. Ortiz started quickly when he jumped Gilpin before the opening bell, slammed him and pinned him in about 5 seconds. Referee Phil Brummett raised the hand of Ortiz but promoter Jimmie Thompson climbed into the ring and nullified the decision, ordering the match restarted. The fall lasted quite a bit longer this go-round until Gilpin tossed Ortiz with a flying mare and the used a flying body press to pin him to win the fall. In the second fall Ortiz hauled a piece of rope from his trunks and choked Gilpin with it. Gilpin managed to get the rope from Ortiz and used it to tie his feet together. With Ortiz struggling to untie himself, Gilpin pummeled him with punches to the body. The advantage swung back to Ortiz as he used a series of bodyblocks on Gilpin. Ortiz tried it once too often when he missed a tackle. Gilpin quickly applied a Boston Crab on Ortiz and forced him to submit to win the match in two straight falls.
On Thursday in New Orleans the opening one fall preliminary match matched Bill France against Pat Malone. France, filled with new found confidence, pinned Malone to win the bout.
In the semi-final match Lucky Gilpin took two out of three falls to win his match over Charley Keene.
In the main event George Curtis & Al Massey teamed to take on Miguel Torres & Jack Kelly. Torres, once the darling of the fans, was now using rough tactics and teaming with the likes of Kelly. Curtis won the first fall for his team when he pinned Kelly after a series of flying dropkicks. Torres came back and forced Curtis to submit to a leglock to win the second fall. Curtis was injured by the hold and was unable to compete in the third and deciding fall. Rather than concede the match on a forfeit, Massey agreed to go in alone in the final fall. The odds were too much for the game Massey and he was beaten to give the fall and the match to Torres & Kelly.
On Friday in Montgomery the card opened with a 60 minute match between Lucky Gilpin and Pat Malone.
In the main event Al Massey faced Irish Jack Kelly in a battle of ring veterans.
No results are known for this card.
Also on Friday in Jackson George Curtis battled to a draw with Paddy Mack, who was filling in for the missing Charlie Laye, in a one fall preliminary bout.
In the second event of the evening, also a one fall match, Rex Mobley scored a victory over Henry Harrell.
The main event was a handicap match with Jack Curtis & Primo Carnera taking on the threesome of Paddy Mack, Bill Cazzell & Wild Bill Steddum. Mack pinned Curtis to win the first fall for the trio of roughnecks after all three took turns battering Curtis around the ring. Curtis came back and used a series of snap mares on Steddum and pinned him to win the second. The third and deciding fall saw all five men in the ring at the same time. Despite the odds, Curtis & Carnera had a fairly easy time of it knocking their opponents around. Finally with Cazzell & Steddum out of the ring lying on the arena floor and Mack draped across the bottom rope totally exhausted, Mack said that he had had enough and conceded the fall. The fall and the match went to Curtis & Carnera in a very convincing manner.
The same Friday evening wrestling returned to Anniston after a week off with a double main event card presented. Charley Keene and Chico Ortiz met in the first event.
In the final event Bill France, now on a winning streak, faced off with Miguel Torres.
There are no results for this card.
The final week of the year started on a sad note when Don Keene was killed on Tuesday December 26 in an airplane crash near Montevallo, Alabama. Keene had been wrestling in Texas but was in his hometown of Birmingham for the holidays. He had flown out of that city on a small charter plane on Tuesday headed to an engagement in Amarillo, Texas.
With some of the towns already closed for the holidays, the final week of the years saw fewer cards presented. The first of which was held the following Tuesday in Baton Rouge. In the opening match Al Massey took on Charley Keene. Keene was appearing despite the fact that his younger brother had been killed earlier in the day in an airplane crash in Alabama. Fighting through the obvious grief, Keene pinned Massey to win the first fall in 16 minutes. Massey used a series of bodyslams on Keene and pinned him to win the second fall, also in 16 minutes. In the third and deciding fall Massey used a backbreaker on Keene and pinned him in 15 minutes to win the fall and the match.
In the main event Lucky Gilpin took on Pat Malone. Malone used a Boston Crab to force Gilpin to submit to win the first fall. Gilpin used a flying headscissors to pin Malone to win the second fall. In the third and deciding fall referee Kelly Mixon disqualified Gilpin for ignoring his instructions, giving the fall and the match to Malone. An enraged Gilpin punched Mixon following the decision.
On Wednesday in Alexandria, the first match was a bout between Al Massey and Pat Malone. Massey won the first fall when he hit Malone with a series of flying tackles and pinned him. Malone came back and captured the next two falls, using a Boston Crab to make Massey submit in each.
The final event featured Lucky Gilpin facing George Cologne. Cologne was a substitute for Jack Kelly who was in Birmingham to serve as a pallbearer at the funeral of Don Keene. Cologne won the first fall when he used an alligator clutch on Gilpin and pinned him. Gilpin came back and forced Cologne to submit to a Boston Crab to win the second fall. In the third and deciding fall, Cologne had Gilpin down under the ropes and was repeatedly stomping him. Despite warnings by referee Phil Brummett, Cologne refused to break from his tactics and wound up disqualified, giving the fall and the match to Gilpin.
The Thursday card in New Orleans was to feature Billy France facing Charley Keene in the opening match.
The semi-final was to be George Curtis taking on Lucky Gilpin.
The main event was to be a tag team match between the teams of Al Massey & George Cologne and Jack Kelly & Pat Malone. Joe Gunther was to serve as the special referee.
The card was cancelled however due to the death of Don Keene in an airplane crash the previous Tuesday. Promoter Ernestine Murtagh and her husband Jim Murtagh attended the funeral as did Joe Gunther, who was said to be the adopted father of Keene, along with his wife. Don’s older brother Charley Keene attended with the family and Jack Kelly served as a pallbearer.
On Friday in Montgomery, Lucky Gilpin and Al Massey met in the 60 minute opening bout.
In the main event Irish Jack Kelly took on Pat Malone.
No results are known for this card.
Also on Friday in Jackson the first two matches on the card were scheduled for best two out of three falls, but ended in time limit draws with the combatants scoring one fall apiece. George Curtis drew Rex Mobley and Henry Harrell drew Charlie Laye.
The main event featured Jack Curtis once again defending his World Light-Heavyweight title against bitter enemy Paddy Mack. Curtis won the first fall when he forced Mack to submit to an abdominal stretch. During the second fall Mack had Curtis down and thought that he had pinned him for the count. He rose to his feet before referee Pat Willis had completed the count and was strutting around in what he felt was a victory. Curtis got to his feet and stunned Mack with a right to the jaw and floored him. Mack was easily pinned and Curtis took the match in two straight falls to retain his title.
That same Friday evening in Anniston the main event was the team of Bill France & Red Byrd taking on Chico Ortiz & Cowboy Jack Purdin.
The same four men were separated into two singles preliminary matches to open the card.
No results are known for this card.
That brings 1950 to an end.
December opened with a Friday night card held in Montgomery. Charles (Jake) Guercio, who had been serving as promoter Joe Gunther’s matchmaker, took over as the wrestling promoter in Montgomery. Guercio’s first card featured a main event with Miguel Torres & Hans Hermann teaming to take on Chico Ortiz & Angelo Austeri.
The card opened with two one fall preliminary matches made up of the participants in the main event.
No results are known for this card.
Also on Friday in Jackson Charlie Laye defeated Bill France in the one fall opening match of the evening.
The semi-final match had Vicksburg buddies George Curtis & Henry Harrell teaming to take on the duo of Paddy Mack & George Thomas in a tag team match. Curtis & Harrell won two out of three falls to win the match. Following the third fall Mack, who had received a bloody head in the encounter, blamed the loss on Thomas. The two began fighting among themselves until outsiders managed to separate them.
In the main event Jack Curtis, the busy World Light-Heavyweight champion, put his title on the line one more time, this time against the Black Phantom. In this encounter, just as had been the case in their previous title matches, the Phantom agreed to unmask win, lose or draw. The match was even at a fall apiece going into the final fall. The battle was nip and tuck until Curtis managed to upend the Phantom and pinned him to win the fall and the match to retain his title. The Phantom lived up to his word as he allowed referee Claude Skidmore to remove his mask. As soon as the mask came off, he grabbed it back from Skidmore and covered his face once again. He left the ring without anyone getting a good look at him and refusing any further revelation.
There was no wrestling card held in Anniston on Friday. Promoter Al Bragg announced plans for a big card the following week.
The following Monday in Shreveport the card opened with a match between Rex Mobley and Charlie Laye. The two veterans battled to a 30 minute draw in the one fall match.
In the semi-final George Curtis took on Wild Bill Steddum, returning after a lengthy absence. Each man scored a fall apiece going into the third and deciding fall. During the third fall Steddum slugged Commissioner Charlie Oliver, who was serving as the special referee, and was disqualified. Curtis was awarded the fall and the match.
The main event of the evening featured World Light-Heavyweight champion Jack Curtis putting up his title against the Black Phantom once again. Again the Phantom’s mask would also be on the line. Curtis pinned the Phantom to win the first fall. The masked man evened the score by forcing Curtis to submit to an arm twist to win the second fall. The Phantom attempted the arm twist again in the deciding fall but Curtis managed to reverse it and pinned the Phantom to win the fall and the match, retaining his title. The Phantom initially refused once again to remove the mask until a spectator jumped into the ring and tried to remove it himself. Once the interloper was removed from the scene, the Phantom seemed disgusted with the whole thing and removed his mask. Once again he quickly left the ring without revealing his name.
On Tuesday in Monroe the card featured a main event tag team match with George Curtis & Henry Harrell teaming to take on Charlie Laye & Wild Bill Steddum.
The four wrestlers were also matched in two singles preliminary matches to open the card.
No results are known for this card.
That same Tuesday evening in Baton Rouge the card opened with a match between Irish Jack Kelly and Chico Ortiz.
The main event was a return match between Miguel Torres and Hans Hermann.
No results are known for this card.
On Wednesday in Alexandria, the first of a double main event was a match between Jack Kelly and Chico Ortiz. Kelly won two out of three falls to win the match. Ortiz got into a row with referee Bill France and challenged him to a match the following week.
The final event was a return match between Miguel Torres and Hans Hermann. Torres flattened Hermann with a series of bodyblocks and pinned him to win the first fall. Torres made it two straight as he applied a backbreaker on Hermann and forced him to submit to win the second fall and the match.
On Thursday in New Orleans, the opening match was a one fall preliminary between Pat Malone and the Killer. The Killer was caught by referee Red Byrd using illegal tactics and was disqualified.
The semi-final match was a tag team battle with Charley Keene teaming with Bill France, who was substituting for an ailing Tarzan White, to take on the team of Angelo Austeri & Jack Kelly. France finally had a taste of victory as he & Keene won two out of three falls to win the match.
The main event was yet another match between Miguel Torres and Hans Hermann. Torres emerged victorious once again as he took two straight falls to win the match, using a leglock submission in both.
On Friday in Montgomery the card opened with a 60 minute preliminary match between Billy French and Chico Ortiz.
The main event was a grudge match between Miguel Torres and Angelo Austeri. The two had gotten into a scuffle following a tag team match they were both involved with the previous week. Torres had challenged Austeri, the reigning World Jr. Heavyweight champion, to put his title up. Austeri refused to do so. In fact, Austeri had not defended the title against anyone in several weeks, content to keep it in the deep freeze
No results are known for this card.
Also on Friday in Jackson, Charlie Laye and Wild Bill Steddum battled to a draw in the one fall opening event.
The second event of the evening was also a one fall match between George Curtis and the Black Phantom. An odd thing happened when the Phantom entered the ring. He was minus his mask and asked for the microphone. He said that he had tired of all of the speculation as to his identity and he was ready to spill the beans. He claimed that his name was “Indian Ike” and that would be the name he would compete under from then on. It was later revealed that his actual name was Bill Cazzell. He would alternate using both names from there on out. As for this match Curtis got the victory when Cazzell was disqualified.
In the main event, Jack & George Curtis teamed with Henry Harrell to face Cazzell, Steddum & Paddy Mack in a six-man tag team match. The Vicksburg trio took two out of three falls from Cazzell, Steddum & Mack to win the match.
The same Friday wrestling returned to Anniston after a week off. The opening match featured another former masked man whose identity had been revealed. Chief Tommy Marvin, the former masked Killer faced Charley Keene in a one fall match. It had been Keene who had unmasked the Killer in Baton Rouge the previous week.
Marvin was a veteran who had spent many years as a popular favorite in the previous decades. Keene pinned Marvin to win the one fall match.
Jack Kelly and Pat Malone battled to a 30 minute draw in the second match of the evening, also a one fall affair.
In the main event Keene & Kelly teamed to take on Marvin & Malone in a tag team match. Marvin & Malone took two out of three falls to win the match. Kelly suffered cuts at the end of the match.
The following Monday in Shreveport a double main event was presented. The first event was a match between Charlie Laye and Wild Bill Steddum in a best two out of three falls match.
The final event, also best two out of three falls, was a tag team match pitting Jack Curtis & Rex Mobley against Paddy Mack & the former Black Phantom, Bill (Indian Ike) Cazzell.
No results are known for this card.
On Tuesday in Monroe was another card featuring a double main event. In the first event Henry Harrell faced Charlie Laye in a best two out of three falls match.
The main event was a World Light-Heavyweight title match with champion Jack Curtis defending the title against Bill (Indian Ike) Cazzell, the former Black Phantom.
Once again, no results are available for this card.
That same Tuesday evening in Baton Rouge the main event was a tag team match with Irish Jack Kelly & Billy France taking on Pat Malone & Chico Ortiz.
There were also 2 preliminary matches involving these same four wrestlers.
No results are known for this card.
On Wednesday in Alexandria the first match on the card was between Pat Malone and Jack Kelly. Each man had won a fall apiece going into the third and deciding fall. Referee Phil Brummett stopped the match in the third fall because of a cut over the nose suffered by Kelly. The fall and the match were awarded to Malone when it was decided that Kelly could not continue.
The main event was a special challenge match between Bill France and Chico Ortiz. The two had gotten into an altercation the previous week during a match where France was the referee in a match Ortiz was participating in. Ortiz won the first fall when he pinned France after ramming his head into the corner turnbuckle several times.
France was awarded the second fall on a disqualification when Ortiz tore referee Phil Brummett’s shirt off his back. When the third and deciding fall began Ortiz was suddenly wearing heavy tape on his knee. He used the tape to rub across France’s eyes several times, blinding him. Referee Brummett stopped the match and Commissioner Emile Delcomyn entered the ring. After much discussion Ortiz removed the tape from his knee and tossed it aside. When the match started back up France grabbed the tape and used it across the eyes of Ortiz before tossing it from the ring. France then tossed Ortiz from the ring and he landed in the lap of a ringsider, nearly causing a riot. When Ortiz got back into the ring he pulled a piece of string from his trunks and proceeded to choke France with it. Brummett had finally had enough and disqualified Ortiz for the second time and awarded the fall and the match to France.
On Thursday in New Orleans, newcomer Don (Lucky) Gilpin made his debut in the area and made it a successful one. He defeated veteran Pat Malone in the one fall opening match.
In the second one fall preliminary match Charley Keene pinned Chico Ortiz to win the match.
The main event promised to be a fast clean match as George Curtis took on Miguel Torres. The match was even at a fall apiece going into the third and deciding fall. Curtis began to gain the advantage and Torres surprised the fans by resorting to some roughhouse tactics. Curtis fought back with much the same and wore Torres down and pinned him to win the fall and the match.
On Friday in Montgomery, Al Massey defeated veteran Cowboy Jack Purdin, who was substituting for the absent Charley Keene, in the opening preliminary match.
In the main event Lucky Gilpin made his debut in Montgomery a spectacular one. He not only took two out of three falls to defeat the Killer, he unmasked the feared grappler as well. Once again the Killer was revealed to be Chief Tommy Marvin.
Also on Friday in Jackson the card opened with a one fall preliminary match between George Curtis and Rex Mobley. The two battled to a 30 minute draw.
Henry Harrell defeated Bill Cazzell by disqualification in the second one fall preliminary match.
In the semi-final match, Primo Carnera made his return to the area and faced Wild Bill Steddum. Carnera was the former Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World and Steddum was himself was a former boxer. Carnera had a surprisingly hard time with Steddum, who gave him a hard time throughout the match. Finally Carnera managed to pin Steddum to win the deciding fall and the match after the match was tied at a fall apiece. Just as referee Charlie Laye raised Carnera’s hand in victory, Steddum was joined in the ring by Bill Cazzell & Paddy Mack. The three issued a challenge to Carnera, who left the ring before any trouble could occur. Following the match, Carnera’s manager, Milo Steinborn, said that his wrestler was jet lagged after flying into Jackson from Boston where he had wrestled the night before and that explained the hard time he had had with Steddum. Furthermore he stated that Carnera could beat any two of the threesome that had challenged him on his own, but would just need one partner to beat the three of them.
In the main event Jack Curtis once again faced off with Paddy Mack. This time Curtis’ World Light-Heavyweight title would be left safely in the dressing room because this was a non-title match. Each man scored a fall apiece when referee Charlie Laye disqualified Mack in the third and deciding fall, giving the match to Curtis.
There was no wrestling held in Anniston on the same Friday evening.
The following Monday in Shreveport, George Curtis scored a disqualification win over Wild Bill Steddum in the opening one fall event.
In the semi-final match Rex Mobley won to out of three falls over Charlie Laye to win the match.
In the main event Jack Curtis teamed with Primo Carnera to take on the team of Paddy Mack & Bill Cazzell. Curtis & Carnera had a fairly easy time of it as the won two straight falls to win the match.
This card was the final card held in Shreveport for 1950.
On Tuesday in Monroe the card opened with Henry Harrell and Charlie Laye battling to a draw in the one fall preliminary match.
In the main event Jack Curtis & Primo Carnera teamed once again, this time facing Bill (Indian Ike) Cazzell & Wild Bill Steddum. Curtis pinned Cazzell in 12 minutes to win the first fall for his team. Cazzell got a bit of revenge when he forced Curtis to submit to an arm twist after 15 minutes to win the second fall. Carnera beat Steddum in 5 minutes to win the third fall and the match for his team.
This was the final wrestling card of 1950 in Monroe.
Also on Tuesday in Baton Rouge Pat Malone won two straight falls over Chico Ortiz to win the opening match of the evening.
In the main event Lucky Gilpin faced Jack Kelly. Kelly won the first fall when he tossed Gilpin out of the ring and Gilpin was unable to return before the count of 20. Gilpin used a series of flying dropkicks on Kelly and pinned him to win the second fall. Gilpin also used dropkicks and a pin on Kelly to win the third fall and the match.
On Wednesday in Alexandria Jack Kelly and Pat Malone met in the opening match. This was a rematch between the two and Kelly was anxious to pay Malone back for the bloody cut he received on his nose the previous week. Kelly used a cobra clutch to force Malone to submit to win the first fall in 12 minutes. Malone came back and used a Boston Crab to force Kelly to submit to win the second fall. The third and deciding fall ended after 12 minutes when Malone was disqualified by referee Phil Brummett for refusing to break an illegal hold.
In the main event Lucky Gilpin, quickly becoming a bobby-sox darling of the fans, took on Chico Ortiz. Ortiz started quickly when he jumped Gilpin before the opening bell, slammed him and pinned him in about 5 seconds. Referee Phil Brummett raised the hand of Ortiz but promoter Jimmie Thompson climbed into the ring and nullified the decision, ordering the match restarted. The fall lasted quite a bit longer this go-round until Gilpin tossed Ortiz with a flying mare and the used a flying body press to pin him to win the fall. In the second fall Ortiz hauled a piece of rope from his trunks and choked Gilpin with it. Gilpin managed to get the rope from Ortiz and used it to tie his feet together. With Ortiz struggling to untie himself, Gilpin pummeled him with punches to the body. The advantage swung back to Ortiz as he used a series of bodyblocks on Gilpin. Ortiz tried it once too often when he missed a tackle. Gilpin quickly applied a Boston Crab on Ortiz and forced him to submit to win the match in two straight falls.
On Thursday in New Orleans the opening one fall preliminary match matched Bill France against Pat Malone. France, filled with new found confidence, pinned Malone to win the bout.
In the semi-final match Lucky Gilpin took two out of three falls to win his match over Charley Keene.
In the main event George Curtis & Al Massey teamed to take on Miguel Torres & Jack Kelly. Torres, once the darling of the fans, was now using rough tactics and teaming with the likes of Kelly. Curtis won the first fall for his team when he pinned Kelly after a series of flying dropkicks. Torres came back and forced Curtis to submit to a leglock to win the second fall. Curtis was injured by the hold and was unable to compete in the third and deciding fall. Rather than concede the match on a forfeit, Massey agreed to go in alone in the final fall. The odds were too much for the game Massey and he was beaten to give the fall and the match to Torres & Kelly.
On Friday in Montgomery the card opened with a 60 minute match between Lucky Gilpin and Pat Malone.
In the main event Al Massey faced Irish Jack Kelly in a battle of ring veterans.
No results are known for this card.
Also on Friday in Jackson George Curtis battled to a draw with Paddy Mack, who was filling in for the missing Charlie Laye, in a one fall preliminary bout.
In the second event of the evening, also a one fall match, Rex Mobley scored a victory over Henry Harrell.
The main event was a handicap match with Jack Curtis & Primo Carnera taking on the threesome of Paddy Mack, Bill Cazzell & Wild Bill Steddum. Mack pinned Curtis to win the first fall for the trio of roughnecks after all three took turns battering Curtis around the ring. Curtis came back and used a series of snap mares on Steddum and pinned him to win the second. The third and deciding fall saw all five men in the ring at the same time. Despite the odds, Curtis & Carnera had a fairly easy time of it knocking their opponents around. Finally with Cazzell & Steddum out of the ring lying on the arena floor and Mack draped across the bottom rope totally exhausted, Mack said that he had had enough and conceded the fall. The fall and the match went to Curtis & Carnera in a very convincing manner.
The same Friday evening wrestling returned to Anniston after a week off with a double main event card presented. Charley Keene and Chico Ortiz met in the first event.
In the final event Bill France, now on a winning streak, faced off with Miguel Torres.
There are no results for this card.
The final week of the year started on a sad note when Don Keene was killed on Tuesday December 26 in an airplane crash near Montevallo, Alabama. Keene had been wrestling in Texas but was in his hometown of Birmingham for the holidays. He had flown out of that city on a small charter plane on Tuesday headed to an engagement in Amarillo, Texas.
With some of the towns already closed for the holidays, the final week of the years saw fewer cards presented. The first of which was held the following Tuesday in Baton Rouge. In the opening match Al Massey took on Charley Keene. Keene was appearing despite the fact that his younger brother had been killed earlier in the day in an airplane crash in Alabama. Fighting through the obvious grief, Keene pinned Massey to win the first fall in 16 minutes. Massey used a series of bodyslams on Keene and pinned him to win the second fall, also in 16 minutes. In the third and deciding fall Massey used a backbreaker on Keene and pinned him in 15 minutes to win the fall and the match.
In the main event Lucky Gilpin took on Pat Malone. Malone used a Boston Crab to force Gilpin to submit to win the first fall. Gilpin used a flying headscissors to pin Malone to win the second fall. In the third and deciding fall referee Kelly Mixon disqualified Gilpin for ignoring his instructions, giving the fall and the match to Malone. An enraged Gilpin punched Mixon following the decision.
On Wednesday in Alexandria, the first match was a bout between Al Massey and Pat Malone. Massey won the first fall when he hit Malone with a series of flying tackles and pinned him. Malone came back and captured the next two falls, using a Boston Crab to make Massey submit in each.
The final event featured Lucky Gilpin facing George Cologne. Cologne was a substitute for Jack Kelly who was in Birmingham to serve as a pallbearer at the funeral of Don Keene. Cologne won the first fall when he used an alligator clutch on Gilpin and pinned him. Gilpin came back and forced Cologne to submit to a Boston Crab to win the second fall. In the third and deciding fall, Cologne had Gilpin down under the ropes and was repeatedly stomping him. Despite warnings by referee Phil Brummett, Cologne refused to break from his tactics and wound up disqualified, giving the fall and the match to Gilpin.
The Thursday card in New Orleans was to feature Billy France facing Charley Keene in the opening match.
The semi-final was to be George Curtis taking on Lucky Gilpin.
The main event was to be a tag team match between the teams of Al Massey & George Cologne and Jack Kelly & Pat Malone. Joe Gunther was to serve as the special referee.
The card was cancelled however due to the death of Don Keene in an airplane crash the previous Tuesday. Promoter Ernestine Murtagh and her husband Jim Murtagh attended the funeral as did Joe Gunther, who was said to be the adopted father of Keene, along with his wife. Don’s older brother Charley Keene attended with the family and Jack Kelly served as a pallbearer.
On Friday in Montgomery, Lucky Gilpin and Al Massey met in the 60 minute opening bout.
In the main event Irish Jack Kelly took on Pat Malone.
No results are known for this card.
Also on Friday in Jackson the first two matches on the card were scheduled for best two out of three falls, but ended in time limit draws with the combatants scoring one fall apiece. George Curtis drew Rex Mobley and Henry Harrell drew Charlie Laye.
The main event featured Jack Curtis once again defending his World Light-Heavyweight title against bitter enemy Paddy Mack. Curtis won the first fall when he forced Mack to submit to an abdominal stretch. During the second fall Mack had Curtis down and thought that he had pinned him for the count. He rose to his feet before referee Pat Willis had completed the count and was strutting around in what he felt was a victory. Curtis got to his feet and stunned Mack with a right to the jaw and floored him. Mack was easily pinned and Curtis took the match in two straight falls to retain his title.
That same Friday evening in Anniston the main event was the team of Bill France & Red Byrd taking on Chico Ortiz & Cowboy Jack Purdin.
The same four men were separated into two singles preliminary matches to open the card.
No results are known for this card.
That brings 1950 to an end.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
All research has been completed by the Professional Wrestling Historical Society or by a trusted contributor.
Review of Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling: A Recap of December 1950.
Author: Michael Norris of Gulf Coast Wrestling History: 1950-1977.
Published: July 11, 2019.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
All research has been completed by the Professional Wrestling Historical Society or by a trusted contributor.
Review of Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling: A Recap of December 1950.
Author: Michael Norris of Gulf Coast Wrestling History: 1950-1977.
Published: July 11, 2019.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Click Here for a recap of January 1950.
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Click Here for a recap of October 1951.
Click Here for a recap of November 1951.
Click Here for a recap of December 19551.
