1950s

1940s << | >> 1960s

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World Champions at the Beginning of the Decade:
  • Heavyweight: Lou Thesz
  • Junior Heavyweight: Leroy McGuirk
  • Women: Mildred Burke

1950

01 Chicago, IL
Rainbo Arena owner Leonard Schwartz starts promoting wrestling cards against the local NWA member Fred Kohler. Al Haft (Columbus, OH) and Paul Bowser (Boston, MA), both members, book talents for Schwartz because of his national television outlet on ABC network.

02-07 Little Rock, AR
World junior heavyweight champion Leroy McGuirk is blinded in an automobile accident.

05-26 Chicago, IL
Fred Kohler books Don Eagle, recognized as AWA world heavyweight champion by Al Haft (Ohio) and by Paul Bowser (New England), for a match against Gorgeous George, who pins Eagle in a possible double cross. It is believed to be an attempt by Kohler to damage Eagle’s reputation as a revenge against his “fellow” NWA members Haft and Bowser who book the talents for Leonard Schwartz, a non-member rival promoter. Kohler eventually leaves the NWA.

08-31 Columbus, OH
Don Eagle defeats Gorgeous George to retain AWA world heavyweight title.

09-07 ~ 09 Dallas, TX
Third annual convention is held. Sam Muchnick is elected as the president for the first time.

1951

01 Chicago, IL
A special meeting is held to approve Leonard Schwartz as a new member and readmit Fred Kohler to the organization, resulting two promoters coexist as the members in Chicago.

01-23 Iowa
National Wrestling Alliance, Inc. is officially incorporated as a non-profit organization. Article VII states that the corporation will exist “for a period of fifty (50) years from the date of incorporation, unless sooner dissolved by a three-fourths vote of the membership, and approved by a majority of the board of directors.”

09-07 ~ 09 Tulsa, OK
The annual convention is held. The ultimatum is sent out that the members are given until 1952-02-01 to deal with their local “world” titles and are required to recognize only NWA’s world titles in the heavyweight and junior heavyweight divisions after the date.

09-30 ~ 12-11 Japan
Moe Lipton, a Honolulu, HI businessman, promotes pro-wrestling cards in Japan in association with NWA members Al Karasick of Honolulu and Joe Malcewicz of San Francisco, CA. Rikidōzan, a former rikishi who would later be known as “the father of puroresu (pro-wrestling in Japan)”, is scouted during this tour and debuts on 10-28 against Bobby Bruns in an exhibition match.
(Results at puroresu.com)

1952

05-21 Hollywood, CA
World heavyweight champion Lou Thesz unifies the Los Angeles version of the world title by defeating Baron Michele Leone at Gilmore Field in front of 25,256 fans, paying $103,277.75, a new record for wrestling making the first ever $100,000 gate.

09-05 ~ 07 Santa Monica, CA
The annual convention is held. NWA starts sanctioning the world light heavyweight title. Several new members are added, including Salvador Lutteroth (México) and Stu Hart (Calgary, AB).

11-06 Des Moines, IA
Gypsy Joe Dorsetti defeats Johnny Balbo, world light heavyweight champion recognized in Iowa by Pinkie George. Joe is later awarded the title officially by the NWA in the following January.

12
Due to a dispute over the profit from the televised wrestling events, Ed McLemore, a Dallas, TX promoter, leaves the Texas Wrestling Agency, headed by the Houston member Morris Sigel.

1953

01-06 Dallas, TX
Ed McLemore, now working with Billy Sandow and Jack Pfefer, holds the first weekly Tuesday card after splitting from the NWA. Roy Dunn is billed as the world heavyweight champion. Morris Sigel assigns Norman Clark as the NWA promoter in Dallas. Clark’s first event at Pappy’s Showland features Lou Thesz (NWA world heavyweight champion), Woody Strode (world “negro” heavyweight champion), and the Texas state champions in various divisions: Cyclone Anaya (heavyweight), Nell Stewart (women’s), and Ray Gunkel & Ricki Starr (tag team).

01-08 Dallas, TX
Ed McLemore adds another weekly program at the Sportarium on Thursdays. Jack Adkisson (Fritz Von Erich) debuts.

01-11 St. Louis, MO
Gypsy Joe is officially awarded the world light heavyweight title.

04-14 Baltimore, MD
After divorcing the champion Mildred Burke, Billy Wolfe holds a tournament to crown a new women’s world champion. June Byers defeats Nell Stewart in the final.

05-01 Dallas, TX
The original Sportatorium burns down. Ed McLemore continues the Tuesday events at the Fairpark Livestock Pavilion but cancels the Thursday shows.

09-04 ~ 06 Chicago, IL
The annual convention is held. On 09-05, Verne Gagne is awarded the United States heavyweight title at the Marigold Arena. NWA president Sam Muchnick denies the official recognition of the newly-created title, however. At the meeting on 09-06, NWA stops sanctioning the women’s wrestling.

1954

05-22 Houston, TX
Morris Sigel and Ed McLemore have a meeting which results in the end of the promotional war in Dallas.

05-23 México City, México
NWA world heavyweight title is defended for the first time in México as the champion Lou Thesz defeats Gori Guerrero.

08-20 Atlanta, GA
Mildred Burke and June Byers wrestle to no contest when the match is stopped by the referee after Byers wins the first fall in a 2-out-of-3-falls match. Although Burke retains the women’s world title by losing only one fall, Byers is billed as the new champion by the NWA member promoters.

10-10 Minneapolis, MN
Tony Stecher of Minneapolis, MN, one of the founding members of the NWA, passes away. His son Dennis takes over the promotion.

1955

03-22 San Francisco, CA
Leo Nomellini defeats the world heavyweight champion Lou Thesz via disqualification at Cow Palace. The California State Athletic Commission recognizes Nomellini as the champion while NWA continues to recognize Thesz.

07-15 St. Louis, MO
Lou Thesz defeats Leo Nomellini to end the dispute over the world heavyweight title.

08-19 Chicago, IL
Leonard Schwartz has his final wrestling card, leaving Fred Kohler as the sole member in the area.

1956

10
NWA enters into a consent decree with the United States as the result of investigations by the Department of Justice into the practives by the NWA including the allegation of the illegal monopoly.

12-15 Los Angeles, CA
Hugh Nichols, member promoter in Hollywood and San Diego, commits suicide.

1957

06-14 Chicago, IL
Edouard Carpentier defeats Lou Thesz for the world heavyweight title.

07-01 Omaha, NE
Max Clayton, one of the founding members, passes away. Few months later, Joe Dusek, a non-member, takes over the territory.

08-05 Washington, DC
Capitol Wrestling Corporation is incorporated by Vince McMahon Sr., Phil Zacko, and Johnny Doyle.

08-23 ~ 25 St. Louis, MO
The annual convention is held.

08-29 Sydney, Australia
Lou Thesz defeats Ricky Waldo to retain the world heavyweight title. This is the first time the title is defended outside North America.

10-07 Tōkyō, Japan
In the first ever world heavyweight wrestling championship match in Japan, champion Lou Thesz wrestles Rikidōzan to a 60-minute draw.

1958

08-22 ~ 24 St. Louis, MO
The annual convention is held. It is most likely during these meetings when the control of the world light heavyweight title is given to Salvador Lutteroth of México.

1959

02-13 México City, México
Dory Dixon defeats Al Kashey in the first world light heavyweight title match under the control of Empresa Méxicana de Lucha Libre.

03-03
Pinkie George, the founder and first president of the NWA, resigns from the organization.

04-11 Detroit, MI
Johnny Doyle and Jim Barnett run the first show at the Olympia Arena in opposition to the local NWA member Harry Light.

World Champions at the End of the Decade:

* Singles titles only. Italicized letters indicate that the title is billed as an NWA title but not officially recognized by the head office.

  • Heavyweight: Pat O’Connor
  • Junior Heavyweight: Angelo Savoldi
  • Light Heavyweight: Ray Mendoza
  • Middleweight: Rolando Vera
  • Welterweight: Karloff Lagarde
  • Women: June Byers / Fabulous Moolah

1940s << | >> 1960s

Other Video Clips from the 1950s