Blassie also made a successful defense of his title against young Johnny James, reportedly the young brother of popular Jesse James. James was a game challenger but the veteran badman Blassie proved to be too much for him. 

The German Angel shocked everyone by scoring a win over Lee Fields. Fields had gotten himself disqualified in the third fall. Fields got a measure of revenge when he teamed with Buddy Fuller to trim the Angel & Rube Wright. The masked German also had a bit of a problem with Lester Welch. The two met in a match that saw Lester get disqualified but not before ripping the Angel's mask from his head. The Angel left the ring and refused to return. He did mange to keep his identity a secret. 

A big blonde newcomer by the name of Stan Kowalski (Bert Smith) arrived on the scene. He defeated popular Billy Sharbart in his debut. Kowalski would go on to greater fame in the AWA as one-half of their tag team champions on several occasions. Even later he would be known as a manager under the name The Big K. 

Other wrestlers in the area in February were Jack Welch, Al Criswell, Don Fields, Mario Galento and Red Byrd.  

MARCH: 

Mario Galento & Rowdy Red Roberts started making noise about getting a shot at the Southern Tag Team title. The two-time former champs faced Don Fields, one-half of the current champs along with his brother Lee, and Jack Welch in a slam-bang battle. The former champs proved that they hadn't lost a thing as they defeated Fields & Welch to climb right back into title contention. 

Lester Welch had his share of problems with guys named Kowalski. First he faced big Stan Kowalski in a match that ended in a no-contest. Later the decision was thrown out and Welch was declared the winner. Welch also had a run-in with the returning King Karl Kowalski (no relation to Stan). It was in a mixed tag team encounter between Kowalski and his wife Carol Carotta against Welch & Verne Bottoms. Welch & Bottoms took the measure of the husband and wife team after a wild and woolly match. 

Stan Kowalski also let it be known that he was gunning for Lee Fields. He claimed that Fields had roughed him up while he was serving as a special referee in a tag team match involving Lee and his brother Don. Lee denied this accusation but stated that he was willing to face Kowalski any time. Both men left the area before the match could be signed however. 

A huge Mexican grappler named Hombre Montana (Harry Finkelstein) arrived in the area. He defeated another newcomer, Jack Vansky in his initial appearance. He quickly got involved in some heated matches with the Welch clan. The 325 pounder faced Herb Welch in a rugged bout that saw the Mexican disqualified for his rough tactics. He continued to pound on Herb after the match, which brought Lester Welch to the ring to rescue his older sibling. 

Lester also took care of some unfinished business with the German Angel. Welch had unmasked the Angel in a match and was disqualified. The Angel managed to cover up his face with a towel and made it back top the dressing room with his secret identity intact. Several weeks passed before the masked man was seen in the area again, and when he returned he wanted Lester in a match. Lester requested that the match be a no disqualification match so he could rip the mask from the German's face without worry of being penalized. The match was set and Lester finished what he had started when he unmasked the German once again. And again the Angel left the ring with a towel covering his face, but this time he kept going as he left the area for good. 

Others appearing in the area during the month of March were Johnny James, Buddy Fuller and Charlie Laye. 

APRIL: 

The huge 325 pound Hombre Montana was determined to get his hands on Lester & Herb Welch and challenged the popular Oklahoma brothers to a handicap match. As big as he was he was just no match for the cunning Welch boys and went down to defeat. He decided he had had enough and left the area after this match. 

Lester Welch received a title shot at Southern Heavyweight champion Freddie Blassie, but got a little too carried away. He was disqualified in the third and deciding fall and lost the match. 

Lee Fields and Stan Kowalski both returned to the area and the match between the two of them was finally signed. Lee got the better of the big blonde and pinned him in two straight falls to win the match. 

Bobby Fields also returned after a lengthy absence. He teamed with veteran Charlie Laye only to lose to Rube Wright & Mario Galento. Bobby then teamed with Lester Welch & Buddy Fuller to top the team of Galento, Wright & newcomer Joe McCarthy. Bobby also teamed with another young newcomer Jim Boyer to defeat Wright & McCarthy. In yet another tag team match, Fields & Fuller defeated Wright & newcomer Pierre DeGalles. DeGalles had worked in the area two years earlier under his real name Charles "Chuck" Molner. 

MAY: 

Lester Welch & Bobby Fields formed a very formidable tag team. They defeated the rough team of Mario Galento & Charro Aztec, upsetting Galento to no end. Mario was so upset that he placed a call to his older "brother" Al "Spider" Galento. Spider was a rugged veteran and was more than happy to come to Mario's aid. The rough Galento Brothers proved to be way to tough for Fields & Welch and won the match handily. Bobby Fields was injured during the match and was unable to compete in the third and final fall.  

Lester decided that since Mario Galento had recruited his older brother, that he would do the same. In fact he went and got Roy Welch, the eldest of the wrestling Welch Brothers. The family feud was a wild one and when all was said and done, both teams had been disqualified and the match thrown out. A rematch was signed with some unusual rules. Roy Welch and Spider Galento would both don boxing gloves while their respective younger siblings would wrestle bare handed.  The Galento boys proved to be the rougher of the two sets of brothers and upended the Welch brothers to take the match. 

Lester had better luck when he teamed with Chief Little Eagle to defeat Rowdy Red Roberts and his new tag team partner The Great Malenko (Frank Fozo). Roberts and the Russian were out to gain a shot at the Southern Tag Team title held by Lee & Don Fields, but didn't get off to too great a start. 

Lady grapplers returned to the area when Verne Bottoms defeated Libby Gonzales.  

Midget wrestlers also returned in a match that saw Fuzzy Cupid down Tiny Tim. 

It was announced that Brother Frank Jares had lost the Southern Jr. Heavyweight championship to The Masked Bat on May 22^nd in Nashville. Just one week later, on May 29^th Jares defeated the Bat to regain the title. It was later revealed that the Masked Bat was none other than Danny Dusek. 

Others in the area during the month of May were Eddie (Pat) Malone, Lee Fields, Joe McCarthy, Billy Sharbart, Buddy Fuller and Jimmy Sixay.  

JUNE: 

By virtue of their win over Lester & Roy Welch, Spider & Mario Galento were awarded a shot at the Southern Tag Team title held by Lee & Don Fields. The match was a rough one and the advantage shifted several times before Lee pinned Mario Galento to win the third and final fall.  

Chief Little Eagle and Joe McCarthy met in a match that ended in a no-contest decision. The two started throwing fists at one another and wound up on the arena floor swinging chairs. Referee Juan Spindola disqualified both wrestlers for their actions. A rematch was signed and in this one McCarthy was the only one disqualified giving Little Eagle the decision. 

Lee Fields faced off against the Great Malenko in a challenge match. The match was a rough one but Malenko edged out the popular Fields to take the win.  A return match saw the same result as Malenko proved to be just too tough for Fields. 

Newcomer Sugi Sito (Francisco Hernandez) arrived on the scene. He lost by disqualification to popular Bobby Fields in his first match. 

Bobby Fields teamed with Lester Welch to defeat the team of Joe McCarthy & Pierre DeGalles. 

Others appearing in the area this month were Charlie Carr, George "Baby Blimp" Harris, Buddy Fuller and Johnny James. 

JULY: 

Around this time it was announced that Colonel Herb Langston was the new promoter, but in reality Buddy Fuller was the man behind the scenes.  

Another rematch between Lee Fields and the Great Malenko was signed. This time the match was best 3 out of 5 falls and as a special guest referee Langston had signed Hollywood Western star Ray "Crash" Corrigan.  This time Lee was not to be denied as he tore into the Russian from the opening bell.  Lee knocked the Great One from pillar to post and finally pinned him to take the first fall. Malenko roared back to take the next two falls. In the third fall, Corrigan was injured and had to be replaced. George "Baby Blimp" Harris was selected as the new referee and things looked bad for Fields. Harris was surprisingly fair and Lee came back to win the next two falls and the match. This time Malenko demanded a return match and was given one. But again Fields prevailed and won the match. 

A strange thing took place at the conclusion of this match. Malenko was fuming over his loss and refused to leave the ring. Joe McCarthy & Mario Galento entered the ring for their scheduled match with Lester Welch & Chris Belkas. Galento and Malenko exchanged heated words and soon the fists were flying. This led to a match between the two ruffians that turned into a wild melee. Each man had won a fall when the match got completely out of hand. Several policemen stormed the ring to separate the two. When Colonel Herb Langston entered the ring to try to restore order, he was bodyslammed to the mat by the Great Malenko. 

It was announced that Brother Frank Jares had been stripped of the Southern Jr. Heavyweight title. A tournament was held in late July in Birmingham, which saw Herb Welch fall to Jesse James in the final match. James was declared the new Southern Jr. Heavyweight champion. Jares protested that he was still the true champion (although he had lost to Welch in the tournament) and a match was set for July 24^th in Nashville between Jares and James to decide the true champion. Once again Jesse James emerged victorious and declared as the Southern Jr. Heavyweight champion. 

Other wrestlers who appeared in the area in July were The Hawk, Charlie Carr, Sugi Sito, Pierre DeGalles, George Spearman and Sam "Bull" Williams. 

AUGUST: 

The battle between Lee Fields and the Great Malenko continued. They had met in four matches with each man having won two decisions. They met in another wild and woolly match at the beginning of August. This one saw Malenko have the edge and he defeated the popular young man from Oklahoma.  

Malenko used this decision to get under the skin of promoter Colonel Herb Langston. He claimed that he had beaten the best the territory had to offer in Fields and that he was the best wrestler ever to appear in the area. Langston responded by offering a cash bonus to anyone who could get the better of the Russian. The first man to step up and take the challenge was Chief Little Eagle. Little Eagle was game but was no match for the Mad Russian who pinned him in two straight falls in short order. 

Next up to challenge Malenko was former Southern Jr. Heavyweight champion, Herb Welch. Welch had nearly won back the title he had once held in a tournament held in Birmingham. He defeated King Karl Kowalski and Brother Frank Jares to make it to the final match against Jesse James. Unfortunately for Welch he fell a little short and lost to James. Malenko had also been in the tournament but lost by disqualification in the first round and was eliminated. Now Welch wanted to earn Langston's bonus by defeating the rough Malenko. The match was a rugged one with Malenko getting a disputed win. Welch and the fans questioned the actions of the referee and Welch demanded a rematch. Colonel Langston agreed and another match was arranged between Welch and Malenko. Malenko was the first out to the ring and he awaited Herb Welch. However, Herb Welch didn't come out to the ring, Lester Welch did. Lester explained that his brother has been injured two nights before in Birmingham and wasn't able to show. Malenko stated that he didn't care which Welch he fought, so Lester faced the Great One. The match was wild with each man taking a fall. The third fall saw things get completely out of control and both men were disqualified and the match declared no contest. 

The Great Malenko was on top of the world at this point. It was announced that he would be receiving a shot at Jesse James for the Southern Jr. Heavyweight title on the 29^th in Mobile. However on the Saturday prior to the match, he and Lee Fields engaged in a wild brawl on live TV. Two nights later, on Monday the 27th, Jesse James lost the Southern Jr. Heavyweight title to Herb Welch in Birmingham. As a result of these events a match was set between Malenko and Fields. It would be a Texas Death Match with Chief Little Eagle serving as the special referee. It was a typical wild affair between the two and despite being a Texas Death Match, it was a little two wild. Both men were battering each other when Fields bent a ringside chair over the Russian's head. Oddly enough it was promoter Colonel Herb Langston who handed the chair to Fields. Little Eagle called a halt to the proceedings and declared the match a no contest. The Alabama State Athletic commission suspended Langston for three months for his actions. 

Ladies' World Champion June Byers (Dealva Snyder) brought her title to the area in August. She had defeated longtime champion Mildred Burke the previous summer in Atlanta to take the title. Her opponent was the beautiful Penny Banner (Mary Ann Kostecki). Banner was a sensation in her leopard-skin leotard but was no match for the champion. 

A new masked man known as The Brown Monster arrived in the area. He was a huge man weighing over three hundred pounds. He defeated Chief Little Eagle in his debut and destroyed Jim Boyer in his next appearance. He teamed with another 300-pounder in George "Baby Blimp" Harris only to lose to the great team of Lester Welch & Buddy Fuller. 

Others appearing in the area in August were Bobby Fields, Walter Serios, Joe McCarthy, Johnny James, Pierre DeGalles and Chris Averoff. 

SEPTEMBER: 

Leroy Morris of Pensacola was named the new promoter due to the suspension of Colonel Herb Langston. As it was with Langston, Morris was simply a "figurehead", as Buddy Fuller was in fact the owner and operator of the promotion (on behalf of his uncle father Roy Welch). Morris would later become one of the television announcers and would be associated with Gulf Coast wrestling for the next twenty years. 

Morris' first official act as promoter was to sign Lee Fields and the Great Malenko to a rematch. This time both men would be wearing boxing gloves in a fifteen round boxing match. Despite a driving rainstorm, over 3000 rabid fans filled Ladd Memorial Stadium in Mobile to see these two men meet again. The advantage switched back and forth with neither man gaining a clear edge until the late rounds, when Lee pulled ahead slightly. Fields got a little carried away with himself and refused to stop punching Malenko while he was in the ropes. As a result, referee J.L. Scarborough disqualified him, giving the match to Malenko. This was the wrong thing to do as Fields then battered both Malenko and Scarborough and chased them from the ring. Lee then stood mid-ring and challenged anyone to come out and take him on as his thousands of fans cheered him on. 

It was announced that Freddie Blassie had lost the Southern Heavyweight title to Don McIntyre in Atlanta on September 7^th. Blassie had held the title for nearly 10 months in the third of what would be his sixteen reigns as Southern Heavyweight champion. McIntyre at the time was the promoter in Atlanta (unknown to the fans). It was his 12^th time as champion. 

The Great Malenko recovered from his beating at the hands of Lee Fields to challenge Herb Welch for the Southern Jr. Heavyweight title. These two archenemies put on an outstanding bout, which saw Welch win the first fall by making Malenko submit to a Boston Crab. Malenko came back like a man possessed in the second fall. He battered Welch unmercifully and was on the verge of getting disqualified several times for his rough tactics. But he managed to keep himself in tact just enough to beat Welch down and take the second fall. Both men collapsed into their respective corners for the rest period between falls. When the bell rang to start the third fall, Malenko came to ring center, but Welch was unable to start the fall. Therefore, the Great Malenko was declared the winner and thus was declared the new Southern Jr. Heavyweight champion. 

Malenko faced his main nemesis Lee Fields in his first title defense. Being champion gave Malenko the edge has he outlasted Fields to retain the title. 

June Byers returned to the area and brought her Ladies World championship with her. She defeated Bonnie Watson to successfully defend her title. 

Mario Galento returned to the area after an absence of six weeks. He faced the extremely popular Farmer Jones who was also making a return appearance. The barefooted Jones, as always, had his pet pig Trooper with him. This match was a thriller that saw the farmer disqualified for hitting referee Jimmy Barrett in the head with his shoes (which he had worn to ringside only). After Barrett ended the match, Jones continued to bang both Barrett and Galento on the head with the shoe much to the fans' delight. 

Galento also faced a sensational newcomer named Argentina Zuma (Manuel Chaij) in a wild match. Zuma was billed as a close friend and countryman of the famous Antonino "Argentina" Rocca. Zuma, like Rocca wrestled barefoot and used many leaping holds and fancy footwork. Galento won the first fall with his Hangman's hold, but fell to Zuma in the second after several dropkicks. Galento came back to win the third and deciding fall again with his Hangman's hold. Galento was also disqualified for fouling newcomer Jack O'Reilly in O'Reilly's debut. 

Lester Welch wanted to add a mask to his growing collection, the mask of the Brown Monster. Lester had been the one who unmasked the German Angel earlier in the year. Lester had also ended Mario Galento's masquerade as "The Masked Flash" the previous year. Now he wanted the Monster. The huge masked man proved too much for the popular Oklahoma cowboy in their first meeting however. He tossed Welch around and won the match in two straight falls. Welch demanded a rematch and put his hair on the line in order to get it. The Monster's mask was also on the line as a special stipulation of the match. The Brown Monster felt confident since he handled Welch so easily in their first meeting and he agreed to the terms. He shouldn't have because Welch whipped him soundly. The Monster tried to leave the ring without unmasking after losing the bout. Welch wouldn't let that happened and grabbed the masked giant by the front of the mask. As the two struggled, referee Jimmy Barrett untied the back of the mask and it came off in Lester's hand! Underneath the mask of the Brown Monster was revealed Mexican wrestler Garzo Lozano (Lozano Martinez).  

Another returnee to the area was Stan Kowalski. Kowalski had been attacked in Birmingham and stabbed by several teenage fans in June. After several weeks recovery he returned. On his first appearance on TV he battered young Bobby Fields into submission. This led to a challenge issued to the big blonde by oldest Fields brother Lee. Kowalski beat Fields in two straight falls but had help doing it. The referee was Jimmy Barrett, who hadn't forgotten referee J.L. Scarborough's battering at the hands of Fields after disqualifying him in his boxing match with the Great Malenko. Barrett looked the other way while Kowalski used some questionable tactics. This led to Fields receiving quite a battering and losing both falls. Fields demanded a rematch with a different referee and was granted it by promoter Leroy Morris. This time Kowalski's actions cost him the match. Lee had won the first fall with his famed Oklahoma roll and had the upper hand in the second. Rather than face losing two straight falls, Kowalski started choking the popular Fields and this led to his disqualification. 

A newcomer named Tor Yamato (Toyoki Uyeda) made his debut in the area by defeating Bobby Fields. Yamato claimed to be the brother of the famed Duke Keomuka (Hisao Tanaka). He battered Fields into submission with Judo. 

Lady wrestlers returned to the area when Kathy Branch defeated Ella Waldek. Miss Branch also lost a match with popular Penny Banner. Kathy Branch later married wrestler Tom Renesto. Renesto who go on to form a tag team with longtime partner Jody "Joe" Hamilton. Together they formed two of the greatest masked teams ever, The Bolos and most famously The Assassins.

It was announced that Don McIntyre had lost the Southern Heavyweight crown to Art Neilson (Arthur Nelson) on the 21^st in Atlanta. This would be Neilson's fifth reign as Southern champion. This reign proved to be a short one, however, as Neilson dropped the belt the following week in Atlanta to Wild Bull Curry (Fred Khoury).  

Others wrestling in the area in September were Buddy Fuller and Rube Wright. 

OCTOBER: 

Tor Yamato was making his presence known in the area. After demolishing popular young Bobby Fields in his debut, he defeated Cowboy Lester Welch. Each man had won a fall apiece when Yamato used his judo chops on Welch and tossed him from the ring. The popular cowboy was unable to return and was counted out giving Yamato the fall and the match. Lee Fields, who wanted to avenge his youngest brother's beating, then challenged Yamato. This match was set and a wild one it was. Lee won the first fall with his Oklahoma roll, but Yamato evened the score by winning the second fall after hitting Fields with a judo chop. Lee had the Japanese badman wobbly in the third fall but missed a flying tackle as sailed from the ring. Tor, although still wobbly, followed Fields out of the ring. He slammed Fields onto the hard dirt of Hartwell Field and was promptly disqualified by referee J.L. Scarborough (who had apparently forgiven Fields). 

Yamato also lost matches to Chief Little Eagle and to newcomer Joe Costello.  

Herb Welch was hot to get a rematch with the Great Malenko to try and regain the Southern Jr. Heavyweight title. He earned that match after winning a five-man battle royal. Others participating in the battle royal were Joe Costello, Joe McCarthy, Lester Welch and newcomer Gypsy Joe Gonzales (Atanacio "Tony" Gonzales). Gonzales would later make his mark in the territory  (and many others) as The Original Mysterious Masked Medic. 

Welch made good on his shot at the Great Malenko. Malenko was disqualified by referee Jimmy Barrett to lose the first fall. Malenko had been dragging Welch by his hair and slamming his head into the corner turnbuckles. He then tossed Welch from the ring, at which time Barrett followed and raised Herb's hand. During the second fall, Malenko was in trouble until he crawled to his corner and removed the belt from his entrance robe. He proceeded to use the belt to choke Welch out of view of referee Barrett. Welch managed to escape the Russian's clutches and crawled from the ring, where he was handed a belt by a ringside fan. Welch used the belt to give Malenko a taste of his own medicine and choked the Great One into unconsciousness. Then it was a simple matter of pinning him for the win. Herb Welch was the Southern Jr. Heavyweight champion for the third time in his career. 

Former World's Jr. Heavyweight champion Wild Red Berry returned to the area in October. He lost to Lester Welch in a three-fall affair. Berry lost the deciding fall after leaving the ring and refusing to return. Despite the loss, Berry was given a shot at Herb Welch in a Southern Jr. Heavyweight title match. Herb Welch won the first fall with a rolling pin, but Berry came back and scored a pinfall to win the second fall. Berry had the decided edge in the third fall and seemed on his way to victory win Herb surprised him with a spread-eagle cradle to pin him. Welch retained the title, although Berry complained to referee Vic Kalfus and anyone else who would listen that his shoulders were off the mat at the time the count was made.    

Berry fared better against popular Bobby Fields, but lost a match to Bobby's older brother Don Fields. 

Lester Welch, by way of his victory over Berry, earned a shot at World's Jr. Heavyweight champion "Irish" Mike Clancy. Each man won a fall, but the one-hour time limit expired before either man could win a deciding fall. Clancy therefore retained his title. 

It was formally announced on October 21^st that Buddy Fuller was the new wrestling promoter. 

It was also announced that Fred Blassie had defeated Bull Curry on the 19^th in Atlanta to regain the Southern Heavyweight title. This would be Blassie's fifth title reign. 

Others appearing in the area in October were "Judo" Jack Terry (Charles VanAudenarde), Mario Galento, Jack Welch, Bob Boyer, Charlie Carr, George O'Hara, and lady wrestlers Millie Stafford and Rusty Ryan.  

NOVEMBER:

John & Al Smith returned to the area after a lengthy absence. They defeated the popular team of Don Fields & Chief Little Eagle. While referee Vic Kalfus had his head turned to keep Little Eagle from the ring, the Smiths battered Don Fields into submission, making it easy for the winning pin.  Not satisfied with the victory, the Smiths continued to beat Don after the match. This of course brought big brother Lee into the ring to aid his fallen brother. This led to a tag team match between the Smith and Fields families. Two referee were assigned to the match, Jimmy Barrett and Judo Jack Terry. During the first fall, Al Smith had some words with Barrett, which led to his downfall. Don Fields caught Smith in a full nelson and turned him around, which allowed Lee Fields to lay a punch into Al's jaw. Barrett, who is known to get physically involved in matches, also decided to add a haymaker onto Al's jaw. This allowed Don to pin Smith to win the first fall. Barrett argued with Terry during the rest period, stating that he did what he did due to Terry's allowing the Smiths to get away with some questionable tactics. During the second fall, Terry continue to show lenience toward the bearded Smith boys, and every time Barrett tried to enforce the rules, Terry would argue with him. This kept Barrett occupied and allowed the Smiths to batter Lee and Don from stem to stern. After Lee absorb a tremendous beating by the Smiths he was pinned by Al and the Smith brothers took the second fall. The Fields brothers caught their second wind during the rest period and began the third fall like a house afire. They battered the Smiths at will until Terry and Barrett forced some order to the game. Once again Terry was showing bias toward Al & John Smith and finally Lee Fields had had enough. He jumped into the ring and sent both Smiths and both referees flying. He managed to get his and on Judo Jack Terry and knocked him down several times with a right fist. Terry finally managed to escapes Lee's grasp and raised the hands of Al & John Smith and awarded them the match. This led to the Smiths taking Judo Jack on as their tag team partner to face all three of the Fields boys, Lee, Don & Bobby in a six-man tag team match. The match was set for Thursday November 22^nd in Mobile, Thanksgiving Day! The Fields boys were after more than turkey. They wanted to cook Terry and the Smiths' goose! More than 3000 screaming fans crowded into Ft. Whiting Armory to witness the enormously popular Fields boys do some carving. Things didn't start so well for the heroes when the Smiths & Terry triple-teamed Bobby and pinned him to take the first fall. The second fall went much the same for awhile, with Lee on the receiving end of the rough stuff. Several times he broke loose and made it to his corner to tag, only to have the referee (Barrett again) so busy with the other corner that he missed seeing it. Just as the angry fans were about to lynch Barrett, Lee made a tag to Don Fields that Barrett saw. Don came in and cleaned house. He then tagged Lee back in who delivered a piledriver to Al Smith and pinned him. The match was no one fall apiece. The third fall saw all six men in the ring at the same time. Obviously Barrett gave up trying to control all six, so he concentrated on Bobby Fields and Judo Jack Terry battling in one corner. Finally Bobby slammed Terry and jumped on him for the pin. Barrett tolled the three count and that was that. The Fields Brothers emerged victorious. 

The Smiths weren't satisfied with this outcome and claimed that since it had been Terry that had been pinned in the final fall, that it was still a question as to which family, Smith or Fields, was the most dominant in the area. They challenged Lee & Bobby Fields to face them in a "Texas Tornado" match with all four wrestlers in the ring at the same time. The Fields boys quickly accepted the challenge. Things actually started early as Al Smith and Bobby Fields were set to meet in a preliminary match. Smith jumped Bobby before the bell and gave him a tremendous beating. This left the Fields brothers at a decided disadvantage when the tag team match came along. The Smiths took advantage of Bobby's weakened condition and worked him over, finally pinning him to take the first fall. The Fields brothers came back during the second fall and gave Al & John a pretty good going over. Finally Lee slammed John Smith and took the fall. In the third fall, Lee & Bobby decided to give the Smiths a taste of their own medicine and kept double teaming them in their corner. They got a little too carried away, though, and referee Charlie Carr disqualified them and gave the fall and the match to the Smith Brothers. 

Penny Banner returned and kept up her bid for another shot at June Byers' Ladies World title by beating Millie Stafford. 

Mario Galento continued his winning ways. He had a rough match with newcomer James Dunnivant. Mario won this one in two straight falls, but took his lumps in doing so. Dunnivant would later gain fame under the name Dandy Jack Donovan. He would even hold the Gulf Coast Heavyweight title in the 1970s. 

It was announced that Freddie Blassie had lost the Southern Heavyweight title to Bobby Wepner in Atlanta on the 23^rd. 

It was also announced that the team of Jack Witzig & George Becker were now the Southern Tag Team Champions. I can find no evidence where they ever defeated Lee & Don Fields, who were the last team in this area to be recognized as champions. 

Also in the area in November was George O'Hara. 

DECEMBER: 

A handsome newcomer from Canada hit the scene and quickly endeared himself to the fans. His name was Guy LaRose (Oliva Asselin). He is not to be confused with another French-Canadian whose name was Guy LaRose who later gained fame as Hans Schmidt. LaRose faced the returning Stan Kowalski in an opening match and quickly had the fans eating from his hands as he dropkicked the daylights out of the big blonde and won the match. Later in the evening LaRose teamed with Jack Welch only to lose to Kowalski & Mario Galento two falls to one. LaRose fared better the next week when he and Bobby Fields teamed to defeat a pair of newcomers Pierre Moquin & Daron O'Hara. Moquin may have been Larry Moquin, I am not sure. He made an impression by defeating Lee Fields in his first appearance. LaRose also defeated rugged Joe McCarthy, back after an absence, in a singles match. LaRose quickly found himself right behind the Fields and Welch boys on the popularity poll. 

An old feud erupted between Lee Fields and Mario Galento. It started in a televised match between the two that saw Galento break a small bone in Fields' hand. They then faced off in a tag team match with Lee teamed with Lester Welch against Galento & Stan Kowalski. Each team had won a fall when in the third, Fields tossed Galento out of the ring and followed him out. The two got into such a tussle on the floor that they forgot about being involved in a tag team match. Finally referee Charlie Carr disqualified both men and called the match off. Neither Fields nor Galento cared as they continued to batter each other among the spectators for the longest time. A rematch was set with one member of each team slated to wear boxing gloves. A coin toss prior to the start of the match would determine who would don the gloves. As it turned out, Lee Fields and Stan Kowalski wound up in the gloves. Each team had won a fall apiece and all four men were battering themselves silly when the hour time limit expired and the match was declared a draw. Galento and Kowalski jumped Welch & Fields after the bout and were giving them quite a beating when Bobby Fields hit the ring. Together the Fields boys and Welch beat on Kowalski & Galento for a full 10 minutes after the match. Lee was then scheduled to team with brothers Don & Bobby to face Rube Wright, Kowalski & Daron O'Hara. The Saturday prior to this match taking place, however, Lee and Galento got into a bloody brawl on live TV. This led to the two of them squaring off in a Texas Death Match. At the beginning of the match, Galento wouldn't let Lee enter the ring. Every time Fields tried to climb into the ring, Mario would knock him back out. Finally Fields made it into the ring and when he did he tore into Galento with a vengeance. He knocked the longhaired ruffian from corner to corner, finally capturing the winning fall. After Lee had been declared the winner, it was as if Galento had been awakened from a bad dream. He roared up off the canvas and chased Lee all over the ring, pounding on him. He tossed Lee from the ring and then knocked him to the arena floor. Just as he was lifting Fields from the floor by his hair a fan charged from out of the crowd and took a swing at Galento. Mario ducked and was about to clobber the man when the police grabbed the fan and escorted him from the building. While this was going on, Don and Bobby Fields arrived on the scene to help their brother. No all three Fields boys ganged up on Galento and beat him to a bloody pulp as the fans roared with approval.   

Also appearing in the area at the end of the year was Tor Yamato. 

That's our look at 1956. Hope you enjoyed it. 

NEXT MONTH: 

The area continues to grow by leaps and bounds. The Gulf Coast Heavyweight Championship is established and a first champion is crowned.