June 22, 1955 in Asheville, NC

Gene Anderson gets suspended from Asheville, NC in 1972

July 7, 1971 in Asheville, NC

            I scanned the results from Gene Anderson's 1971 journal in 2005. A big thank you to Gene's son Brad for allowing me to read his Dad's records from 1971-1972.

June 27, 1956 in Asheville, NC

Tiny Mills and Jim Austeri defeated Leo and Chick Garibaldi for the Southern Tag Team Trophy on June 27, 1956. The match took place on that Wednesday night in the Asheville City Auditorium. The Garibaldi's had won the trophy at the same venue a week earlier, June 20, 1956 from Kinji Shibuya and Mr. Moto. Tiny Mills and Jim Austeri would later lose the trophy to George Becker and Jack Witzig on September 17, 1956 in Charlotte, NC.

Lou Thesz teams with Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson

Lou Thesz made a title defense against Johnny Weaver in Asheville on November 3, 1965. Though the paper did not provide all the specifics, it did say that other wrestlers on the card got involved and the match was a "no contest". Whatever happened that night must have set up this match.

April 20, 1975 - IWA and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling

It is only 13 miles from Canton to Asheville.

Tribute to Promoter Paul C. Winkhaus

         Mr. Paul C. Winkhaus became the promoter of the weekly wrestling events in Asheville, NC in July 1963. He promoted his first show in the City Auditorium there on July 24, 1963 after purchasing the wrestling office of Chief O. B. Saunooke. Mr. Winkhaus also promoted at the Greenville, SC Memorial Auditorium. I have not yet been able to determine the exact date he started promoting there. The Greenville paper has Herbie Freeman as the promoter there in 1960 and Wally Dusek as promoter from 1961 to as late as August 1963. Mr. Winkhaus passed away in Ohio on Thursday November 14, 1974.

Asheville, NC City Auditorium

                   The city of Asheville, NC has a rich history in professional wrestling. The construction of a new city auditorium began in 1939. The new auditorium received a final inspection on Thursday January 4, 1940 and a dedication ceremony was held on Saturday January 6, 1940.

                    The wrestling promoters I have found mentioned in the Asheville newspaper for the city auditorium are Scotty Dawkins (former wrestler) in 1941. Wrestling in Asheville was sparse during the war years. In January 1946 the promoter for Asheville is listed as Mickey Baarnes assisted by Johnny Bowers. The paper also sometimes spelled his last name as Baarns or Barnes. Mr. Baarnes would also promote shows  in the Asheville City Auditorium during 1950, 1951 and 1952.  On the shows that Mickey Baarnes promoted in Asheville between 1946 and 1952, wrestlers from Nick Gulas' office in Nashville,TN were featured.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                   The city auditorium would become a weekly wrestling venue when in October of 1952 retired wrestler Chief Osley Bird Saunooke became the Asheville wrestling promoter booking his wrestlers out of Jim Crockett's Charlotte office. Chief Saunooke remained the Asheville promoter until July 1963 when an article appears stating that Paul Winkhaus had purchased the Asheville wrestling office from Chief Saunooke. The last city auditorium show for Mr. Paul Winkhaus was on September 5,1973.