Jim Londos vs. Dan Koloff: The Biggest European Pro Wrestling Match That Never Was

On the trail of Jim Londos vs. Dan Koloff in Europe.

Some information and newspaper quotes about perhaps the biggest match in European pro wrestling history that was often talked about, but never happened. But before we get to the match itself let's go back all the way to the beginning of the story.

Jim Londos (left) and Dan Koloff (right)

As best as I can tell Jim Londos (of Greece) and Dan Koloff (of Bulgaria) first crossed paths in Pennsylvania in 1918. Between March 1918 and May 1919 Londos and Koloff wrestled each other in Homestead (PA), Detroit (MI), Chicago (IL), Kalamazoo (MI) and Battle Creek (MI).

Then in the summer of 1919 Londos and Koloff moved to the west coast at the same time and settled in San Francisco, where Frank Schuler was trying to revive pro wrestling in the city. His first two shows had Londos vs. Koloff (then known as Dan Petroff) on top. The shows were successful enough that Schuler continued to run regularly.

Londos and Koloff wrestled in San Francisco for a while longer and after a few months they went their separate ways only to cross paths again in 1922 in St. Louis for promoter John Contos. This is where Koloff in particular got his first big break and got a chance to headline in a major arena against the likes of Londos and Strangler Lewis.

In 1925 Londos and Koloff found themselves in matches against each other yet again, but this time in New York for promoter Jack Curley. That year they also wrestled one another for Tom Packs in St. Louis and for Lou Daro in Los Angeles.

And this is where they stopped working together. Technically, they were both still working for the Curley group, but they never wrestled each other again. In November 1928 Koloff jumped ship from the Curley group to the Paul Bowser group and landed a role as trainer and policeman of the soon-to-be World Heavyweight champion Gus Sonnenberg. Since they were on opposing sides now, every once in a while in the United States and Canada Koloff would hurl a challenge at Londos and would even sometimes claim that he has defeated Londos multiple times in the past (he hadn't, he only had two draws with Londos and a handicap match victory due to Londos not being able to defeat him within the time limit), but the challenges went unanswered.

Over time Londos became a megastar/World champion and Koloff, while well-known, was more a supporting player in the United States. Then in 1933 Koloff started wrestling in France and became a major star there. In terms of U.S. style wrestling France was the hottest territory in Europe at the time.

From here on out I'll let you follow the story as told by the press. I'm posting quotes from the French, Greek, Turkish and Bulgarian press, and adding some notes where needed as well as some extra info for context. The quotes are from multiple different newspapers.

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France: “Koloff is offering Londos $5,000 to meet him”” (13 December 1932)

France: "Koloff is offering 10,000 French francs of his own money to wrestle Londos in Paris. Koloff says he's been trying to get a match with Londos since 1925." (26 October 1933)

Greece: "According to the French press, Londos is avoiding Koloff." (8 November 1933)

Greece: "On his way back to the United States Londos passed through Paris. He may face Koloff." (10 November 1933)

Greece: "On 1 October Londos wrestled Koloff in Philadelphia. Koloff broke Londos' leg, but in spite of this Londos crushed Koloff." (18 October 1934)
- False report by a Greek sports newspaper. Such a match never took place. I couldn't find the article when I looked for it, but I'm sure at one point a Bulgarian newspaper published a similar false story claiming Koloff had defeated Londos in Canada around 1935-1936.

Bulgaria: "Koloff says he's been trying to get a match with Londos since 1925, but Londos has been avoiding him. Koloff will give 100,000 Bulgarian lev of his own money to whoever can arrange him a match with Londos. Koloff is even willing to wrestle Londos for free." (7 April 1935)

Greece: "Londos says he will wrestle Koloff." (19 July 1935)

Greece: "Londos will leave the United States on 23 August and on 23 October he will wrestle Koloff at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens." (7 August 1935)

Greece: "George Zaharias is claiming Londos' title. He says he's the only wrestler who has beaten Londos three times. Zaharias wants to wrestle at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens against Shikat, Garibaldi or Koloff." (14 August 1935)

France: "Londos has agreed to wrestle in Paris and will likely wrestle Deglane." (18 December 1935)

Greece: "Londos will wrestle in Paris against Deglane, Kwariani or Koloff." (17 January 1936)

Greece: "Londos is coming to Paris." (19 February 1936)

Greece: "Londos vs. Koloff has been confirmed for April in Paris." (6 March 1936)

Greece: "Londos is preparing for his match with Koloff in Athens." (2 May 1936)

Greece: "Koloff says he can beat Londos in less than 25 minutes for the World Title." (4 May 1936)

Greece: "Londos avoids Koloff. Calls Dinarli Mehmet to wrestle him instead." (8 May 1936)

Turkey: "Londos and Koloff will meet in Athens. There is an old rivalry between these two. Koloff has claimed Londos is afraid of him and has been avoiding him at every turn. Koloff stated he would come to Athens at the end of May. Londos has accepted the match." (13 May 1936)

Greece: "Londos says he will beat Koloff in the same manner that he beats all his other opponents." (15 May 1936)

Greece: "Koloff will meet Londos at the Panathenaic Stadium." (27 May 1936)

Greece: "On 21 June Londos will finally wrestle Koloff in Athens at the Panathenaic Stadium." (1 June 1936)

Greece: "George Zaharias is coming to Greece and wants to wrestle Londos. If not him then Koloff." (3 June 1936)
- I don't think Zaharias ever wrestled in Greece.

Greece: "Londos is preparing for his match with Koloff." (13 June 1936)

Turkey: "The European champion Koloff has challenged Londos, but he has not received a response yet. Koloff wants to wrestle Londos in Athens with both the World and European Championships on the line. Koloff has only one condition - that there will be a rematch in Sofia, Bulgaria." (19 June 1936)

Greece: "Londos suffers from... rheumatism. He's asking for 2 million Greek drachmas to wrestle Koloff." (3 July 1936)
- Londos ended up wrestling Dinarli Mehmet in Athens that summer.

Turkey: "Londos has been in Greece for two months. He's been telling people that saw him at the stadium in Athens that he's started training to meet the European champion Koloff or the French champion Deglane. However, the Greek sports writers were astonished last week when he went from Athens to Egriboz on the pretext that he had rheumatism. Londos asked for 2 million Greek drachmas to wrestle Koloff or Deglane in Athens, which is an impossible amount to draw for a gate in Greece. The rheumatism and the 2 million seem like excuses, because he's afraid of his rivals." (10 July 1936)

Bulgaria: "Koloff has turned down an offer to wrestle Londos in Istanbul. Koloff says there was no point in accepting the match, because as usual Londos would have found a way to get out of it." (2 August 1936)
- Londos wrestled Kola Kwariani in Istanbul.

Turkey: "When Londos returns to Greece one of his matches will be with Koloff on 8 April. His first match back in the United States will be with O'Mahoney on May 25, then he will wrestle Ali Baba on 3 June, and then he wants to return to Greece to wrestle Dinarli Mehmet on 24 September." (19 March 1937)

Greece: "Londos has arrived in Athens. He may wrestle Koloff. If Koloff challenges him, Londos will accept." (7 April 1937)

France: "The promoters are trying to arrange a Londos vs. Koloff match in Paris in late September." (14 August 1937)
- Londos wrestled in Paris. Karol Nowina was his opponent.

Bulgaria: "Londos left Paris. He said he has not signed a contract to wrestle Koloff in Paris and that no one has talked to him about it. He's not opposed to the idea and hasn't forgotten Koloff's challenge from three years ago." (16 August 1937)

Greece: "Londos has signed a contract to wrestle Koloff in Paris in October." (18 August 1937)

Turkey: "Londos will wrestle in Paris against Koloff and Deglane." (4 October 1937)

Greece: "Londos and Zaharias will wrestle in Paris on Christmas. They will also wrestle Koloff and Deglane in Athens." (6 December 1937)

Greece: "Harry Mamos is in Athens. He has challenged Koloff to wrestle him." (15 April 1938)

Greece: "Koloff has sent in a letter, challenging Londos to wrestle him. He's been after a match with Londos since 1925, but Londos is avoiding him." (11 May 1938)

Greece: "On 3 or 10 July at the Panathenaic Stadium Mamos will wrestle Koloff." (25 May 1938)

Greece: "Yesterday Mamos had a training session in preparation for his match with Koloff." (27 May 1938)

Greece: "Koloff says he wants to wrestle both Mamos and Londos on the same day." (3 June 1938)

Greece: "The Bulgarian press says 5,000 fans will travel from the Bulgarian capital Sofia to Athens to watch the Koloff vs. Mamos match." (3 June 1938)
- The Mamos match did not take place.

Greece: "Koloff retires from the ring due to chronic bronchitis. Will be promoting shows in Bulgaria." (19 August 1938)

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As you can see, there was a lot of talk about this match. So, what makes Londos vs. Koloff such a big deal, especially if it had taken place in Athens? Well, first of all you have all the backstory. Two guys who started around the same time and got their first breaks by a lot of the same promoters (W.H. Barton, Frank Schuler, John Contos), but also two guys who wrestled each other quite a bit in the early years of their careers. Then they went their separate ways and found themselves on opposing sides in a promotional war. One guy went on to be the biggest star in North American pro wrestling whereas the other one found major success in Europe. Both of them by virtue of their wrestling careers abroad became national heroes in their home countries (neighboring countries, by the way). In the mid 1930s while still a major star, Londos was coming off of a big World Title loss to Danno O'Mahoney and if there were ever a time where one could conceivably believe Koloff could finally conquer the guy he had been calling out for years and Londos could suffer a defeat in his home country, this was the time. On the flip side, in 1935 and 1936 Koloff had a major run in his homeland of Bulgaria where he drew a number of big crowds and on top of that in April 1936 he became the European Heavyweight champion (French version). Londos hadn't wrestled in Greece since 1933 and Koloff had never worked there. In a way this would have been a match between a wrestler who many still viewed as the top wrestler in the world versus a wrestler who was viewed by some as the top wrestler in Europe. And had this match taken place in Athens, where Londos had a history of drawing huge crowds against lesser names than Koloff, some of them complete unknowns in Greece, there's no doubt it would have been the biggest of the Londos matches there and it would have packed the Panathenaic Stadium. There was just too much history and too much star power involved for it not to. Sadly, the match never took place and thus Londos vs. Koloff remains perhaps the biggest European match that never took place.