Results: Primo Carnera and others in Italy in 1951

Results from Primo Carnera's first Italian wrestling tour in the 1950s.

The story of the Primo Carnera goes as follows. Started his career in athletics as a professional strongman and fairground wrestler in France. Became a professional boxer, in France, in 1928. Won the boxing World Heavyweight Championship in 1933 in the United States. Lost it in 1934. Retired from boxing in 1937 (due to health issues). Wrestled professionally in his home country of Italy from 1942 to 1944, and even won a tournament to become the Italian freestyle professional wrestling champion. Had a brief boxing comeback, starting in 1945. Left boxing in 1946 and became a full-time professional wrestler in the United States that same year.

It took five years, but in 1951 Primo Carnera finally returned to Italy to headline a series of wrestling events. And as you can imagine, this was seen as fairly big news. Now here are all the results from the tour that I could find. In addition to Primo, the tour featured other notable stars such as the Belgian Karel Istaz (a.k.a. Karl Gotch), the top Austrian stars Adi Berber and Georg Blemenschütz, the Bulgarian giant Assen Georgieff, the Italian Leone Jacovacci, and some others.

In addition to the shows below, initially there were shows scheduled also for Palermo, Bologna, Udine and Genoa, but I don't know if they took place.

2 September 1951
Rome, Italy
Campo Artiglio
Primo Carnera def. Harry Pinetzki
= Adi Berber, Gulio Travaglini, Charles Ulsemer and Erich Ecker also wrestled on the show. There was a big crowd in attendance, but the exact number is not known.

5 September 1951
Catania, Italy
Stadio di Cibali
Primo Carnera def. Harry Pinetzki
= The were other matches on the card, but I don't know what they were.

6 September 1951
Turin, Italy
Motovelodromo
about 6,000 fans in attendance
1. Dick Steinborn def. Leone Jacovacci
2. Adi Berber drew Gulio Travaglini
3. Antonio Fusero def. Charles Ulsemer
4. Primo Carnera def. Erich Ecker (45)

Moments from Primo Carnera vs. Erich Ecker in Turin

Right after this Primo headed to Austria, where he wrestled a few matches.

29 September 1951
Milan, Italy
Palazzo del Ghiaccio
1. Dick Steinborn drew Leone Jacovacci
2. Frank Hewitt def. Charles Ulsemer (5)
3. Adi Berber drew Bob Martin
4. Primo Carnera def. Karel Istaz

1 October 1951
Milan, Italy
Palazzo del Ghiaccio
1. Karel Istaz drew Antonio Fusero
2. Bob Martin def. Frank Hewett (14:59)
3. Primo Carnera def. Abi Berber (20:30)

2 October 1951
Milan, Italy
Palazzo del Ghiaccio
1. Antonio Fusero def. Charles Ulsemer (16:05)
2. Josef Stoffan def. Karel Istaz (13:25)
3. Primo Carnera def. Erich Ecker (7:41)

3 October 1951
Milan, Italy
Palazzo del Ghiaccio
1. Karel Istaz drew Frank Hewett
2. Georg Blemenschütz def. Erich Ecker (14:58)
3. Antonio Fusero def. Josef Stoffan via disqualification
4. Primo Carnera def. Bob Martin

4 October 1951
Milan, Italy
Palazzo del Ghiaccio
1. Leone Jacovacci def. Pederzoli (19:16)
2. Karel Istaz def. Charles Ulsemer (9:24)
3. Erich Ecker def. Frank Hewett (16:15)
4. Adi Berber vs. Blemenschütz ended in a no contest
5. Josef Stoffan def. Bob Martin (11:14)

5 October 1951
Milan, Italy
Palazzo del Ghiaccio
1. Bob Martin drew Erich Ecker
2. Georg Blemenschütz def. Karel Istaz (15:39)
3. Adi Berber def. Antonio Fusero (10:20)
5. Primo Carnera def. Josef Stoffan via disqualification (20)

6 October 1951
Milan, Italy
Palazzo del Ghiaccio
1. Adi Berber def. Bob Martin (24)
2. Josef Stoffan def. Frank Hewett (15:16)
3. Assen Georgieff def. Erich Ecker (3:20)
4. Primo Carnera def. Georg Blemenschütz (9:04)

7 October 1951
Milan, Italy
Palazzo del Ghiaccio
1. Georg Blemenschütz def. Frank Hewett (12:19)
2. Bob Martin def. Karel Istaz (14:15)
3. Assen Georgieff def. Josef Stoffan (6:15)
4. Primo Carnera vs. Adi Berber ended in a no contest

8 October 1951
Milan, Italy
Palazzo del Ghiaccio
1. Charles Ulsemer def. Oberghi (11:59)
2. Georg Blemenschütz def. Erich Ecker (18:30)
3. Adi Berber def. Josef Stoffan (11:25)
4. Battle of the Giants: Primo Carnera def. Assen Georgieff via disqualification (20)

At all of the Milan shows there were also Greco-Roman amateur bouts, prior to the pro matches.

Primo Carnera also toured Italy in 1957, 1958 and 1959.


Acknowledgements: Thank you to Il Drago for his help with some of this research.