St. Joseph News-Press – January 9, 1943
Ronnie Etchison is convinced today that had he not struck his head on a ring post when he missed a flying tackle last night he would have defeated Orville Brown in a main event match that climaxed one of the best wrestling cards of recent seasons at the Auditorium. And, there are a world of fans who share the opinion.
Etchison had been the aggressor through most of the contest and was even with Brown on falls when he crashed into the post with such force he shook the entire ring. He was so badly shaken up that the big Kansan had little trouble in ending the match.
“I’m more convinced than ever now that I can beat Brown,” Etchison said today. “I’m on to his style and if I can get another shot at him I know that I’ll beat him. There isn’t much you can do to defend yourself after you’ve taken the kind of rap that I did.”
It took Brown 32 minutes to wear Etchison down in the first session, which went to the former blacksmith on a smother. Etchison came back strong to even the match in just nine minutes with his own version of the same hold, and another nine minutes were consumed in the third and final fall.
Ras Samara turned back Jack Conley in two out of three falls in a semi-final event that saw Conley substituting for Tom Zaharias, who broke his leg in Kansas City, Kan., Thursday night. The injury to Zaharias necessitated a general revision of the card but, if anything, added to the show.
Bad Boy Brown defeated Jay Steele in the special, while Frank Frogge and Prospector Pete went to a fast draw in the opener.
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