NWA San Francisco

Top to bottom is Kezar Pavillion, Winterland, Cow Palace and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

 

There was another promotion in San Francisco besides the Roy Shire version going back to 1935.

 

NWA San Francisco was started by Joe Malcewicz in 1935.  He was known as the Utica (NY) Panther is his day.  He wrestled over 600 times before going over as a promoter.  

 

The region he worked in Northern California was known back in 1935 as the San Francisco Booking Office.  In November 1949, Joe registered the area with the National Wrestling Alliance.

 

His promotion based from Fresno in the Central Valley to the Oregon border produced over 3000 matches in the 27 years of existence.  In the San Francisco region, Joe would hold his shows at Dreamland (later called Winterland), Civic Auditorium, Kezar Pavillion and the Cow Palace.

 

Up until March 1961, NWA San Francisco was the only wrestling promotion in town.  Then came Roy Shire's Big Time Wrestling, at the time an outlaw promotion.  Eventually, Shire's promotion was badly outdrawing that of Malcewicz.  He would retire early in 1962.  Unfortunately later in the year, he died of a heart attack.

 

The region would have great stars under his watch.  Wrestlers such as Lou Thesz, Art Thomas, Jerry Graham, Freddie Blassie, Jerry Graham and Eduardo Carpentier would work in his shows.