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It had been a long run for the Italian-American from New Jersey by way of South Philly named Joe Scarpa, later known as the Native American character Chief Jay Strongbow. He lived the gimmick for decades. When pressed on the subject, he rarely budged from his story of being an Indian from Oklahoma, although fans of an earlier generation had cheered...

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In the late 19th and early 20th century, a reported four million Italians migrated to the United States of America up until the 1920s. As a result of this wave of migration, many Americans have Italian ancestry that dates back a few generations. As most wrestlers in WWE are American, it's unsurprising that some of the best wrestlers have Italian he...

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Tony D’Angelo has been preparing to play his NXT character for his entire life. NXT Tag Team Champions Tony D’Angelo and Stacks were recent guests on Busted Open Radio. When asked to describe how easily their characters come to them, D’Angelo reveals he comes from an Italian family. “I come from an Italian family,” Tony D’Angelo said. “I’m Sicilian...

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Michele Leone was born on June 8, 1909, to Giovanni and Anna Leone in Pettorano sul Gizio, (population 1,376 in the 2015 Census) which is a town along the Gizio River just south of Sulmona in the province of L’Aquila in the region of Abruzzo. Despite his parents’ disapproval, he began wrestling at an early age under the tutelage of his uncle, Miche...

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Pitt-Johnstown’s Pat Pecora, the winningest coach in all levels of collegiate wrestling, was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Super Region I coach of the year for the 21st time in his career at East Stroudsburg University. Pecora led his Mountain Cats to a 15-0 dual meet record and a share of the program’s seventh consecutive...

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The Manatee Performing Arts Center (MPAC) will host a very special matinee showing of a rags-to-riches story featuring a young man, whose family fled the Nazi invasion of their home in Italy, and who would one day become the most famous professional wrestler in the world. Bruno Sammartino makes its Florida debut at MPAC on Thursday, February, 9 at...

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It all started out innocently enough, or should I say, normally enough for the professional wrestler known as Luigi Primo. The Texas-based Primo had released clips of his unique form of “pizza wrestling” before and received positive feedback for a style that includes tossing of dough and moves affectionally titled “Rolling out the crust,” “Topping...

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From humble Italian immigrant to world wrestling champion, Bruno Sammartino led a remarkable life. Fans can learn more about the late Pittsburgh legend when The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum ― part of the Sen. John Heinz History Center — hosts the Pittsburgh premiere screening of the film “Bruno Sammartino” at 7 p.m. Oct. 6. The documentary fo...

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A Pittsburgh-raised, two-time World Wide Wrestling Federation Champion is coming to the big screen. Bruno Sammartino, who was born in Italy and emigrated with his family to Pittsburgh when he was four years old, was the longest-reigning WWE champion, holding the title for 2,803 days. The authorized biography, Bruno Sammartino, will be released on T...

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Bruno Sammartino is the longest-reigning World Champion in the history of WWE. Sammartino is considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. The legendary Italian sold out the Madison Square Garden a record 188 times. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. Wrestling journalist Bill Apter spoke about the time when Samm...

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