Beaver County lost a champion, charmer and mentor last week. Domenic DeNucci, a three-time World Wide Wrestling Federation title-belt holder, and longtime resident of New Sewickley Township, personified the American Dream say friends of the Venice, Italy, native who died Thursday at UPMC Passavant Hospital in McCandless Township. He was 89.

As tough as he was in the wrestling ring, he was as nice of a guy out of it, happy to share stories of his decades-long career. In the 1980s, DeNucci ran the Domenic DeNucci Wrestling Training Professional School from a gym on Fourth Avenue in Freedom, where he mentored future stars Mick Foley, Moondog Spot and five-time world champion Shane Douglas of New Brighton.