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When Santino Marella debuted in 2007, he was a "fan" in Italy who, on a fluke, won the Intercontinental Title. Fans didn't really take to him as some underdog, so WWE turned him heel. What really worked was him embracing his image as a nutty Italian, slaughtering the English language, and being a total goofball. For a long while, Santino could alwa...

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Ross Township honored Bruno Sammartino on Friday by renaming a park in honor of the late pro wrestling star, who lived in the northern Pittsburgh suburb for more than 50 years. "My dad would be ecstatic about this, so it's a very, very nice honor for us. Very humbling," said Darryl Sammartino, who attended the ceremony at the former Sangree Park wi...

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AJ Ferrari joined a rare brotherhood in the most historic college wrestling program in the country. The Allen, Texas, native became just the third true freshman in Oklahoma State history to win a national championship – the first one since Pat Smith in 1990. “The legacy, having that history, it’s crazy,” Ferrari said. “To idolize these dudes, like...

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Lou Giani’s love affair with wrestling began as a junior at Robert L. Simpson High School as Huntington High School was then known. On the horsehair filled mats in that dusty old room in the building’s basement, the sport took hold in the teenager’s life, propelling him to the 1960 Olympics and a National Wrestling Hall of Fame coaching career. Gia...

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Bruno Sammartino was the grandfather of sports entertainment. Before Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan, there was Bruno Sammartino. WWE would not be what it is today without the star power that Sammartino brought with him every time he performed. Fans across the country would gather to watch him defend his prestigious WWWF Championship, and he did so in fr...

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For decades, the Joe DeMeo Award has been a means of recognizing not only wrestling achievement, but upstanding character and the pursuit of academic excellence in Section II. After the legendary coach passed away at the age of 79 on Oct. 2, the award in his name will not only live on, but his son Michael and some of Joe DeMeo’s former stars intend...

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Italian American wrestling legend Dominic DeNucci was hospitalized on Friday due to a health scare. The cause was originally unknown, but his family later provided an update. The 88-year-old was dealing with a heart issue and underwent a cardiac catheterization procedure. "Dominic was admitted to the hospital on Friday after experiencing some very...

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During his pro-wrestling heyday, Bruno Sammartino sold out Madison Square Garden 188 times, was named the world’s strongest man and held the WWE Championship Belt for 2,803 consecutive days. Arnold Schwarzenegger called Bruno's life "one of the greatest immigration stories that anyone can think of."  But that life of triumph almost didn't happen. B...

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The long-anticipated documentary about late Pittsburgh wrestler Bruno Sammartino is being released. “Bruno Sammartino” will launch this Friday in New York City and Los Angeles and will debut around the world in the spring. The film features actor/politician/body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger, wrestler/actor John Cena, The Miz and Stan Hanson. The f...

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Anthony Ashnault and Nick Suriano were humungous additions to Rutgers Wrestling in their own respective timelines and were integral to making the Scarlet Knights a wrestling powerhouse. While Suriano has one more season to win his second national title, head coach Scott Goodale and company have their eyes set on another prized addition. This one, w...

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