Vito LoGrasso
Encyclopedia
Vito Joseph LoGrasso is an American
professional wrestler
, of Italian
origin, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling
as Big Vito and more recently World Wrestling Entertainment
and working for their "developmental territories" Ohio Valley Wrestling
and Deep South Wrestling as Vito.
in the WWF. He wrestled on early editions of Monday Night Raw as "Von Kruss", a generic big wrestler who began with a subtly "evil foreigner" gimmick. He faced such superstars as Bret "The Hitman" Hart, The Undertaker, and many others. The WWF liked his work, but they didn't have a place in it for The Fly Italian Guy. Vito then went on to work in the USWA
and WWC
.
at a gym, and was able to get him hired in ECW
. When he started in ECW, he changed his name to Vito "The Skull" LoGrasso and became a member of "Da Baldies" stable, who in the storyline
, claimed to be an offshoot of a real life New York street gang, and as such took issue with New Jack
calling himself a "Gangsta
" and began a feud
with him. Vito worked a couple of shows with the now defunct LIWF with Billy Alaimo and was on the Junkyard Dog
memorial show in a casket match at The Elks Lodge in Queens, New York.
(WCW) where he teamed
with Johnny the Bull
as The Mamalukes
. Managed by Tony Marinara The Mamalukes captured the WCW World Tag Team Championship
twice, and were, in storyline, jointly awarded the WCW Hardcore Championship
. After being awarded the championship, however, Vito and Johnny were forced to face each other in a match to crown one champion, which Vito won.
In December of 2000, the Mamalukes reunited and teamed together until March 2001, when WCW was acquired by the WWF. After the acquisition, Vito was one of the wrestlers who was lost in the shuffle, neither becoming a part of The Invasion nor taking one of the large ticket buyouts offered.
in late-2004 with Glenn Gilbertti, Trinity
and Johnny Swinger as the "New York Connection". His only feud was with "Irish" Pat Kenney
, in which they exchanged victories.
and signed a contract with them in July. He was assigned to their Ohio Valley Wrestling
developmental territory for several months until he was ready to be called up to the main roster.
Vito made his debut on WWE television on the August 6 episode of WWE Velocity
, where he helped Nunzio
win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
from Paul London
. Together Vito and Nunzio reformed the Full Blooded Italians stable, acting mostly as a tag team together on Velocity with scattered appearances on SmackDown!.
Vito and Nunzio turned heel
once again (after a short flirtation with being faces
with a brief feud against then-heel, Gregory Helms
) in March 2006 under an angle in which Vito announced that he wanted to be recognized as a "Godfather" and he would wear a blazer and glasses.
Beginning in May, various wrestlers such as Orlando Jordan
and Paul Burchill
began approaching Nunzio in backstage situations and spreading rumors that they had, in storyline, seen Vito in public places in various forms of cross-dress
. Nunzio originally wouldn't hear of any such thing until the June 2 SmackDown! when Vito came down the ramp, in a dress, to collect Nunzio after losing a match. The next week, after arguing about Vito's clothing choices, the two former friends faced each other in a match which Vito won after hitting Nunzio with The Code of Silence. Not long after, Nunzio joined the ECW brand, leaving Vito on SmackDown! alone.
The idea for the gimmick (which was said to come from Vito himself, but was in actuality Stephanie McMahon's idea) seemed to originate on The Sopranos
, who also had a character named Vito
who had recently been outed as a homosexual (though he was never seen in women's clothing).
Regardless of his passion for cross dressing, Vito continually explained that he was a straight man
; including one instance of asking Diva
Ashley Massaro
out on a date while wearing a dress, to which she agreed. After this he began to "have more fun" during his matches, running around and waving his dresses and otherwise interacting with the fans, turning him once again face
. As the gimmick took off various people began kayfabe
voicing problems with a man wrestling while wearing a dress, including color commentator JBL
(who refused to do commentary with him) and wrestlers Montel Vontavious Porter and William Regal
who (kayfabe) threatened SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long
with a sexual harassment
lawsuit to get out of a match with Vito. At the same time, WWE began to "censor" any incidents of Vito's dress raising and exposing his (bethonged
) buttocks. Despite his detractors, once he started wearing a dress Vito began an undefeated streak which didn't end until over four months later when he was defeated by Elijah Burke
after interference from his partner Sylvester Terkay
.
On November 2, 2006 WWE.com announced that Vito would be posing (non-nude) for the April 2007 edition of Playgirl
. On May 15, 2007, Vito was released from his WWE contract.
and Ryan O'Reilly
in a three-way round robin match to win the DSW Heavyweight Championship
on January 25, 2007. Almost immediately upon winning the title he underwent a gimmick change, losing the dress and instead adopting martial arts-style trunks, a headband, and wrestling without shoes. When asked on DSW TV he announced that he changed his style of dress because his opponents were citing it as a distraction and claiming his clothing was the reason they were losing to him. The look was briefly shown during the Lumberjack tag match on Sunday Night Heat at WrestleMania 23, between Carlito and Ric Flair against Chavo Guerrero and Gregory Helms, Vito was grouped with the face lumberjacks. He held the title until February 22, when he lost it back to Bradley Jay.
Several people he has mentored over the last two years have been signed to WWE Developmental deals.
Vito's long time girlfriend is wrestling personality, and model Noel Harlow. The occasionally work together in the US where she is billed as "Lil Noel" as a play on his "Big Vito" name.
Vito and Noel announced via their joint twitter account,their engagement February 11, 2011. Wedding is scheduled for May 2012.
Vito's tour March 2010 of Nepal makes him the first former ECW, WCW, TNA, WWE, Superstar to work in that country. There he was involved in a riot involving 4,000 people that made international news and became an internet viral video.
February 24, 2011, He returned to defeat the Himalayan Tiger in Kathmandu, Nepal for the Golden Cine Professional Wrestling Show held at the Dasharath Stadium in front of 20,000 people, to be come the first ever Profession Wrestling Champion of Nepal.
On March 1, 2011 Vito presence was requested by the US Embassy of Nepal . He was greeted and congratulated by the councilor of public affairs of US embassy to Nepal, Terry J. White and staff .
Vito is well known for his charity work for Children's Hospitals, Autism Awareness, and Homes for Soldiers. He also is a public speaker and mentor, speaking at numerous schools and events though out the country.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
origin, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
as Big Vito and more recently World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
and working for their "developmental territories" Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
and Deep South Wrestling as Vito.
Independent & World Wrestling Federation (1990-1993)
LoGrasso started wrestling in 1990 on the independent circuit until being approached by NOW Wrestling Federation, based in Japan. He worked there for awhile and then returned to the states in 1991 and became a jobberJob (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling slang, the term job describes a losing performance in a wrestling match. It is derived from the euphemism "doing one's job", which was employed to protect kayfabe. As professional wrestling is scripted, inevitably a wrestler will be required to lose to an opponent.The term...
in the WWF. He wrestled on early editions of Monday Night Raw as "Von Kruss", a generic big wrestler who began with a subtly "evil foreigner" gimmick. He faced such superstars as Bret "The Hitman" Hart, The Undertaker, and many others. The WWF liked his work, but they didn't have a place in it for The Fly Italian Guy. Vito then went on to work in the USWA
United States Wrestling Association
The United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett.-Foundation:...
and WWC
World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (1999)
After a lot of success in those promotions, Vito met up with extreme wrestler TazzTazz
Peter Senerchia is a retired American professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz...
at a gym, and was able to get him hired in ECW
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
. When he started in ECW, he changed his name to Vito "The Skull" LoGrasso and became a member of "Da Baldies" stable, who in the storyline
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
, claimed to be an offshoot of a real life New York street gang, and as such took issue with New Jack
New Jack
Jerome Young is an American professional wrestler, better known by his stage name New Jack in ECW.He is known for his willingness to take dangerous bumps and his stiff hardcore wrestling style, often taking high risks and "shooting" on opponents, though he is only known to shoot on opponents who...
calling himself a "Gangsta
The Gangstas
The Gangstas was a professional wrestling tag team and stable, most notably consisting of New Jack and Mustafa Saed in Extreme Championship Wrestling...
" and began a feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with him. Vito worked a couple of shows with the now defunct LIWF with Billy Alaimo and was on the Junkyard Dog
Junkyard Dog
Sylvester Ritter was an American professional wrestler and professional football player, best known for his work in Mid-South Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation as The Junkyard Dog...
memorial show in a casket match at The Elks Lodge in Queens, New York.
World Championship Wrestling (1999–2001)
In 1999 Vito left ECW for World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
(WCW) where he teamed
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
with Johnny the Bull
John Hugger
John Hugger is an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling as Johnny the Bull, World Wrestling Entertainment as Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli...
as The Mamalukes
The Mamalukes
The Mamalukes were a professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling.-History:The Mamalukes were formed in late 1999 when Big Vito arrived in WCW and established a team with Johnny the Bull. They were managed by Tony Marinara...
. Managed by Tony Marinara The Mamalukes captured the WCW World Tag Team Championship
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
twice, and were, in storyline, jointly awarded the WCW Hardcore Championship
WCW Hardcore Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Hardcore Championship was a title in World Championship Wrestling. The title was defended in Hardcore matches, in which there were few rules and restrictions and weapons were allowed. Eventually, the rules were changed so that matches began in the backstage area...
. After being awarded the championship, however, Vito and Johnny were forced to face each other in a match to crown one champion, which Vito won.
In December of 2000, the Mamalukes reunited and teamed together until March 2001, when WCW was acquired by the WWF. After the acquisition, Vito was one of the wrestlers who was lost in the shuffle, neither becoming a part of The Invasion nor taking one of the large ticket buyouts offered.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004)
Vito also had a brief run in Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
in late-2004 with Glenn Gilbertti, Trinity
Stephanie Finochio
Stephanie Finochio is an American stuntwoman and retired professional wrestler and valet better known by her ring name Trinity...
and Johnny Swinger as the "New York Connection". His only feud was with "Irish" Pat Kenney
Pat Kenney
Patrick Joseph Michael "Pat" Kenney , known also by his ring name, Simon Diamond, is a retired American professional wrestler, currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a road agent...
, in which they exchanged victories.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2005–2007)
In early 2005, Vito worked dark matches for the now renamed World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
and signed a contract with them in July. He was assigned to their Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
developmental territory for several months until he was ready to be called up to the main roster.
Vito made his debut on WWE television on the August 6 episode of WWE Velocity
WWE Velocity
WWE Velocity was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It replaced two syndicated WWE shows, Jakked/Metal. Once a weekly Saturday night show on Spike TV and on Sky Sports 2 in the UK on Sunday mornings, Velocity became a webcast from 2005 to 2006...
, where he helped Nunzio
James Maritato
James Maritato is an American professional wrestler, of Italian origin, currently working on the independent circuit. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment and Extreme Championship Wrestling under the ring names Little Guido Maritato and Nunzio.-Starting out:While...
win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs...
from Paul London
Paul London
Paul Michael London is an American professional wrestler best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
. Together Vito and Nunzio reformed the Full Blooded Italians stable, acting mostly as a tag team together on Velocity with scattered appearances on SmackDown!.
Vito and Nunzio turned heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
once again (after a short flirtation with being faces
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
with a brief feud against then-heel, Gregory Helms
Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms...
) in March 2006 under an angle in which Vito announced that he wanted to be recognized as a "Godfather" and he would wear a blazer and glasses.
Beginning in May, various wrestlers such as Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan is an American professional wrestler, most recently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Jordan is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one-time United States Champion....
and Paul Burchill
Paul Burchill
Paul Birchill , better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment , where he signed after training and debuting for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance in his home country.-Frontier Wrestling Alliance...
began approaching Nunzio in backstage situations and spreading rumors that they had, in storyline, seen Vito in public places in various forms of cross-dress
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
. Nunzio originally wouldn't hear of any such thing until the June 2 SmackDown! when Vito came down the ramp, in a dress, to collect Nunzio after losing a match. The next week, after arguing about Vito's clothing choices, the two former friends faced each other in a match which Vito won after hitting Nunzio with The Code of Silence. Not long after, Nunzio joined the ECW brand, leaving Vito on SmackDown! alone.
The idea for the gimmick (which was said to come from Vito himself, but was in actuality Stephanie McMahon's idea) seemed to originate on The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, who also had a character named Vito
Vito Spatafore
Vito Spatafore, Sr., played by Joseph R. Gannascoli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was a member of the DiMeo Crime Family and a subordinate of Tony Soprano. He was married to Marie Spatafore with two children, Francesca and Vito, Jr., and was a closeted homosexual...
who had recently been outed as a homosexual (though he was never seen in women's clothing).
Regardless of his passion for cross dressing, Vito continually explained that he was a straight man
Heterosexuality
Heterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...
; including one instance of asking Diva
WWE Diva
Diva is a term used by World Wrestling Entertainment , an American professional wrestling promotion, to refer to its female talent. The term is applied to women who appear as wrestlers, managers or valets, backstage interviewers, or ring announcers....
Ashley Massaro
Ashley Massaro
Ashley Marie Massaro is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to World Independent Ladies Division Wrestling. She is best known for her work with World Wrestling Entertainment and her appearance on Survivor: China....
out on a date while wearing a dress, to which she agreed. After this he began to "have more fun" during his matches, running around and waving his dresses and otherwise interacting with the fans, turning him once again face
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
. As the gimmick took off various people began kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
voicing problems with a man wrestling while wearing a dress, including color commentator JBL
John Layfield
John Charles Layfield is a former American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News...
(who refused to do commentary with him) and wrestlers Montel Vontavious Porter and William Regal
Darren Matthews
Darren Kenneth Matthews , is an English professional wrestler, author and color commentator currently signed to WWE and competing on the SmackDown brand under the ring name William Regal. He is also known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Steven Regal...
who (kayfabe) threatened SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
with a sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
lawsuit to get out of a match with Vito. At the same time, WWE began to "censor" any incidents of Vito's dress raising and exposing his (bethonged
G-string
A G-string is a type of thong underwear or swimsuit, a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic, that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the hips, worn as swimwear or underwear by women and men...
) buttocks. Despite his detractors, once he started wearing a dress Vito began an undefeated streak which didn't end until over four months later when he was defeated by Elijah Burke
Elijah Burke
Elijah Samuel Burke is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero; a gimmick in which he portrays a Harlem street preacher...
after interference from his partner Sylvester Terkay
Sylvester Terkay
Sylvester Terkay is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist best known for his run in World Wrestling Entertainment ....
.
On November 2, 2006 WWE.com announced that Vito would be posing (non-nude) for the April 2007 edition of Playgirl
Playgirl
Playgirl is a print quarterly adult magazine published in the United States that is marketed mainly to heterosexual women, but has also gained a considerable gay following...
. On May 15, 2007, Vito was released from his WWE contract.
Deep South Wrestling (2007-2008)
Vito defeated champion Bradley JayBrad Bradley
Brad Bradley is an American professional wrestler, best known for working for World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Ryan Braddock.-Early career:...
and Ryan O'Reilly
Ryan O'Reilly (wrestler)
Ryan Parmeter is an American professional wrestler. He is signed by WWE and competes in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Conor O'Brian...
in a three-way round robin match to win the DSW Heavyweight Championship
Deep South Heavyweight Championship
-After WWE:The title was "held-up" after the agreement between WWE and DSW ended in March 2007, and another tournament was held in on July 12 to crown the new champion.↑Alexander the Great defeated Salvatore Rinauro by Coin Toss-Title history:...
on January 25, 2007. Almost immediately upon winning the title he underwent a gimmick change, losing the dress and instead adopting martial arts-style trunks, a headband, and wrestling without shoes. When asked on DSW TV he announced that he changed his style of dress because his opponents were citing it as a distraction and claiming his clothing was the reason they were losing to him. The look was briefly shown during the Lumberjack tag match on Sunday Night Heat at WrestleMania 23, between Carlito and Ric Flair against Chavo Guerrero and Gregory Helms, Vito was grouped with the face lumberjacks. He held the title until February 22, when he lost it back to Bradley Jay.
Online Radio (2004-2008)
Vito formally hosted in 2004 along with Ryan Clark and Matt Boone a webshow on WrestleZone.com called WZR Radio which still airs today on WZROnline.com. Vito made a guest appearance on WZR on September 16, 2008 answering Questions from callers he also talked about his days in ECW and WCW also talking about his dress gimmick on SmackDown. Vito made another guest appearance on the October 21, 2008 edition of WZR which was a 3 hour show with the first 2 hours talking about WWE with Richard Gray and Ryan Clark, the 3rd hour Richard left and was replaced by Matt Boone.Independent Circuit (2009-Present)
Vito has appeared at numerous events across the East Coast of the United States. On March 12th, 2011, he wrestled "Bulldog" James Dylan at an Atomic Championship Wrestling event. He also formed a new tag team with Tate Hammer known as The Skull Von Hammer brothers, who defeated Jon Dahmer and Ryan Slater in a tag match at the same event. He has also wrestled on various tours of Europe with Irish Whip Wrestling.Several people he has mentored over the last two years have been signed to WWE Developmental deals.
Personal life
He was previously married to a woman named Kathy, with whom he had four children. The marriage ended in divorce, but they remained friends. Kathy died of cancer on September 1, 2007.Vito's long time girlfriend is wrestling personality, and model Noel Harlow. The occasionally work together in the US where she is billed as "Lil Noel" as a play on his "Big Vito" name.
Vito and Noel announced via their joint twitter account,their engagement February 11, 2011. Wedding is scheduled for May 2012.
2010 and 2011
Vito continues to travel the world; performing in France,Italy, Malta, Nepal, and Canada , as well as wrestling in the US for ISPW, ACPW, ACW, PWX ,DTW, and Wrestling for a Cause in 2009, 2010, and 2011.Vito's tour March 2010 of Nepal makes him the first former ECW, WCW, TNA, WWE, Superstar to work in that country. There he was involved in a riot involving 4,000 people that made international news and became an internet viral video.
February 24, 2011, He returned to defeat the Himalayan Tiger in Kathmandu, Nepal for the Golden Cine Professional Wrestling Show held at the Dasharath Stadium in front of 20,000 people, to be come the first ever Profession Wrestling Champion of Nepal.
On March 1, 2011 Vito presence was requested by the US Embassy of Nepal . He was greeted and congratulated by the councilor of public affairs of US embassy to Nepal, Terry J. White and staff .
Vito is well known for his charity work for Children's Hospitals, Autism Awareness, and Homes for Soldiers. He also is a public speaker and mentor, speaking at numerous schools and events though out the country.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Luca Brasi (Double arm DDT)
- Code of Silence (Lifting spinning DDT)
- Signature moves
- Corner slingshot splash
- Dress Code (Kimura with the opponet's head up his dressDressA dress is a garment consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice or with a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment.Dress may also refer to:*Clothing in general*Costume, fancy dress...
) - used as Vito - Vertical suplex
- DDTDDT (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock, and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat...
- Diving elbow drop
- Savate kick, with theatrics
- Japanese arm drag
- Swinging neckbreaker
- With Johnny the BullJohn HuggerJohn Hugger is an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling as Johnny the Bull, World Wrestling Entertainment as Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli...
- Catching hip toss into a sky lift slam
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Disco Inferno / Glenn Gilbertti
- Tony Marinara
- Noel Harlow
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from The Godfather)Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From The Godfather)"Speak Softly Love " is a song written for The Godfather , the first film in the Godfather trilogy. While its instrumental version is simply known as "The Godfather Love Theme", "Speak Softly Love" is the vocal version. The words are by Larry Kusik but the music itself is by Nino Rota...
" (instrumental) – WCW - "Hard as Stone A" - WWE
- "Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from The Godfather)
Championships and accomplishments
- Atomic Championship Wrestling
- ACW Tristate Championship (1 time, current)
- American Championship Pro Wrestling
- ACPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)
- Big Time Wrestling
- BTW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Deep South Wrestling
- Deep South Heavyweight ChampionshipDeep South Heavyweight Championship-After WWE:The title was "held-up" after the agreement between WWE and DSW ended in March 2007, and another tournament was held in on July 12 to crown the new champion.↑Alexander the Great defeated Salvatore Rinauro by Coin Toss-Title history:...
(1 time)
- Deep South Heavyweight Championship
- European Wrestling Promotion
- Ironman Hardcore Knockout Tournament (2002)
- Golden Cine Professional Wrestling
- Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Championship of Nepal (1 time)
- International Wrestling AssociationInternational Wrestling AssociationThe International Wrestling Association is a wrestling promotion in Puerto Rico, started in Japan in 1994 by promoter Victor Quiñones. The Hispanic division was created in 1999. The company was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance until 2001, but again became a member in 2007...
- IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight ChampionshipIWA Intercontinental Heavyweight ChampionshipThe IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship is a secondary professional wrestling title defended in the Puerto Rican International Wrestling Association....
(1 time)
- IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship
- Midwest Championship Wrestling Alliance
- MCWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Helmut Hessler
- United States Extreme Wrestling
- UXW United States Championship (1 time)
- World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
- WCW Hardcore ChampionshipWCW Hardcore ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling Hardcore Championship was a title in World Championship Wrestling. The title was defended in Hardcore matches, in which there were few rules and restrictions and weapons were allowed. Eventually, the rules were changed so that matches began in the backstage area...
(2 times) – won jointly with Johnny the BullJohn HuggerJohn Hugger is an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling as Johnny the Bull, World Wrestling Entertainment as Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli... - WCW World Tag Team ChampionshipWCW World Tag Team ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
(2 times) – with Johnny the Bull
- WCW Hardcore Championship