Regarded as one of the earliest superstars of the industry, he had a moderately successful career as a professional wrestler before becoming a manager. From there, Albano was encouraged to train as a pro wrestler. Pat Patterson was the first-ever WWE Intercontinental Champion, and he went on to enjoy a WWE Hall of Fame career before taking a role backstage as one of the top producers. NEXT:10 Wrestlers Who Had Disappointing Heel Runs. Blackjack Mulligan and Blackjack Lanza won their first WWE tag team titles in 1975 from Dominic DeNucci and Pat Barrett. Patterson was involved in a big angle with Captain Lou Albano in 1980 when he was the Intercontinental Champion. He is also remembered for his appearances in Cyndi Laupers music videos, particularly Girls Just Want to Have Fun. WebLouis Vincent Albano (July 29, 1933 October 14, 2009) was an Italian-American pro wrestler and dance choreographer best known for his appearances as "Captain" Lou The British Bulldogs would have been Yorkies without Lou. Copyright 2010-2023 TheSmackDownHotel.com. Albano made his screen debut in 1952 in CBS The Jackie Gleason Show. He rattles off his list of accolades, including 14 tag team champions, two intercontinental, and one world wide federation champion. Ah.. the Mario, an often misunderstood and overlooked dance. He was freakin MARIO for Toads sake. Flashback: Albano and Lauper Engage in Father-Daughter Smackdown in Pipers Pit, 6-year-old boy floats away in homemade helium balloon, Balloon Boy Gets Fresh Prince Treatment on Facebook, Balloon Boy: We did this for the show., http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65uNCLBTje0&fe. Visit Shawn Lealos' website to learn more about his novel writing and follow him on Twitter @sslealos. The original stories involving him referred to him as the pretty boy. 1987 The Vintage Wrestling His last name is slightly easier to pronounce than it looks. In 1983, Albano was the manager for Don "Magnificent" Muraco when the strongman beat Pedro Morales for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Bruno Sammartino mentioned to Vince McMahon that Albano wasn't a great wrestler, but he was a great talker and could become a top manager. Coincidentally, Captain Lou Albano got over as a heel manager by opposing the man who recommended him for the position. Users who like Why Did Captain Lou Albano Have The Rubberbands In His Face? Lou Albano and beat Tito Santana for the IC Title. His character was a babyface known as the Leaping Lou Albano. RELATED: 13 Best Wrestlers Managed By Lou Albano, Ranked. Visionaries that they are, NRBQ saw Lous wrestling managerial skills and realized he could easily take that same kind of hustle and bravado to the record game. Recognizable in garish outfits and rubber bands affixed to his face, Albano managed countless legends including Andre The Giant, Pat Patterson, and The British Bulldogs. They first tried to escape in a taxi but people broke its windows. He adopted a new name, Mount Vernon Mauler, garnering a reputation in the New Yorks professional wrestling scene. WebA unique showman, with an elongated beard, rubber band, facial piercings, and loud outfits, Albano was the forefather of the 1980s Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection. Click here for our privacy policy. He suffered a heart attack in 2005, but made recovery. Please download one of our supported browsers. So, rest easy Captain Lou. Albano was so convincing on the microphone that in January 1971, after his client Ivan Koloff defeated Sammartino, ending his seven-year reign as the WWWF Heavyweight Champion, a riot broke out in Madison Square Garden. Captain Lou Albano dead at 76. photo: wwe.com. 13 Best Wrestlers Managed By Lou Albano, Ranked, 10 Best Submission Finishers In TNA History, Ranked, The 10 Best Intercontinental Champions From The PG Era, 10 Wrestlers Who Had Disappointing Heel Runs, 10 Feel-Good WCW Stories That Made Fans Emotional, 10 Worst WWE Wrestlers To Compete For A World Championship At WrestleMania, Ric Flair's Body Transformation Over The Years, Shown In Photos. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); No spam. interviews and more by clicking here! Playlists containing Why Did Captain Lou Albano Have The Rubberbands In His Face? Davey Boy went on to even bigger success in later years. Excellent! This was one of the most popular tag teams in WWE during the '80s, and also one that was short-lived. It might be hard to remember, but Capt. While Captain Lou Albano was able to lose weight and get on the path to a healthier life, he wasnt able to completely avoid health problems. Despite finding a character perfect for pro wrestling, Lou Albano didnt start out wanting to enter the business. Albano, his wife, and a family friend had to be escorted out of the arena, but the crowd followed them. Known to friends and family as Louis Albano, during the 1970s and 80s, the larger-than-life personality brought drama and fun to the world of professional wrestling. The idea that all of my favorite wrestlers were driving around in giant Cadillacs and monster trucks and having adventures and doing good deeds appealed to my gullibility. Albanos success in high school football led to him playing college ball for the University of Tennessee on a scholarship. The Grand Wizard would manage up-and-comers, guys who could talk and finish the promo after he set it up. Like many pro wrestlers, Lou Albano came from an athletic background, having played track and field in high school as well as football. Singer Cyndi Lauper was there as well. The match established professional wrestling as a mainstream entertainment mode, and heralded its 1980s boom. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address or telephone number) about your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements on this site and other sites about goods and services that may be of interest to you. Below are some highlights: Resnick on King Curtis career in WWF managing Kamala: He would kind of come in and do his interviews. Anyone else loving the sad expression on everyones face as they break out in dance? While awarding a framed gold record to former enemy Cyndi Love the viking beard though, Josh. All Rights Reserved. They had four children together, including a son named Carl, who has been serving as a member of the Putnam County Legislature since 2011. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Shortly after Albanos baptism, which was performed in the Vatican itself, Albanos parents returned to the US and began living in the Mount Vernon area. In WWE, a storyline began to build around the two, with Albano claiming that he had written all of Laupers songs and she owed all her success to him. Albanomanaged numerous top name competitors. Due to Albanos short stature, Gilzenberg advised him to enter wrestling. I lean towards pre because he wasnt constantly waking from night terrors shivering and screaming about carnivorous fungi and flame belching, man-sized lizard people. Albano was arguably the best of the three. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/lou-albano-12451.php. photo: wwe.com. Due to his busy schedule as a WWF employee, it would take him another 37 years to land his first significant credit. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. you take that back! Fanscontinue to watch Captain Lou in the movies that he appeared in during his lifetime, includingBody Slam and in reruns of Miami Vice and The Super Mario Bros Super Show. Albano moved up the ranks and managed more tag team world champions than any manager, spending almost his entire career in WWE. He met Willie Gilzenberg, a boxing promoter who would later serve as the titular president of World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), an early version of WWF/E. This was due to the mounting injuries to Dynamite Kid, whose back started to give out on him just as the tag team was hitting the highest of highs. Shawn S. Lealos is a freelance writer who received his Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma with a minor in Film Studies. He died on October 14, 2009 at the age of 76. After a health scare in the 1990s, Albano began to work out earnestly, eventually shedding 150 pounds (70kgs). Albano managed Verdu against Sammartino in several challenges for the WWE Championship in the 1970s, and the result was a financial success. However, following a non-wrestling injury that left a gash on his forehead, he purposefully did not let the mark heal completely and turned heel. Albano must be getting paid double-time today because he is putting over the Through collaborations with pop star Cyndi Lauper, he helpedbring mainstream attention towrestling during the 1980s. While awarding a framed gold record to former enemy Cyndi Lauper, Roddy Piper and Bob Orton interrupted, smashing the frame over Albanos head. One wouldnt have guessed this looking at Captain Lou Albano the manager, but as a young wrestler, Leaping Lou Albano was presented as a handsome babyface character as he competed in the New York wrestling scene. It was the only time that Capt. While Verdu couldnt get the job done, one of Albanos clients finally did in 1971 - Ivan Koloff, who shocked fans in Madison Square Garden when he ended Sammartinos seven-and-a-half-year run with the belt. Please help us serve you better, fill out our survey. Lou and that is when they won the tag team titles from Larry Zbyszko and Tony Garea. Albano led them to only one tag team title reign before Dynamite had to retire. I giggled at the kid in the balloon. However, he eventually took up wrestling. Following his retirement from medicine, Albanos father wanted to start an insurance business with him, but Albano had already decided to try his luck as a professional boxer. Pro Wrestling Illustrated hailed him as the Manager of the Year three times (1974, 1981, and 1986). The Wise Men of the East (sometimes billed as the "Triumvirate of Terror") managed the heels in Vince McMahon Sr.'s WWF. He wrangled a multi-year storyline that found Captain Lou doing cameos in two more videos Time After Time and She Bop. It also found Lauper working in Captain Lous medium. It all culminated in a match where they agreed to compete by proxy on July 23, 1984. Captain Lou Albano used to be a professional wrestler in the WWWF, but he was a tag team wrestler who had limited room to move up the ranks when his tag team ended. RELATED: The 10 Greatest Pipers Pit Segments Of All Time. You must be logged in to post a comment Wolff had grown up a lifelong pro wrestling fan, following the WWWF where Albano was part of a triumvirate who terrorized the New York territory for a decade. He used to put rubberbands in his face. by Justin-Finkelstein Limited Time Offer: Get 50% off the first year of our best annual plan for artists with If you like wrestling, you should try online games. Hence the title of the comic. The Valiant Brothers, unprincely. The Wild Samoans, tame. With a wardrobe of colorful Hawaiian shirts, facial piercings finished with rubber bands, and unruly hair with a beard to match Captain Lou Albano was a man you couldnt help but notice. Albano was the manager (of Ivan Koloff)., Apter on Albano being an unofficial part of Vince McMahon Sr.s office staff: He was actually not an official part of Vince Srs office, but he was an unofficial part (of the office). Captain Lou Albano guests on a 1984 segment of Pipers Pit. Mario and Luigi double up on the Princess they must have made that porn already. I was just about to comment on that myself . The pro wrestling manager is not a new invention, and one of the most iconic of all time was Captain Lou Albano, who spent the 1970s and 1980s as a top heel manager in WWE. WebPaul E Dangerously and Captain Lou Albano face to face. It was Bruno Sammartino who suggested to McMahon that Albano, a mediocre wrestler at best, would better serve the promotion if he was attached to a wrestler as a spokesperson. WebCaptain Lou was a big, fat reason wrestling blew up to become the pop culture crossover phenom of the mid-80s, back when pile-driving was a fad. This was the tag team of Johnny Valiant and Jerry Valiant. Web76 Lou Albano Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Creative Editorial Video Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 76 Lou Albano Premium High Res Photos Browse 76 lou albano stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. He used to hang out with Vince, Gorilla, and Arnold Skaaland at the old Holland Hotel wrestling office; they would all smoke and play cards and everything, and he was part of that group., Apter on the story behind the rubber band rings on Albanos face: He was very strong into the fight against multiple sclerosis with Cyndi Lauper. Roman Reigns often talks about his family's history in wrestling, and that includes his father, Sika Anoa'i, who was one-half of The Wild Samoans with his brother Afa. Lou Albano managed the Machines, including Blackjack Mulligan as Big Machine and Bill Eadie (Ax of Demolition) as Super Machine. WebReal Name Louis Vincent Albano Ring Names. The program was unique for having a live action element, with Lou Albano playing a live action version of Mario getting into shenanigans, and then voicing Mario in his animated adventures later on the show. But WWE Champion and top star Bruno Sammartino took notice of his exceptional ability to talk, and encouraged boss Vince McMahon Sr. to take advantage of Albanos talent by making him a manager to wrestlers who need people to talk for them. He had managed 15 different tag team championship winning teams and four singles gold winners. His other important works include musical comedy Body Slam (1986), action comedy Complex World (1992), adventure fantasy Stay Tuned, and family-mystery series Ghostwriter. Sadly, this was not the best moment, as they lost their titles to the foreign heel tag team of Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. Later, a masked man who looked just like Andre showed up wearing a mask and calling himself the Giant Machine. He was a pro himself, who broke into the biz in 1953 as pretty boy, baby face, Leaping Lou Albano. He managed a lot of Islanders, so he would cut 100% of every promo. 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