Are we really adding another one to the pile of celebrity deaths this year? Despite being an average wrestler, it was quite apparent that he was an entertaining speaker. Some say it was in piercings but I think they were tied into his beard hair. Under Albanos management, Fatu and Samu beat The Quebecers for the Tag Team Championship on the 5/2/1994 episode of Monday Night Raw and held the belt for 124 days. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Captain Lou managed no less than four singles champs, and 15 different duos to WWE World Tag Team belts. Either way, the duo made it to WWE then known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation in the late 1960s and ended up capturing the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship, splitting once Albano transitioned into becoming a manager. The most piercings on the face is 280, achieved on this day in 2012 by Axel Rosales from Villa Maria, Argentina. He ended up becoming captain of his high school football team, a position that would be immortalized as his iconic nickname, Captain., RELATED: 10 Best Football Players To Ever Wrestle In WWE, Ranked. Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Ok I gotta ask What's the deal with Josh's face hoop? 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. Please download one of our supported browsers. Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com. However, he eventually took up wrestling. PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE. After a health scare in the 1990s, Albano began to work out earnestly, eventually shedding 150 pounds (70kgs). Louis 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 Albano. Shawn is also a published author, with a non-fiction book about the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers and has begun work on a new fiction series as well. Ah.. the Mario, an often misunderstood and overlooked dance. I actually liked the Super Mario Brothers movie. He was 76. Lou Albano managing the tag team champion U.S. Express (Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham) at WrestleMania I (1985). The have the live-action, the cartoon, the commercial for the next Legend of Zelda episode in some, and of course, the credits featuring Lou doing the Mario. Captain Lou didnt actually voice himself in this short-lived animated ridiculousness (neither did any of the other WWF wrestlers for that matter) but I absolutely LOVED this show. During this period, Gilzenberg introduced him to Vince McMahon Sr, who hired him for his Capitol Wrestling Corporation in Washington, DC, a predecessor of WWF/E. It didn't last long, and Patterson rejected the new manager, turning babyface due to Albano's notoriety. He adopted a new name, Mount Vernon Mauler, garnering a reputation in the New Yorks professional wrestling scene. Your current browser isn't compatible with SoundCloud. Louis Vincent Albano was born in Rome, Lazio, Kingdom of Italy on July 29, 1933. Captain Lou Albano was one of WWE's most iconic managers of the '70s & '80s. Lou Albano (October 14, 1959 - June 7, 1997) Captain Lou Albano (May 22, 1972 - October 29, 1986) Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Drives a giant gun that launches chezburgers at a frightening velocity, Ah.. the Mario, an often misunderstood and overlooked dance. The Valiant Brothers, unprincely. He turned increasingly towards the bad guy side, particularly as a member of the tag-team duo The Sicilians, and on his own, even against the great Bruno Sammartino. On this page, you find the full wrestling profile of Lou Albano, with his Career History, real name, age, height and weight, the Promotions he worked for, all the Face/Heel turns, the Championship Titles he won, his Finishers, Theme Songs, Tag Teams and Stables, his appearance changes through the years, and more. Later, Valentine moved on to Jimmy Hart as his manager, and Albano soon became a babyface. Later in the '80s, Albano once again managed Blackjack Mulligan, but he wore a mask and went by the name Big Machine. WebWhy Did Captain Lou Albano Have The Rubberbands In His Face? Lou Albano married Geraldine, his high school sweetheart, in 1953. I'd do the google search, but I value my sanity. Today, people dont just remember Captain Lou Albano for his work in professional wrestling. The grand Wizard managed Patterson, and he sold the contract to Albano for $100,000. Patterson was involved in a big angle with Captain Lou Albano in 1980 when he was the Intercontinental Champion. The rugged, old-school star was already a success in the NWA before arriving in WWE. Through collaborations with pop star Cyndi Lauper, he helpedbring mainstream attention towrestling during the 1980s. 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. One of the three managers collectively known as the Triumvirate of Terror, Albanos clientele included 15 tag teams and four singles champions. Its not like Captain Lou has constantly been on my mind for the last 25 years, but his recent passing unlocked a flood of memories of being 8 years old and him being EVERYWHERE. He is also the man who created the Royal Rumble match, one of WWE's most successful gimmick matches. He died on October 14, 2009 at the age of 76. The Wild Samoans, tame. When he lost significant weight over the past couple of years, he was still solid, said Varriale. Carmen was an obstetrician while Eleanor was a pianist who later became a registered nurse. While awarding a framed gold record to former enemy Cyndi He was a pro himself, who broke into the biz in 1953 as pretty boy, baby face, Leaping Lou Albano. His health again took a sharp decline in 2009. Capt. When the 1980s rolled around, Albano was a pivotal part of the decade's wrestling boom, and even contributed to pop culture in non-wrestling ways. Wolff orchestrated a legit wrestling feud, which could only be settled by Laupers charge, Wendi Richter, wrestling Captain Lous girl, the Fabulous Moolah. They then took shelter in a bar nearby and were bombarded with mud and objects until the police arrived. They touched on his early career, his love of drinking, the reason for his rubber bands, and much more. 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 Click here for our privacy policy. Lou Albano and beat Tito Santana for the IC Title. Instead, he initially pursued a career in boxing, but his size wasnt right for a successful boxer. Users who like Why Did Captain Lou Albano Have The Rubberbands In His Face? 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. The Super Mario Super Show seemed less like a scripted childrens show and more like a late night public access affair (but with a MUCH lower budget). His last name is slightly easier to pronounce than it looks. which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, In his later years, Albino became a successful actor, playing numerous memorable roles in both films and television shows. On that fateful plane ride, Lauper and Wolff met Captain Lou Albano. 1987 - YouTube 0:02 / 1:23 Paul E Dangerously and Captain Lou Albano face to face. It got to the point where in the interview room, they would bring him in, (have him) do his interviews, and then take him back to the dressing room because he would distract the other guys. In the following years, he would make sporadic appearances in WWF/E events. He played her screen father in the music videos for Girls Just Want to Have Fun, The Goonies 'R' Good Enough and She Bop. In some fun trivia, Albano came out of retirement in 1994 to manage The Headshrinkers to the tag titles, which was Afa's son Samu and nephew Fatu (Rikishi). Albano was the manager when Superfly dived from the top of the cage onto Muraco in one of WWE's most celebrated moments. By 1986, Lou Albano was gone from WWE, save for one-off appearances here and there. In 1994, however, Albano made an official return to the company, managing the Headshrinkers tag team in order to help solidify their face turn. Is your network connection unstable or browser outdated? I wonder if Captain Lou's segments are in there with them? In 1984, Albano was on a flight to Puerto Rico. One of his first clients was Crusher Verdu, a wrestler from Spain whose English abilities werent all that great. He managed a great many teams to the. Captain Lou Albano was one of the dirtiest managers in WWE for a decade, but then something changed. I dont know if you were a great man, or even a good one but you entertained me as a child and for that I am grateful. 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. Find out how to play and win at top paying online casino NZ from our guide. I distinctly remember getting a little too excited every time SMB came on television. Please help us serve you better, fill out our survey. Working With his slovenly appearance and rubber bands pinned to his face, Albano managed a plethora of heel You actually have to pull the face-rubber bands while theyre on your face to properly (and respectfully) launch them. The 1980s stood in such stark contrast to the 2000s in that a big, fat, hairy, sweaty dude with rubber bands stuck to his face could be a pop icon. Get the occasional email with the latest wrestling tributes and memorials, Search by ring name, real name, cause of death, organization, time period (2000s, etc) or specific year, WWE Hall of Famer Ravishing Rick Rude was an amazing individual in and out of the ring. 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. RELATED:The 10 Best Intercontinental Champions From The PG Era. photo: wwe.com. 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. This was the tag team of Johnny Valiant and Jerry Valiant. RELATED:10 Best Submission Finishers In TNA History, Ranked. My last year in college I dressed up as Lou for a 70s/80s themed party. He then joined the United States Army but due to the injuries obtained in the football field, he was honourably discharged after eight months. In the course of serving advertisements to this site, our third-party advertiser may place or recognize a unique cookie on your browser. Captain 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. Lets take a look at Albanos career, covering the iconic parts as well as his forgotten time as a competitor himself. Albano managed Verdu against Sammartino in several challenges for the WWE Championship in the 1970s, and the result was a financial success. One of the greatest wrestling managers ever, there are a lot of things fans should know about "Captain" Lou Albano. in 1989, holding the distinction of being the first actor for Mario to achieve widespread popularitynoteMario had been played in both live-action and voiceover roles by a number of actors in both the US and Japan since 1983, but none of them became as iconic as Captain Lou did and consequently setting a precedent for the role that would remain in place until 1996, when Super Mario 64 popularized Charles Martinet's rendition of the characternoteMartinet was cast in 1990 and had been officially voicing Mario since 1992, but had only made niche appearances in the role prior to Super Mario 64. Captain Lou Albano was known for his wrestling moves and outsized personality. The British Bulldogs would have been Yorkies without Lou. 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. Excellent! He then enlisted in the US Army. Captain Lou Albano dead at 76. photo: wwe.com. Lou pretty much wore his Hawaiian shirt and sweatpants; that was Lous attire 99% of the time. Instead, a distant relative, boxing promoter Lou Duva whod later appear at WrestleMania 2 introduced him to Willie Gilzenberg, another promoter who was active in the wrestling business. Is this something Capt. Captain Lou Albano also managed the very successful Valiant Brothers in WWE. Copyright 2023 411mania.com, LLC. Even though the Captain Lou Albano death story occurred years ago, he is still fondly remembered to this day by wrestling fans. Lou Albano manageda world heavyweight champion. Shown here are three shows of Buddys Corner, leading up to this insane angle This angle led to the MTV special The Brawl to End It All, wherein Wendi Richter (representing Lauper) defeated The Fabulous Moolah (representing Albano) for the WWE Womens Championship. They first tried to escape in a taxi but people broke its windows. So, rest easy Captain Lou. Amazingly, he received scholarship offers from 32 colleges as a senior. You need to enable JavaScript to use SoundCloud. He was The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. WebWrestler, personality Captain Lou Albano dies at 76 Flashback: Albano and Lauper Engage in Father-Daughter Smackdown in Pipers Pit 6-year-old boy floats away in homemade More tracks like Why Did Captain Lou Albano Have The Rubberbands In His Face. Albanos success in high school football led to him playing college ball for the University of Tennessee on a scholarship. 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