| Louie Spicolli | |
|---|---|
Spicolli as "Rad Radford" in 1995 |
|
| Ring name(s) | Body Snatcher Cutie Pie Killer Blond Louie Spicolli Madonna's Boyfriend Mercenario III Rad Radford The Zodiac |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 248 lb (112 kg)[1] |
| Born | February 10, 1971[2] San Pedro, Los Angeles, California |
| Died | February 15, 1998 (aged 27)[3] Los Angeles, California[3] |
| Billed from | San Pedro, California Seattle, Washington (as Rad Radford) |
| Trained by | Bill Anderson Jesse Hernandez |
| Debut | 1988[1] |
Louis Mucciolo, Jr.[1] (February 10, 1971 – February 15, 1998) was an American professional wrestler. He performed in Mexico under the ring name Madonna's Boyfriend, for the World Wrestling Federation as Rad Radford, and in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling in the 1990s as Louie Spicolli. He is sometimes credited as being the inventor of the Death Valley Driver finisher and even wore t-shirts in WCW stating it,[4] though it was actually innovated by female wrestler Etsuko Mita.[5]
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At the age of 17, Mucciolo began training with "Big" Bill Anderson after the two met at a wrestling show held at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. He debuted in 1988 aged 17, working as a jobber for the World Wrestling Federation, using the ring name Louie Spicolli and would continue to use this name in squash matches until March 1995.
In 1989, he traveled to Tijuana, Mexico with Tim Patterson and his trainer, Bill Anderson, with whom he formed a stable known as "Los Mercenarios Americanos" ("The American Mercenaries"). They were a trio of masked villains who feuded with the Villano family. The Mercernarios were forced to unmask in July 1991 and then disbanded in 1992.
Spicolli worked on the independent circuit, appearing with Herb Abrams' Universal Wrestling Federation as "Cutie Pie". He traveled to Arizona in 1991, where he won the Interwest Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship as "The Zodiac". After several appearances in the WWF as an enhancement talent in 1992, Spicolli returned to Mexico as "The Killer Blonde" and made several appearances with the Japanese Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling promotion. In 1994, Spicolli appeared briefly with Smoky Mountain Wrestling, feuding with Chris Candido for the United States Junior Heavyweight Championship. He left shortly afterward and joined Asistencia Asesoría y Administración as "Madonna's Boyfriend", one of Los Gringos Locos along with Eddie Guerrero, Konnan, and Art Barr. He wrestled in a six man tag team match at When Worlds Collide on November 6, 1994, which, as of 2009, was the only pay-per-view that AAA has held in North America. This exposure led to Spicolli being offered jobs by many promotions.
In 1995, Spicolli returned to the World Wrestling Federation as "Rad Radford", a fan of grunge, and purportedly the boyfriend of Courtney Love. He worked an angle with the Bodydonnas, wanting to join (despite his comparatively poorly toned body) and was eventually admitted as a "Bodydonna-in-training". This lasted until Survivor Series, when he was thrown out of the group because his physique was not good enough.
In 1996, Spicolli was found unconscious by a neighbor after overdosing on Soma and suffering a seizure. He was in intensive care for several days before making a recovery. The WWF, still mindful of the controversy that the steroid trials of several years before had brought, released him on condition that he would not work for the rival WCW promotion. Spicolli struggled with depression before joining Extreme Championship Wrestling in July 1996 as a face. He later turned heel and feuded with Tommy Dreamer. He left the company on bad terms after owner Paul Heyman discovered that he had been covertly negotiating with WCW and the WWF. Moreover, Spicolli's continued drug abuse was seen as an embarrassment to the company.
Spicolli was a mainstay of the Empire Wrestling Federation for the company's first two years of existence. He performed there as a favor to his trainer Bill Anderson, who at the time was co-owner of the company.
Spicolli signed with WCW in late 1997 and became the lackey of his friend, New World Order member Scott Hall, dubbing himself "The Real Innovator" in order to mock Tommy Dreamer (known by the nickname "The Innovator of Violence"). His first match was on the January 15, 1998 episode of WCW Thunder against Scott Hall. Spicolli later began commentating during matches, and impressed many with his wit, though he was admonished after making a joke concerning the Oklahoma City bombing after commentator Tony Schiavone referred to a forthcoming "bombshell". Hall and Spicolli soon feuded with Larry Zbyszko, with Spicolli stealing Zbyszko's golf clubs, bringing them to the ring, and breaking them over his knee while Hall made sarcastic comments on the mic. This resulted in a match between Spicolli and Zbysko being booked for SuperBrawl VIII on February 22, 1998. However, the match never took place.
Spicolli had stopped taking drugs after renewed fears for his health, but the news that his mother was terminally ill with cancer led to a relapse. On February 15, 1998, Spicolli died at the age of 27 after overdosing[6] on Soma and wine, choking on his own vomit in his sleep.[3] Investigators found an empty vial of the male hormone testosterone, pain pills and an anxiety-reducing drug. The Los Angeles County coroner's office determined the drugs might have contributed to his heart condition.[7] After his death, Stevie Richards (who was signed to the WWF and wrote articles in the WWF Magazine) posted a tribute article to his friend. In it, he stated that he and Louie were inseparable. Tommy Dreamer uses many of Spicolli's wrestling moves, including his finisher, as a homage to him. WCW Nitro displayed an 'in memory' screen and toll at the beginning of the broadcast following his death; however, Spicolli was not acknowledged onscreen other than a heel comment from Zybysko on commentary. His Death Valley Driver finisher for a time, however, was referred to as "The Spicolli Driver" on WCW programming.