Mario Milano
Mario Milano | |
---|---|
Ring name(s) |
Mario Milano Black Diablo |
Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Billed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) |
Born |
1935 79) Trieste, Italy | (age
Resides | Australia |
Debut | 1953 (age 18) |
Retired | 1986 (age 51) |
Website | MarioMilano |
Mario Bulfone,[1] better known by his ring name Mario Milano is a former professional wrestler. Milano got his start in wrestling in Venezuela and later competed in the United States and Australia.
Career
Early career
Bulfone began wrestling in Caracas, Venezuela at age 18. A curfew prohibited anyone under 19 from being out after 9 o'clock, so he had to hide his identity to avoid trouble with the police. He wore a mask and wrestled as Black Diablo.[2] After he turned 20, he wrestled without the mask under his real name.[1]
Tennessee
Bulfone moved to the United States to wrestle. A promoter felt that Americans would be unable to remember his name, so he gave Bulfone the name Mario Milano, naming him after Milan, Italy. He lived in Nashville, Tennessee,[1] where he competed for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
With Jackie Fargo, he won his first championship, the Mid-America version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship, on November 5, 1963.[3] After holding the title belts for one month, they dropped them to Tojo Yamamoto and Ivan Malenkov but regained them later in December 1963 when Malenkov left the territory and was a no-show at the title defense.[3]
On March 2, 1965, Milano again teamed with Fargo to win the Mid-America version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship.[4] He also teamed with Len Rossi to win the Mid-America version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship six times - in total, he won that title nine times:[3]
Jackie Fargo & Mario Milano [1] | 1963/11/05 | Nashville, TN |
Jackie Fargo & Mario Milano [2] | 1963/12/26 | Chattanooga, TN |
Len Rossi & Mario Milano [1] | 1964/06/23 | Nashville, TN |
Danny Hodge & Mario Milano [1] | 1965/05/24 | Memphis, TN |
Len Rossi & Mario Milano [2] | 1966/01/11 | Nashville, TN |
Len Rossi & Mario Milano [3] | 1966/02/15 | Nashville, TN |
Len Rossi & Mario Milano [4] | 1966/04/11 | Birmingham, AL |
Len Rossi & Mario Milano [5] | 1966/07 | |
Len Rossi & Mario Milano [6] | 1966/11 |
Australia
In 1967, Milano was offered a three-month stint wrestling in Australia for promoter Jim Barnett. His stay was then extended, after which he was offered a contract and moved to Australia permanently.[1] Wrestling in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion, he teamed with Red Bastien to win the IWA World Tag Team Championship three times that year.[4][5] He also had two reigns in 1967 as IWA World Heavyweight Champion after defeating Killer Kowalski and Ripper Collins.[6]
He used the Atomic Drop as a finisher, and did an angle where he used it on a 400 pound (180kg) wrestler.
In 2008 Mario appeared on Australian TV for IWA (International Wrestling Australia) on their series Main Event Wrestling on the Aurora Community Channel. He featured in 6 shows in an angle with resident heel champion Mark Mercedes.
Personal life
Mario Bulfone was born in Trieste, Italy and later moved to Venezuela.[4] He now lives in Australia.[4] Bulfone has five children.[2]
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Atomic Drop
- Signature moves
- Abdominal stretch
- Headbutt
Championships and accomplishments
- NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (9 times) - with Jackie Fargo (2), Len Rossi (6) and Danny Hodge.[3]
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time) - with Jackie Fargo
- IWA World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- IWA World Tag Team Championship (10 times) - with Red Bastien (3), Billy White Wolf (1), Antonio Pugliese (1), Dominic DeNucci (1), The Spoiler (1), Waldo Von Erich (1), Spiros Arion (1) and Mark Lewin (1) (Most reigns)
- NWA Austra-Asian Brass Knuckles Championship (5 times)
- NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Bugsy McGraw (1) and Larry O'Dea (1)
- International Wrestling Australia
- IWA Hall of Fame
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lane, Tim (2004-05-22). "Two minute interview". TheAge.com.au. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Linnell, Garry (2008-10-21). "Quick clinch with Mario Milano". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "NWA (Mid-America)/AWA Southern Tag Team Title". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Wrestler Profiles: Mario Milano". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
- ↑ "International Wrestling Alliance Tag Team Title". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
- ↑ "International Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved 2009-01-06.