He was also featured in the video for Time After Time. In 1984, Albano was on a flight to Puerto Rico. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/lou-albano-12451.php. Captain Lou Albano was one of the dirtiest managers in WWE for a decade, but then something changed. 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. 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 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. 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. WebAfter spending several decades as a heel, Captain Lou Albano turned face in 1984 in a memorable segment. Lou Albano (October 14, 1959 - June 7, 1997) Captain Lou Albano (May 22, 1972 - October 29, 1986) Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Wolff orchestrated a legit wrestling feud, which could only be settled by Laupers charge, Wendi Richter, wrestling Captain Lous girl, the Fabulous Moolah. Albanos final film Hot Ice, No-one Is Safe was posthumously released in 2010. Copyright 2023 411mania.com, LLC. Albano, his wife, and a family friend had to be escorted out of the arena, but the crowd followed them. WebBorn Louis Vincent Albano on July 29, 1933 in Rome, Italy, Lou Albano began his professional wrestling career in 1953 and first rose to national prominence in the late WebApter on why Albano wore the rubber band earrings on his face: He was very strong into the fight against multiple sclerosis with Cyndi Lauper. He died on October 14, 2009 at the age of 76. Lou Albano managing the tag team champion U.S. Express (Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham) at WrestleMania I (1985). At the time, he was living in hospice care. Very well played, sir. 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 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. Excellent! Over the course of the decade, he would lose more than 150 pounds and by 2000 he did seem to have considerably improved his health. Girls Just Want to Have Fun put Captain Lou in front of the MTV crowd, but anyone who watched professional wrestling knew that Lou was a spittin, stompin, cussin force of nature long before that. Copyright 2010-2023 TheSmackDownHotel.com. His character was a babyface known as the Leaping Lou Albano. They first tried to escape in a taxi but people broke its windows. 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. Today, people dont just remember Captain Lou Albano for his work in professional wrestling. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); No spam. Your current browser isn't compatible with SoundCloud. 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. In 1986, Captain Lou Albano left the World Wrestling Federation to pursue other interests, but he still occasionally made appearances at ringside. He is also remembered for his appearances in Cyndi Laupers music videos, particularly Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Anyone else loving the sad expression on everyones face as they break out in dance? The Wild Samoans, tame. Hence the title of the comic. Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com. Ah.. the Mario, an often misunderstood and overlooked dance. 1987 The Vintage Wrestling However, he was expelled a year later due to his poor attitude and an attempt to cheat in the final examination. The Grand Wizard would manage up-and-comers, guys who could talk and finish the promo after he set it up. The Wise Men of the East (sometimes billed as the "Triumvirate of Terror") managed the heels in Vince McMahon Sr.'s WWF. WebOne of the most famous angles in WWWF history. This led to Albano managing two of the best babyface tag teams of the '80s. Albano spent the rest of his professional career with the promotion and while as a solo wrestler he was quite unimpressive, his work with tag-team partner Tony Altomare did garner him some success, including the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1967. Broadcast live on MTV, it gave WWE the opportunity to access the coveted young adult demographic. Carmen was an obstetrician while Eleanor was a pianist who later became a registered nurse. One of the three managers collectively known as the Triumvirate of Terror, Albanos clientele included 15 tag teams and four singles champions. 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. I actually liked the Super Mario Brothers movie. He suffered a heart attack in 2005, but made recovery. The grand Wizard managed Patterson, and he sold the contract to Albano for $100,000. It didn't last long, and Patterson rejected the new manager, turning babyface due to Albano's notoriety. I never knew when it was on (I found out later that's because it was in syndication after only having one season), but I always enjoyed it, despite supporting the losing side in the console wars (Sega). "Captain Lou's History Of Music", by Lou Albano & George Steele, 1 WWWF United States Tag Team Championship - with Tony Altimore, WWF Hall of Fame induction (class of 1996), Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum induction (class of 2009), Cauliflower Alley Club's Other honoree Winner (1995). (vitag.Init = window.vitag.Init || []).push(function(){viAPItag.display("vi_937032466")}). His parents Eleanor and Carmen were of Italian ancestry but were born and raised in America. He was76. 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. Lou and that is when they won the tag team titles from Larry Zbyszko and Tony Garea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65uNCLBTje0&fe. Albano moved up the ranks and managed more tag team world champions than any manager, spending almost his entire career in WWE. I never knew when it was on (I found out later that's because it was in syndication after only having one season), but I always enjoyed it, despite supporting the losing side in the console wars (Sega). Sadly, this was not the best moment, as they lost their titles to the foreign heel tag team of Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. All Rights Reserved. He also appeared as Lauper's fictional father in the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" video. The British Bulldogs would have been Yorkies without Lou. 10 Things Fans Should Know About "Captain" Lou Albano, Encouraged To Be A Manager By Bruno Sammartino, 13 Best Wrestlers Managed By Lou Albano, Ranked, 10 Best Football Players To Ever Wrestle In WWE, Ranked, then known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation, ended Sammartinos seven-and-a-half-year run, The 10 Greatest Pipers Pit Segments Of All Time, 10 WWE PPV Endings That Changed Everything, 10 Former Impact/TNA Wrestlers Who Surprisingly Are Still Wrestling. Albanos success in high school football led to him playing college ball for the University of Tennessee on a scholarship. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. He was a pro himself, who broke into the biz in 1953 as pretty boy, baby face, Leaping Lou Albano. Danny Djeljosevic is a writer based in San Diego, CA. Pro Wrestling Illustrated hailed him as the Manager of the Year three times (1974, 1981, and 1986). He was freakin MARIO for Toads sake. When he first made his way back to WWE after his stint in the NWA, he signed with Capt. Sadly, a second heart attack would claim his life on October 14th. Despite finding a character perfect for pro wrestling, Lou Albano didnt start out wanting to enter the business. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Wrestling/CaptainLouAlbano. Their other kayfabe brother, Jimmy Valiant, managed them when they arrived back in WWE in 1978, but they ended up signing with Capt. He was kind of a wild and crazy guy. 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. He had managed 15 different tag team championship winning teams and four singles gold winners. Here are some highlights. It's too bad. Even though the Captain Lou Albano death story occurred years ago, he is still fondly remembered to this day by wrestling fans. Lou Albanos success as an in-ring performer was fairly minor, as he was never considered a particularly great wrestler, especially when it came to singles competition. Visit Shawn Lealos' website to learn more about his novel writing and follow him on Twitter @sslealos. One of his first clients was Crusher Verdu, a wrestler from Spain whose English abilities werent all that great. 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. Captain Lou Albano guests on a 1984 segment of Pipers Pit. Lets take a look at Albanos career, covering the iconic parts as well as his forgotten time as a competitor himself. Lou Albano married Geraldine, his high school sweetheart, in 1953. Muraco went on to feud with former Albano wrestler Superfly Jimmy Snuka. Is your network connection unstable or browser outdated? 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. Considered to be the forefather of the 1980s Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection for his elongated beard, rubber band facial piercings, and loud outfits, he played a pivotal role in mainstream audiences embracing professional wrestling. After spending several decades as a heel, Captain Lou Albano turned face in 1984 in a memorable segment. NEXT:10 Wrestlers Who Had Disappointing Heel Runs. Hed put [safety] pins on his face and on his nose the rubber bands. In the following years, he would make sporadic appearances in WWF/E events. He said that he would wear these things in his cheeks until (MS) was cured.. Need help? if they released those DVD's minus the nonsensical live action scenes its a fucking travesty. I giggled at the kid in the balloon. Axel wanted a more rounded number for his record and so invited his piercer friend to add nine more to reach 280. i figured Id get a jump on all the "balloon boy" comics that will be out on Monday. The match established professional wrestling as a mainstream entertainment mode, and heralded its 1980s boom. Captain Lou Albano is best known for managing tag teams to championship gold in WWE, but he was also the manager of some great singles champions. In remembering how Captain Lou affected my childhood, I would be remiss to leave out Hulk Hogans Rock N Wrestling cartoon. 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. Captain Lou portrayed what seemed to be a pre or post mushroom kingdom Mario that lived and worked as a plumber in a big city (presumably New York) with his brother-in-overalls Luigi. He died at home in Westchester County, New York. 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. This scar gave him the springboard to transition into more of a heel character, and gained more notoriety in the process. 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. Find out how to play and win at top paying online casino NZ from our guide. As a youth, he was athletically gifted, competing in track and field events as well as leading his school football team to numerous victories. WebLouis Vincent Albano (July 29, 1933 October 14, 2009), often referred by his ring name, "Captain" Lou Albano, was an Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor who portrayed Mario in both the live action and cartoon segments of the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! However, he eventually took up wrestling. Lou Albano managed Andre the Giant for a short time. In, In doing so, Albano helped popularize what is now a bog standard wrestling trope: the meddling "hypeman" who leaves a slime trail wherever he goes. Due to his busy schedule as a WWF employee, it would take him another 37 years to land his first significant credit. 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. However, his career took a different turn after he sustained a wound on his forehead and intentionally allowed it to form a scar rather than heal seamlessly. 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. Shawn is a former member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle before relocating to Texas and has work published in the Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma Gazette, Vox Magazine and Loud Magazine and on websites like The Huffington Post, CBS, Time Warner Cable, Yahoo, The Movie Network, Chud, Renegade Cinema, 411mania and Sporting News. Albanomanaged numerous top name competitors. photo: wwe.com. Lou then managed the team on to three WWE World Tag Team Championship reigns. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. He used to put rubberbands in his face. 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