Lorenzo Parente

Lorenzo Parente "Martino" was an Italian professional wrestler who competed throughout the United States from 1958-1975. During his career he captured the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship on two occasions (both of which he won from Danny Hodge). He was also known for his long standing tag team with Bobby Hart, with whom he captured numerous regional and world NWA Tag Team Championships.

Lorenzo Parente
Birth nameLorenzo Parente[1]
Born(1935-03-16)March 16, 1935[2]
Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy[3][4]
DiedMarch 15, 2014(2014-03-15) (aged 78)[5]
Brentwood, Tennessee[2]
Spouse(s)Christine "Dina" Parente
ChildrenTony, Rosie, Frazier and Michael[5]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Lorenzo Parente
Pancho Parente
Mephisto
Spoiler #1
Blue Avenger
Pancho Lopez
Larry Lopez
Tony Lorenzo
Billed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[3]
Billed weight229 lb (104 kg)[3]
Billed fromNaples, Italy[6]
Debut1958
Retired1975

Parente competed for various promotions throughout his career, including NWA Mid-America, NWA Western States, Championship Wrestling from Florida, Jim Barnett's World Championship Wrestling, NWA Tri-State and the WWF.

Professional wrestling career

Early life and career (NWA Amarillo)

Parente was born March 16, 1935 in the small village of Chieti, one of five sons born to parents Antonio and Rosaria Parente.[5] He moved to the United States in 1959 to pursue professional that same year, wrestling under his real name and as "Pancho López", primarily in the Amarillo, Texas territory.[7] As Pancho López, he won the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship two times in 1960, defeating Gene LeBell and Mike DiBiase respectively.[8] Soon thereafter he formed a tag team called "Continental Warriors" with Bobby Hart, under the ring names "Mephisto and Dante". It was to be a pairing that would last on-and-off for most of his career. They had their first taste of success as a tag team in the early 1960s, winning the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship on numerous occasions, feuding with the likes of Lester Welch and Jackie Fargo.[7] They would go to win the titles six times.[9]

NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion (1965-1966)

Parente feuded with Danny Hodge in Arkansas and Oklahoma in the mid-1960s. He defeated Hodge on November 23, 1965 to win his first NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.[10] He lost the title to Hodge on January 4, 1966 before winning it back on January 14 to become a two-time champion.[9] On December 3, 1968, Parente and Hodge won the NWA Tri-State Tag Team Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

NWA Tri-State, NWA Florida and teaming with Paul DeMarco

By 1966, Parente was travelling throughout the National Wrestling Alliance. He became a mainstay with Championship Wrestling from Florida and on December 24, 1967 he captured the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Paul DeMarco, defeating Kurt and Skull Von Stroheim. They went on to capture the titles for the second time the following year on January 16, defeating Terry and Ron Garvin in Tampa, Florida.[11] That same year, he won the NWA Tri-State Tag Team Championship with former adversary Danny Hodge, on December 3.

The Continental Warriors

Having held tag titles with him previously, Parente claimed tag team gold with Bobby Hart once again in 1969, this time capturing the NWA World Tag Team Championship in Mid-America. The team found great success as a heel pairing, using underhand tactics to achieve victory, including the use of foreign objects.[8] They would go on to capture numerous regional and world tag team titles together as The Continental Warriors, holding the NWA World Tag Team Championship six times and winning regional tag titles throughout the United States including the tag titles of NWA Mid-America, Championship Wrestling from Florida, NWA Western States and the NWA United States Tag Team Championship in NWA Mid-America and Tri-State. They also captured the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship, defeating Don & Ron Wright in May 1973.[8] Southern wrestling legend Jerry Lawler remarked in his autobiography that Tennessee "had some of the best tag team goings at the time", with the top teams often in the feature matches. He describes Parente and Hart as "main event caliber guys who had been in the business a long time".[12]

Parente held several other championships during the remainder of his career, including two reigns as NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Champion, both times defeating Don Greene.[9] His last title victory was with a championship he had not previously held, when he won the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship with John Gray and Big Bad John defeating Dennis Hall, Jackie Fargo and George Gulas on January 16, 1975.[8]

Retirement and later life

Lorenzo Parente had retired from in-ring competition by the mid-1970s. He settled in Brentwood, Tennessee with his wife Christine "Dina" Parente[5] where he opened a successful restaurant; Lorenzo's Italian Village in 1975.[4] He died on March 15, 2014 at the age of 78. and was survived by his wife of 49 years, his children and grandchildren.[5] He received a Catholic funeral and was laid to rest at Christ Church Memorial Gardens.[5]

Championships and accomplishments
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References
  1. Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". www.wrestlingdata.com.
  2. III, Harris M. Lentz (30 April 2015). "Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2014". McFarland – via Google Books.
  3. Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Lorenzo Parente « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
  4. "In the Sauce".
  5. "Lorenzo Parente's Obituary on The Tennessean". The Tennessean.
  6. GoldenAge2008 (30 May 2009). "Pat O'Connor vs Lorenzo Parente - Pt 1" – via YouTube.
  7. III, Harris M. Lentz (30 April 2015). "Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2014". McFarland – via Google Books.
  8. "Lorenzo Parente".
  9. Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". www.wrestlingdata.com.
  10. "Professional Wrestling Online Museum - Ring Chronicle Hall of Fame Inductee - Danny Hodge". www.wrestlingmuseum.com.
  11. "NWA World Tag Team Title (Florida)". Wrestling-Titles.com.
  12. Lawler, Jerry (19 December 2002). "It's Good to Be the King...Sometimes". Simon and Schuster – via Google Books.
  13. Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Titles « Lorenzo Parente « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
  14. Hoops, Brian (January 14, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/14): Christian wins NWA World Title". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
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