Salvatore Bellomo
Salvatore Bellomo (June 18, 1951 – February 9, 2019) was a Belgian professional wrestler with a career spanning more than three decades.
| Salvatore Bellomo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 18, 1951 Hornu, Belgium |
| Died | February 9, 2019 (aged 67) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Salvatore Martino Salvatore Bellomo Crazy Bellomo Centurian Marsella Jason Martino The Italian Stallion Adonis Romano Wildman Bellomo Super Destroyer #3[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 290 lb (130 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Racalmuto, Sicily, Italy |
| Debut | 1974 |
| Retired | November 25, 2006 |
Career
Working in North America under various ring names of Italian derivation, Bellomo started out portraying a mild-mannered, clean-cut fan favorite with respectable technical wrestling skill. In later years, Bellomo would portray a wildman in the ring, thought to be unpredictable and/or brutal by wrestling audiences. The list of titles he held over the years includes the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship to the WXW Heavyweight Championship.
World Wrestling Federation (1983–1987)
Bellomo's in-ring work landed him a stint in the World Wrestling Federation, who put him over the likes of Johnny Rodz, Tony Colon and Butcher Vachon. He wrestled former heavyweight champion Bob Backlund at the Philadelphia Spectrum on August 4, 1984, jobbing to Backlund in the latter's last WWF match of the decade.[3] Bellomo was otherwise a jobber on WWF programming through the mid-1980s, including a clean loss to Bobby "The Brain" Heenan in a match at Madison Square Garden in November 1984.[4] During one Piper's Pit segment, Bellomo made an "unscheduled" appearance, inspiring host Rowdy Roddy Piper to quip, "What are you doing here? I didn't order a pizza."
Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993–1994, 1996)
Bellomo was an early performer for NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling in 1993, wrestling in the first-ever ECW Championship match (losing to Jimmy Snuka). His final matches came at the May 13, 1994 TV tapings, winning over Don E. Allen and Billy Firehawk. Bellomo made a surprise appearance at the Extreme Championship Wrestling event, Hardcore Heaven 1996. He managed J.T. Smith and Little Guido, The Full Blooded Italians, to victory over The Dudley Brothers.
Later life
Although retiring at BWS: Collision Detected on November 25, 2006, Bellomo continued to be active in the business up to his death, working as a trainer for the Belgian Wrestling School located in Terhagen and Flémalle (Belgium). He often tried to send his kids home with his trademarked expression of saying "Cha Cha!".
Death
On February 9, 2019, the cousin of Bellomo's wife tweeted that Bellomo had died from cancer. He was 67.[5]
Championships and accomplishments
- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) (2 times) - with Mike Sharpe (1) and Bill Cody (1)
- NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver version) (1 time)
- NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Raned No. 276 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1992
- World Xtreme Wrestling
- WXW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WXW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with The Mad Russian
References
- "Extreme Retrospective: ECW Hardcore TV #8 - New ECW tag champs, Snuka defends TV Title". WWENetworkNews.com. December 5, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
- Cawthon, Graham (2013). The History of Professional Wrestling: Vol. 1: WWF 1963–1989. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 461. ISBN 978-1-4928-2597-5.
- Cawthon, Graham (2013). The History of Professional Wrestling: Vol. 1: WWF 1963–1989. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 480. ISBN 978-1-4928-2597-5.
- Former WWF and ECW Star Salvatore Bellomo Passes Away at 67