Fanscontinue to watch Captain Lou in the movies that he appeared in during his lifetime, includingBody Slam and in reruns of Miami Vice and The Super Mario Bros Super Show. Albano was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2012 (posthumously). Web On the latest edition of VOC Nations Wrestling With History, Bill Apter and Ken Resnick discussed the career of WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano, the story behind Sadly, this was not the best moment, as they lost their titles to the foreign heel tag team of Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. A second Intercontinental Champion that Captain Lou Albano managed was Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. Hilariously, however, Albano proved a heel in college, and behavior issues as well as cheating in class got him expelled from the school. Instead, a distant relative, boxing promoter Lou Duva whod later appear at WrestleMania 2 introduced him to Willie Gilzenberg, another promoter who was active in the wrestling business. Flashback: Albano and Lauper Engage in Father-Daughter Smackdown in Pipers Pit, 6-year-old boy floats away in homemade helium balloon, Balloon Boy Gets Fresh Prince Treatment on Facebook, Balloon Boy: We did this for the show., http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65uNCLBTje0&fe. He was http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Wrestling/CaptainLouAlbano. Captain Lou Albano dead at 76. photo: wwe.com. Spouse/Ex-: Geraldine Albano (m. 19532009), siblings: Carl Albano, Eleanor Albano, George Albano, Vincent Albano, place of death: Carmel Hamlet, New York, United States, See the events in life of Lou Albano in Chronological Order. Louis Vincent Albano was born in Rome, Lazio, Kingdom of Italy on July 29, 1933. He died on October 14, 2009 at the age of 76. Albanos success in high school football led to him playing college ball for the University of Tennessee on a scholarship. WebAlbano, whose real name was Louis Vincent Albano, died in Westchester County in suburban New York, said Dawn Marie, founder of Wrestlers Rescue, an organization that I distinctly remember getting a little too excited every time SMB came on television. Captain Lou Albano was known for his wrestling moves and outsized personality. Lou Albano agreed with the change in career path, especially because football injuries were taking a toll on his body. He worked alongside Danny Wells, who portrayed Luigi.In addition to The Wise Men of the East (sometimes billed as the "Triumvirate of Terror") managed the heels in Vince McMahon Sr.'s WWF. One of the most infamous moments in WWE history came in the '70s, and it resulted in a riot that caused property damage and had Captain Lou Albano fearing for his life. But Lous mark would be made as a leader of men. 1987 - YouTube 0:02 / 1:23 Paul E Dangerously and Captain Lou Albano face to face. Thats right, Im a method writer. WebCaptain Lou Albano dead at 76. photo: wwe.com 1933-2009 (age 76) With a wardrobe of colorful Hawaiian shirts, facial piercings finished with rubber bands, and unruly hair with Fair well paisano. Albanos final film Hot Ice, No-one Is Safe was posthumously released in 2010. He was also featured in the video for Time After Time. In the course of serving advertisements to this site, our third-party advertiser may place or recognize a unique cookie on your browser. Balloon boy could also be a reference to someone who loves or smuggles heroin. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. The British Bulldogs would have been Yorkies without Lou. He was a pro himself, who broke into the biz in 1953 as pretty boy, baby face, Leaping Lou Albano. As Hulk Hogan and WWE came into pop culture prominence in 1980s, so did Nintendo's smash hit video game Super Mario Bros. Much like WWE with Hulk Hogans Rock n Wrestling, Mario entered the animated world with the cartoon The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Lou Albano managed the Machines, including Blackjack Mulligan as Big Machine and Bill Eadie (Ax of Demolition) as Super Machine. The Super Mario Super Show seemed less like a scripted childrens show and more like a late night public access affair (but with a MUCH lower budget). Even though Captain Lou Albanos health had been rocky for years, the wrestling community was shocked by his passing. Sadly, his ability to continue his career in entertainment wasgreatly limited during the 1990s. WebCaptain 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. His last name is slightly easier to pronounce than it looks. The original stories involving him referred to him as the pretty boy. Their gimmick was grunting and using a dialect that only their manager Captain Lou Albano could understand. Albano was the manager when Superfly dived from the top of the cage onto Muraco in one of WWE's most celebrated moments. They then took shelter in a bar nearby and were bombarded with mud and objects until the police arrived. Okay, I always get a good chuckle out of these things, but I am on the floor in (good) tears over this one. I will be over here too, doing the Mario as mournfully as possible. which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, Lou got a gold record to the head, and Wolff got body slammed so hard by Rowdy Roddy Piper, it nearly broke his back. The MTV masses ate up the Captains critically acclaimed turn in Laupers video, just like her manager and boyfriend David Wolff predicted. The video has been played over180 million times on YouTube. As the day progressed and Lou would pop in and out of the interview room, Lou would have a habit of somehow losing those sweatpants in front of somebody in the middle of an interview There were so many times when those sweatpants were down around his ankles and he was basically (naked)., Apter on Albanos career aspirations and becoming Bruno Sammartinos rival: He wanted to be like Bruno (early in his career) but he wound up being one of Brunos most hated rivals Albano, the (Grand) Wizard, and Fred Blassie were constantly feeding guys to try and beat either Bruno or Pedro Morales back then, and Albano was involved in one of the greatest moments in pro wrestling history the night that Ivan Koloff beat Bruno Sammartino in front of 21,000 fans at Madison Square Garden. Pat Patterson was the first-ever WWE Intercontinental Champion, and he went on to enjoy a WWE Hall of Fame career before taking a role backstage as one of the top producers. Mario and Luigi double up on the Princess they must have made that porn already. 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. Regarded as one of the earliest superstars of the industry, he had a moderately successful career as a professional wrestler before becoming a manager. He had managed 15 different tag team championship winning teams and four singles gold winners. 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. With a convincing gimmick as mafia-esque gangsters, Albano and Altomare reportedly had actual gangsters urge them to cool it with the mafia gimmick. Web76 Lou Albano Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Creative Editorial Video Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 76 Lou Albano Premium High Res Photos Browse 76 lou albano stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. In his later years, Albino became a successful actor, playing numerous memorable roles in both films and television shows. While awarding a framed gold record to former enemy Cyndi Lauper, Roddy Piper and Bob Orton interrupted, smashing the frame over Albanos head. He managed a great many teams to the. Its pandemonium, I know, but NRBQ, a beloved cult band going on its 50th year in business, penned this ode to their manager, Captain Lou. Its not like Captain Lou has constantly been on my mind for the last 25 years, but his recent passing unlocked a flood of memories of being 8 years old and him being EVERYWHERE. And Im no longer buttoning my shirt. In honor of such, the NRBQ lads penned this miraculous number about Lou, who intros and outros the song in maniacal fits of self-proclamations and percentages while referring to himself as the guiding light and a bitch on ball bearings, brother, a motherf***er on wheels. Im just glad I found this one early on in my writing, so as to provide the perfect soundtrack for such an important list. The rugged, old-school star was already a success in the NWA before arriving in WWE. The match established professional wrestling as a mainstream entertainment mode, and heralded its 1980s boom. He has worked as a journalist for over 20 years, first in the world of print journalism before moving to online media as the world changed. Lou Albano married Geraldine, his high school sweetheart, in 1953. 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. 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! On the latest edition of Wrestling with History, Bill Apter and Ken Resnick talked about their time with WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano. He trained with Soldier Barry, one of his childhood idols, and they started doing house shows together in New York in 1952. He not only participated in the track and field events, but was also picked as the captain of his schools football team. While Captain Lou Albano was able to lose weight and get on the path to a healthier life, he wasnt able to completely avoid health problems. Nice touch. Captain Lou Albano used to be a professional wrestler in the WWWF, but he was a tag team wrestler who had limited room to move up the ranks when his tag team ended. Third Party Advertising: We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our Web site. He soon moved with his parents back to the U.S. A buccaneer before he changed his gimmick, Albano wasn't a great wrestler, but had a couple of high visibility runs in the northeast. 44,624 likes. It didn't last long, and Patterson rejected the new manager, turning babyface due to Albano's notoriety. sniff why couldn't it have been John Leguizamo or Bob Hoskins?. Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com. He wrangled a multi-year storyline that found Captain Lou doing cameos in two more videos Time After Time and She Bop. It also found Lauper working in Captain Lous medium. In between Marios Earthbound hijinks, they would show Super Mario Bros. cartoons that seemed to be set in the universe of Super Mario Bros. 2. This was one of the most popular tag teams in WWE during the '80s, and also one that was short-lived. Is this something Capt. Albano must be getting paid double-time today because he is putting over the Captain Lou didnt actually voice himself in this short-lived animated ridiculousness (neither did any of the other WWF wrestlers for that matter) but I absolutely LOVED this show. While awarding a framed gold record to former enemy Cyndi 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). He managed a lot of Islanders, so he would cut 100% of every promo. This was due to the mounting injuries to Dynamite Kid, whose back started to give out on him just as the tag team was hitting the highest of highs. Either way, the duo made it to WWE then known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation in the late 1960s and ended up capturing the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship, splitting once Albano transitioned into becoming a manager. Bob Hoskins is a Saint! 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. I was just about to comment on that myself . Love the viking beard though, Josh. The MTV masses ate up the He used to put rubberbands in his face. This angle led to the MTV special The Brawl to End It All, wherein Wendi Richter (representing Lauper) defeated The Fabulous Moolah (representing Albano) for the WWE Womens Championship. Wolff had grown up a lifelong pro wrestling fan, following the WWWF where Albano was part of a triumvirate who terrorized the New York territory for a decade. From there, Albano was encouraged to train as a pro wrestler. 1987 - YouTube 0:02 / 1:23 Paul E Dangerously and Captain Lou Albano face to face. WebPaul E Dangerously and Captain Lou Albano face to face. On the latest edition of Wrestling with History, Bill Apter and Ken Resnick talked about their time with WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano. 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. The have the live-action, the cartoon, the commercial for the next Legend of Zelda episode in some, and of course, the credits featuring Lou doing the Mario. Singer Cyndi Lauper was there as well. Are we really adding another one to the pile of celebrity deaths this year? Albano appeared in the early episodes of the show and appears to be back to make us laugh. Instead, he initially pursued a career in boxing, but his size wasnt right for a successful boxer. Patterson was involved in a big angle with Captain Lou Albano in 1980 when he was the Intercontinental Champion. This led to Albano managing two of the best babyface tag teams of the '80s. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Despite playing a heel for the majority of his managing career, Albano ended his career as a face. Lauper was represented by Wendi Richter, while Albano picked The Fabulous Moolah. Hed put [safety] pins on his face and on his nose the rubber bands. OnJanuary 18, 1971,Ivan Koloff pinned Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship, ending his title reign at just over seven years. What was on Lou Albano face? Your current browser isn't compatible with SoundCloud. You must be logged in to post a comment He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996. All Rights Reserved. His other important works include musical comedy Body Slam (1986), action comedy Complex World (1992), adventure fantasy Stay Tuned, and family-mystery series Ghostwriter. He was 76. 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. He was kind of a wild and crazy guy. Here's a look back at the 13 best wrestlers managed by Albano, ranked! In remembering how Captain Lou affected my childhood, I would be remiss to leave out Hulk Hogans Rock N Wrestling cartoon. Albanomanaged numerous top name competitors. Broadcast live on MTV, it gave WWE the opportunity to access the coveted young adult demographic. 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. Very well played, sir. All rights reserved.Click here for our privacy policy. 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. Many professional wrestlers made tributes to the former wrestling manager, and many major publications and websites, including MTV.com and New York Times, ran his obituary. Lou Albano managing the tag team champion U.S. Express (Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham) at WrestleMania I (1985). Playlists containing Why Did Captain Lou Albano Have The Rubberbands In His Face? Albano debuted as a manager for the Spanish wrestler Oscar "Crusher" Verdu in 1970 and proved to be an instant success as a heel character who could really rile up the audience. 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