Organised crime and professional wrestling

[air_raid]

Yes, the Excellence of Sexecution had that in common with Dyno in terms of not hiding his flaws. So many of his stories ended with "I couldn't help but feel guilty thinking about Julie stuck at home with the baby as I took that 20 year old back to my hotel... but I bonked her anyway."

To steal a line, every man has his Achilles Heel. Bret's was just higher up.

[nfc90210]

This may be bollocks.

Or maybe it's only partially bollocks and there's some truth. Who knows.

I don't buy that in 1961 Tony Accardo one of the most powerful mobsters in the country, who was then The Outfit Consigliere (having stepped back from being its day-to-day boss), was personally putting the frighteners on pro-wrestlers.

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/the-best-true-stories-from-the-fake-world-of-wrestling/news-story/97a503294cc1d6bd7ab7bb6ae9515555

"...Captain Lou Albano gets run out of Chicago by the mob

Before he became the wacky, rubber-band-wearing manager famous as a part of the WWF's Rock 'n' Wrestling Era (and for playing Cyndi Lauper's dad in her "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" video), Captain Lou was a wrestler in his own right. He paired up with Tony Altomare to form The Sicilians, a tag team presenting itself as Mafia tough guys. While they were wrestling as villains in Chicago, they enraged fans with their tactics - and they also managed to infuriate the real-life Mafia.

In 1961, three members of the Chicago Outfit - supposedly including Tony Accardo - paid The Sicilians a visit and told them to lay off because their antics were giving the mob a bad name. They must have made their point - The Sicilians left town surreptitiously, hightailing it back to the Northeast..."

Edited May 11 by nfc90210

[Keith Houchen]

I think Albano mentioned it in his book. It’s was more they were persuaded not to use the gimmick as opposed to being run out of town. But as we know, wrestlers books are always the pinnacle of literary honesty. 
 

Accardo was connected with sports though, quite a few of his extended family had NFL careers. 

[Chili]

Bruno Sammartino told some story about an angle he did getting injured and apparently the Mafia or some lower ranking lads visited him and offered to fuck the person up (maybe Stan Hansen) and he kayfabed them saying to not and let him handle it in the ring.

I mean it's a nice story and I know Bruno was loved but... Umm.

[Your Fight Site]

The only thing missing was Bruno telling them to calm down and keep their wig on.

[air_raid]

I 100% believe this. Bruno had the Mafia in his corner. Cholos would have come for anyone that fucked with Pedro. Had the plan come to fruition to make “Irish” Terry Hogan the next big star in New York, Sheik and Blassie would have had to put up with Ted and Dougal in the opposite corner.

[The King Of Swing]

I can buy Bruno's story considering the era.

[Donald J Trump]

13 hours ago, Chili said:

Bruno Sammartino told some story about an angle he did getting injured and apparently the Mafia or some lower ranking lads visited him and offered to fuck the person up (maybe Stan Hansen) and he kayfabed them saying to not and let him handle it in the ring.

I mean it's a nice story and I know Bruno was loved but... Umm.

I think I'd buy that as well. I've seen a version of a similar story told by and involving Freddie Blassie, it may well be the incident in question actually. I would imagine that given the territory and the era, Wrestling fans of Italian descent would have been quite well represented at shows. Bruno was indeed loved and there's a reason he had the run that he did. He's also said to have taken the whole kayfabe thing pretty seriously, and I could imagine old Freddie getting people quite worked up.