Posts Tagged ‘Captain Lou Albano’

Million Dollar Man Interview, WWE In New York Times, Bret Hart Appearance

– Jonathan Snowden recently published an interview he conducted with WWE Hall Of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase Sr. Fans interested in checking that out can do so online at BleacherReport.com.

– In Sunday’s New York Times crossword puzzle, WWE Hall Of Famer Captain Lou Albano was one of the answers. 94 across was “Wrestler Lou,” with the correct answer being “Albano.”

– WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart will be appearing at The Wrestling Universe in Flushing, New York on February 22nd from Noon until 2pm E.T.

  • Several NEW Names CONFIRMED For Tonight’s OLD SCHOOL RAW — Find Out Who!
  • Paul Heyman Remembers Lou Albano: Crazy Road Stories

    The folks at the Heyman Hustle sent out the following this morning:

    PAUL HEYMAN BLOGS ABOUT THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN LOU ALBANO
    …and offers some never-before-told stories!

    Long before he was the owner of ECW; even before he was known as “Paul E. Dangerously”; Paul Heyman was a teenage photographer who was given all access passes to Madison Square Garden. One of the people Paul came to know during this time was the legendary pro wrestling manager Captain Lou Albano. In a blog posted exclusively on The Heyman Hustle website, Paul offers some wild road stories about the Captain that have never been told (at least publicly) before.

    Key excerpt:

    There are so many “Albano” stories to tell, from the time he ran in his shorts and flip flops up 8th Avenue in New York City when his car broke down during a snow storm, and had hundreds of people following him to what was then known as The Howard Johnson’s Hotel where everyone stayed; to the time he got into a drinking contest with Andre The Giant at the hotel bar, took a Ric Flair-esque face bump into the top of a stool, cracked his head, and was knocked out cold … only to wake up when Don Muraco and Greg Valentine helped peel Lou off the floor. Lou ran outside, threw up all over the sidewalk (with half the remnants of his dinner prominently remaining on his hairy chest), came back inside, ordered another 3 rounds, turned to Andre and said “I get a 3 drink handicap for that bump!”

    As a 15 year old who bullsh****d his way into getting All Access Photographer Passes for Madison Square Garden, I ran the fan clubs for all 3 Wise Men of the East. During the summertime, I would sometimes go to Allentown and Hamburg, and cover the WWWF television tapings. One time, I ended up catching a ride with Albano, who was driving Blassie (which was a great idea, because Blassie was partially blind and a menace behind the wheel even with perfect eyesight).

    So we got out of Madison Square Garden, and we’re flying through New Jersey heading towards Allentown. Lou reaches under his seat, and pulls out one of those big glass Tropicana grapefruit juice bottles. Of course, grapefruit juice was no longer the contents of this bottle. As a matter of fact, I can’t even tell you that Lou was drinking Vodka AND grapefruit juice. It was more like vodka with a tiny little splash of grapefruit juice. Or, as Blassie used to tease The Captain, “methane with something to give it a little bit of color.”

    Now keep in mind, I’m in my mid-teens here, watching and listening to Blassie scream at Albano “you’re going to get us killed! This kid’s Father is a lawyer! He’s going to sue our widows, and take our swimming pools, you (2 minutes of expletives) maniac!”

    Lou would just laugh, with both feet on the gas pedal, and hanging onto the steering wheel for dear life. All of a sudden, Lou goes into an insane coughing fit, and spits up some phlemmy-looking loogie that must have come from the deepest, darkest recesses of his digestive system. This frightening piece of intestinal backwash ends up all over the inside of the windshield, and Lou pulls a tissue out of his pocket, wipes it off the windshield … we’re still going 90 miles an hour, mind you… and proceeds to suck the loogie back down with a big mischievous smile on his face.

    It only gets crazier from there.

    Please feel free to offer this key excerpt to your readers. A link to the blog itself would be very much appreciated.

    Here is the link to Heyman’s blog on Albano: http://heymanhustle.craveonline.com/articles/news/22266-rip-captain-lou

    The story also includes a rare photograph of a 15 year old Paul Heyman in the Madison Square Garden locker room with Albano, Fred Blassie, and The Grand Wizard aka “The 3 Wise Men of the East.”

    The Wrestling World Pays Its Respects To Captain Lou Albano

    Captain Lou Albano (Rest in Peace)

    Captain Lou Albano (Rest in Peace)

    Longtime WWE employee Howard Finkel has posted an excellent tribute to the late Captain Lou Albano, which you can read here.

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross posted this on his JRsBarBQ.com blog today:

    Sorry to hear about the passing of Captain Lou Albano, WWE Hall of Fame Manager and former member of the Sicilians tag team with Tony Altimore. Lou was a true “character” who was a decent wrestler but gained huge fame in the WWE explosion of the 80’s as a manager. Lou appearing in a Cyndi Lauper music video back in the day was nice exposure for Lou and WWE and put Captain Lou into pop culture awareness.  Lou had many stints in WWE but always “came home” and we wish his family and friends our utmost condolences. The Good Lord has his hands full keeping the Captain in check in Heaven.

    Many others have also posted messages on Twitter acknowledging Albano’s unfortunate passing:

    • Chris Jericho: “Wrestling legend Captain Lou Albano has died. One of the integral performers who put the WWF on the map..”
    • Taz: “sorry to hear about the GREAT Capt Lou….god bless. “
    • Matt Morgan: “U gotta be f’n kidding me! Just heard the bad news that Capt Lou Albano passed. He was just as much of a “star” to me as a kid, as was … the wrestlers! One of the better personalities our sport has produced. He was very vital in mainstreaming “rock-n-wrestling” in 80s”
    • Paul Heyman: “RIP CAPTAIN LOU ALBANO”
    • Jeremy Borash: “Wearing a rubber band on my cheek today. RIP Captain Lou. One of my favs.”
    • Ken Anderson: “RIP Lou Albano. I was laid up in the hospital for 9 days in 2001, and Rob Norwood and Shane Hills brought me an autographed 8 x 10 from him.”

    Captain Lou Albano’s Passing Gets Mainstream Attention

    Captain Lou Albano (Rest in Peace)

    Captain Lou Albano (Rest in Peace)

    Many mainstream media outlets have picked up on the sad news of Captain Lou Albano’s passing earlier today:

    Captain Lou Albano’s Family Issues Statement On His Passing

    Captain Lou Albano (Rest in Peace)

    Captain Lou Albano (Rest in Peace)

    Wrestler’s Rescue issued the following statement on behalf of the Albano family:

    Captain Lou Albano Dies at 76 The family is currently in the process of planning funeral services; please respect their privacy during this tough time. Wrestlers Rescue will keep you updated as the family makes it available.

    Speaking on behalf of the Albano family, Wrestler’s Rescue is sad to report that Captain Lou Albano has died at the age of 76.

    Albano carved out his place in pro wrestling history for, as best put by Bruno Sammartino, his inimitable “gift of gab,” all complemented by his trademark rubber bands and Hawaiian shirts. Albano enjoyed a rich career as both a wrestler and manager, gaining worldwide fame as Cyndi Lauper’s father in the smash hit, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

    For more information, go to www.WrestlersRescue.Org or email questions to WrestlersRescue@aol.com.

    WWE Hall Of Famer Captain Lou Albano Has Passed Away

    Captain Lou Albano (Rest in Peace)

    Captain Lou Albano (Rest in Peace)

    We’re sad to report that WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano (Louis Vincent Albano) has passed away.  He was 76 years old.  His cause of death is still unknown at this time. Earlier this week, his family sent out a statement that he was under hospice care. They said he did not have cancer and asked for supporters to respect his privacy.

    Captain Lou was a one of a kind personality who had a 40+ year career in the wrestling business as a wrestler and manager. His gravely voice, colorful outfits, scruffy beard and facial piercings were among the trademark characteristics that made him impossible to ignore.

    The “manager of champions” guided 15 different tag teams and 4 singles competitors to championship gold. Collaborating with Cyndi Lauper, Albano helped pioneer the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling movement that lead to wrestling’s crossover into mainstream pop culture during the 1980s. Capitalizing on his success, he later ventured into Hollywood with various television, film, and music projects. Many fans will remember him from the Super Mario Brothers Super Show in the early 90s.

    We’d like to extend our deepest sympathy to the friends and family of Captain Lou. He left his mark and he will be missed.

    The following video is an interview from February 2007 that Lou Albano did with the Sports Scene show in New York.  Sports Scene host Charlie Cornacchio met Albano at his home to discuss his careers in pro wrestling and acting.