Alex Rizzo
Encyclopedia
Alex Rizzo was a professional wrestler, best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling
as Big Dick Dudley, the eldest of the Dudley Family.
to André the Giant
. As he grew larger himself, Rizzo decided to go into the craft, going to train with Johnny Rodz
in 1994. Creating the character of Alexander the Great, Rizzo tried out the independent scene for a few years, drifting through federations like the World Xtreme Wrestling
(WXW). While being a monster wrestler with a great physique, Rizzo rarely became the star attraction. Still, he continued honing his skills, until coming to a Philadelphia-based organization, Eastern Championship Wrestling
(ECW), in 1994. He entered just as the federation began to take off, breaking away from its National Wrestling Alliance
(NWA) ties and becoming Extreme. This allowed Rizzo a chance to shine, and he took it, transforming into Big Dick Dudley, the man from Dudleyville.
With his partner, Dudley Dudley, the "brothers" became a strong group in ECW, with their strong-arm antics. Big Dick became known for his powerhouse finisher, the Total Penetration, a double arm chokeslam
into a tigerbomb, as well as his dangerous habit of attacking fans at ringside. Soon, the Dudley Family
grew, including Buh Buh Ray, D-Von, Snot, Spike
, Psycho Sam & Dances With Dudley
, creating a very dangerous family. Big Dick, being the eldest as well as the largest, formed the heart of the group, planning out attacks and leading the group. He also had to deal with brotherly problems, including feuds with D-Von and Spike.
Although Big Dick was the leader of the family, he rarely was given title shots, instead content to sit back and direct his brothers in their quests for gold. His aid to Buh Buh Ray and D-Von helped create the great tag team that was the Dudley Boyz
, and his giant stature made Spike even more popular in their feud. As some of the Dudley family left, the remaining members, Buh Buh Ray and D-Von, became Tag Team Champions
. They soon became top heels
in the company. He also carried on an almost year-long feud with Spike, the biggest brother against the smallest, with the fans firmly on the side of the underdog. In 1999, though, Big Dick's time with ECW ended, as he left the company.
Big Dick would spend time in many different organizations over the next couple of years. He helped found the semi-popular XPW, known, like ECW, for its hardcore antics. At one point, Big Dick took home the XPW World Heavyweight Championship
. He would go on to earn belts in the NWA Jersey faction and the USPW federation. But things soon began to go downhill for the senior member of the Dudleyz. In only two years, Big Dick was involved in four auto accidents, including a serious motorcycle crash that left him with a broken neck. This kept Big Dick on the sidelines of wrestling for over a year.
. He also has one daughter, Alexandria, born in 1990 with Donna Adamo
and one son, A.J. (Alex Jr.) born in 1997 with a different spouse.
Rizzo also had a reputation of being a legitimate "badass
", as tough outside the ring as inside the ring. For example, in a shoot interview with the Dudley Boyz
produced by RF Video Bubba Ray Dudley claims to have seen him beat up five people on his own in a nightclub on Long Island
. He was also known to have a "dead" hand, due to nerve damage from putting it through a plate glass window. As a result, he was unable to feel any pain in the hand.
On May 16, 2002, Rizzo was found dead in his apartment due to kidney failure .
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
as Big Dick Dudley, the eldest of the Dudley Family.
Professional wrestling career
Alex Rizzo grew up idolizing many different wrestlers in the 1990s, from Hulk HoganHulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
to André the Giant
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
. As he grew larger himself, Rizzo decided to go into the craft, going to train with Johnny Rodz
Johnny Rodz
Johnny Rodriguez is a retired American professional wrestler. He has previously worked as a professional wrestler under the ring name Johnny Rodz.-World Wide Wrestling Federation:...
in 1994. Creating the character of Alexander the Great, Rizzo tried out the independent scene for a few years, drifting through federations like the World Xtreme Wrestling
World Xtreme Wrestling
World Xtreme Wrestling is a Northeastern-based independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and have toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American Samoa and Guam....
(WXW). While being a monster wrestler with a great physique, Rizzo rarely became the star attraction. Still, he continued honing his skills, until coming to a Philadelphia-based organization, Eastern Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
(ECW), in 1994. He entered just as the federation began to take off, breaking away from its National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
(NWA) ties and becoming Extreme. This allowed Rizzo a chance to shine, and he took it, transforming into Big Dick Dudley, the man from Dudleyville.
With his partner, Dudley Dudley, the "brothers" became a strong group in ECW, with their strong-arm antics. Big Dick became known for his powerhouse finisher, the Total Penetration, a double arm chokeslam
Chokeslam
A chokeslam refers to a type of body slam in professional wrestling in which the wrestler grasps their opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerful on camera...
into a tigerbomb, as well as his dangerous habit of attacking fans at ringside. Soon, the Dudley Family
Dudley family
The Dudley Family was a large professional wrestling stable of storyline half-brothers in Extreme Championship Wrestling.-Gimmick:The gimmick of the group was that, despite their obvious differences in physical appearance and race, the members were all said to be the sons of the fictional Willy...
grew, including Buh Buh Ray, D-Von, Snot, Spike
Matt Hyson
Matthew "Matt" Hyson is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.In ECW, he was a two-time...
, Psycho Sam & Dances With Dudley
Adolfo Bermudez
Adolfo Bermudez is an American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Dances with Dudley, who competed in North American independent promotions including the American Wrestling Federation, International World Class Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling, most notably as an...
, creating a very dangerous family. Big Dick, being the eldest as well as the largest, formed the heart of the group, planning out attacks and leading the group. He also had to deal with brotherly problems, including feuds with D-Von and Spike.
Although Big Dick was the leader of the family, he rarely was given title shots, instead content to sit back and direct his brothers in their quests for gold. His aid to Buh Buh Ray and D-Von helped create the great tag team that was the Dudley Boyz
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
, and his giant stature made Spike even more popular in their feud. As some of the Dudley family left, the remaining members, Buh Buh Ray and D-Von, became Tag Team Champions
ECW Tag Team Championship
The Extreme Championship Wrestling World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling...
. They soon became top heels
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
in the company. He also carried on an almost year-long feud with Spike, the biggest brother against the smallest, with the fans firmly on the side of the underdog. In 1999, though, Big Dick's time with ECW ended, as he left the company.
Big Dick would spend time in many different organizations over the next couple of years. He helped found the semi-popular XPW, known, like ECW, for its hardcore antics. At one point, Big Dick took home the XPW World Heavyweight Championship
XPW World Heavyweight Championship
The XPW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Xtreme Pro Wrestling promotion.XPW's first World Champion was crowned in a Battle Royal match that saw Damien Steele and John Kronus as the last two remaining wrestlers compete in a single fall...
. He would go on to earn belts in the NWA Jersey faction and the USPW federation. But things soon began to go downhill for the senior member of the Dudleyz. In only two years, Big Dick was involved in four auto accidents, including a serious motorcycle crash that left him with a broken neck. This kept Big Dick on the sidelines of wrestling for over a year.
Personal life
Outside of the ring, Rizzo was good friends with Buh Buh Ray Dudley and Nicole BassNicole Bass
Nicole Bass-Fuchs is an American bodybuilder, actress, pornographic dominatrix actress, professional wrestler and valet previously working for companies such as Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation, XPW, and the National Wrestling Alliance.-Bodybuilding career:Nicole Bass...
. He also has one daughter, Alexandria, born in 1990 with Donna Adamo
Donna Adamo
Donna Adamo better known as Elektra is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling manager and adult model who is best known for her time spent in Extreme Championship Wrestling.-Early career:...
and one son, A.J. (Alex Jr.) born in 1997 with a different spouse.
Rizzo also had a reputation of being a legitimate "badass
Badass
Badass is a trade name of Leo Quan, a manufacturer of bridges for guitars and basses. Badass bridges feature individually adjustable saddles, which allows for "extremely accurate intonation adjustments."The Badass came on the market in the 1970s, and was made by entrepreneur and guitar...
", as tough outside the ring as inside the ring. For example, in a shoot interview with the Dudley Boyz
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
produced by RF Video Bubba Ray Dudley claims to have seen him beat up five people on his own in a nightclub on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. He was also known to have a "dead" hand, due to nerve damage from putting it through a plate glass window. As a result, he was unable to feel any pain in the hand.
On May 16, 2002, Rizzo was found dead in his apartment due to kidney failure .
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Total Penetration (Double arm chokeslamChokeslamA chokeslam refers to a type of body slam in professional wrestling in which the wrestler grasps their opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerful on camera...
into a tigerbomb) - Dick Driver (Overhead gutwrench backbreakerBackbreakerA backbreaker refers to professional wrestling moves which see a wrestler dropping an opponent so that the opponent's back impacts or is bent backwards against a part of the wrestler's body, usually the knee...
)
- Total Penetration (Double arm chokeslam
Championships and accomplishments
- Northeastern Wrestling
- NEW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Northern States Wrestling Alliance
- NSWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Jersey
- NWA Jersey Hardcore Championship (1 time)
- NWA Jersey Heavyweight Championship (1 time, first)
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him #200 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
in 1998
- PWI ranked him #200 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500
- USA Xtreme Wrestling
- UXW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- UXW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sam Dudley
- Xtreme Pro WrestlingXtreme Pro WrestlingXtreme Pro Wrestling is an independent professional wrestling promotion formerly owned by Extreme Associates CEO and director Rob Zicari, who appeared on shows under the name Rob Black. Zicari appeared on-camera as owner alongside his wife Lizzy Borden. The promotion focuses on hardcore wrestling,...
- XPW World Heavyweight ChampionshipXPW World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe XPW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Xtreme Pro Wrestling promotion.XPW's first World Champion was crowned in a Battle Royal match that saw Damien Steele and John Kronus as the last two remaining wrestlers compete in a single fall...
(1 time)
- XPW World Heavyweight Championship