Donna Christanello
Encyclopedia
Mary Alfonsi better known by her ring name Donna Christanello (also billed as Donna Christianello, Donna Christenello, Donna Christiantello, and Donna Christantello, the name which she went by on her official website), was a professional wrestler
trained by The Fabulous Moolah
. She was active from the late 1960s through the 1980s. She frequently wrestled women such as Ann Casey
, Vicki Williams
, Evelyn Stevens and Leilani Kai
throughout the 1970s.
and Klondike Bill
helped set her up with women's wrestling trainer The Fabulous Moolah
. She moved to South Carolina in 1963 to train with Moolah. In 1969, Christanello competed during an Australian tour with Toni Rose
, Jessica Rodgers, Betty
and Rita Boucher, Ramona Isbell, Marva Scott and Evelyn Stevens.
She was the frequent tag team
partner of Toni Rose. She and Rose won the National Wrestling Alliance
's NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship
in 1970. In 1972, she competed at the Superbowl of Wrestling
, where she and Rose defended the time World Women's Tag Team Championship against Sandy Parker
and Debbie Johnson. They eventually lost the title in October 1973 to Joyce Grable
and Vicki Williams
at Madison Square Garden
in New York. There is also an unrecorded title change. Susan Green
and Sandy Parker won the World Tag Team title from Christanello and Rose in November 1971 in Hawaii and lost them in February 1972 to Christanello and Rose in Hong Kong. They also defended the title in the NWA and American Wrestling Association
, and the title was eventually integrated into the World Wrestling Federation
(WWF). As a result, they were recognized as the first WWF Women's Tag Team Champions.
and Peggy Lee
. On June 5, 1984, Peggy Lee and Christianello defeated The Fabulous Moolah
and Desiree Petersen
. The next day Moolah and Petersen defeated the team of Christianello and Judy Martin
. On June 9, Moolah and Petersen defeated Martin and Christianello. The following day, Moolah and Petersen once again defeated Christianello and Judy Martin.
In August 1984, Christianello wrestled primarily singles matches. On August 19, Susan Green
defeated Christianello. In matches on both August 20 and 21, Susan Starr defeated Christianello. In 1987, she wrestled as part of Sensational Sherri's
team at the Survivor Series
pay-per-view.
descent. She lived with The Fabulous Moolah
on-and-off for forty years, ending in May 1999 when she moved back to Pittsburgh. While living with Moolah, she helped train women's wrestlers Sherri Martel
and Brittany Brown
. After retiring from the ring, she was employed by Wal-Mart
in the accounting department.
Her niece, Marie Minor, was trained by Christianello and worked as a wrestler under the ring name Angie Minelli for several years in the 1980s.
On August 25, 2011, Christanello died from a heart attack
. She was 69 years old.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
trained by The Fabulous Moolah
The Fabulous Moolah
Mary Lillian Ellison , better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah, was an American female professional wrestler. She began her career working with promoter Billy Wolfe and his wife, wrestler and trainer Mildred Burke, as well as working alongside professional wrestler "Nature Boy" Buddy...
. She was active from the late 1960s through the 1980s. She frequently wrestled women such as Ann Casey
Ann Casey
Lucille Ann Casey , better known by her ring name Ann Casey, is a retired American professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Vicki Williams
Vicki Williams
Vicki Williams is a retired female professional wrestler. She held the NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship twice with Joyce Grable.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Evelyn Stevens and Leilani Kai
Leilani Kai
Patricia Schroeder , better known by her stage name Leilani Kai, is a semi-retired professional wrestler. She began training with The Fabulous Moolah right after finishing high school...
throughout the 1970s.
National Wrestling Alliance
Christanello was employed at a restaurant in Pittsburgh when she decided to contact a wrestling promoter to become a professional wrestler. Male wrestlers Waldo Von ErichWaldo Von Erich
Walter Paul Sieber was a Canadian professional wrestler under the ring name Waldo Von Erich. He was billed as the brother of Fritz Von Erich, but was not actually related to Fritz or the rest of the Von Erich family....
and Klondike Bill
Klondike Bill
Bill Soloweyko , better known by his ring name Klondike Bill, was a Canadian professional wrestler trained by Stu Hart in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He wrestled in various NWA territories throughout the 1960's and 70's, before moving onto World Championship Wrestling.-Career:Bill was trained by Stu...
helped set her up with women's wrestling trainer The Fabulous Moolah
The Fabulous Moolah
Mary Lillian Ellison , better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah, was an American female professional wrestler. She began her career working with promoter Billy Wolfe and his wife, wrestler and trainer Mildred Burke, as well as working alongside professional wrestler "Nature Boy" Buddy...
. She moved to South Carolina in 1963 to train with Moolah. In 1969, Christanello competed during an Australian tour with Toni Rose
Toni Rose
-Professional wrestling career:Rose grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. She decided to become a professional wrestler at the age of seven, but first attended high school and college. She trained under The Fabulous Moolah in 1965...
, Jessica Rodgers, Betty
Betty Boucher
Betty Boucher is a wrestler and a former NWA World Women's Champion. She is a former sister-in-law of The Fabulous Moolah. She frequently teamed with her sister Rita.-References:...
and Rita Boucher, Ramona Isbell, Marva Scott and Evelyn Stevens.
She was the frequent tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
partner of Toni Rose. She and Rose won the 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...
's NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship
NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship
The NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship was a women's professional wrestling tag team title sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance from the early 1950s through 1983...
in 1970. In 1972, she competed at the Superbowl of Wrestling
Superbowl of Wrestling
The Superbowl of Wrestling was an event held in the 1970s. It was one of the first professional wrestling "Supercards".-1972:The first Superbowl of Wrestling was held in Cleveland, Ohio at Municipal Stadium on August 12, 1972. Three rings were set up, side by side, and often more than one match...
, where she and Rose defended the time World Women's Tag Team Championship against Sandy Parker
Sandy Parker
Sandy Parker is a retired Black Canadian female professional wrestler. She debuted in 1969, wrestling in Canada, the United States, and Japan. In Japan, she worked for All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, holding numerous titles...
and Debbie Johnson. They eventually lost the title in October 1973 to Joyce Grable
Joyce Grable
Betty Wade-Murphy is a American former professional wrestler better known by her ring name Joyce Grable. She was the long-term tag team partner of Wendi Richter...
and Vicki Williams
Vicki Williams
Vicki Williams is a retired female professional wrestler. She held the NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship twice with Joyce Grable.-Professional wrestling career:...
at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York. There is also an unrecorded title change. Susan Green
Sue Green
Susan Tex Green is an American professional wrestler. She began wrestling at the age of 15 and was trained by The Fabulous Moolah. She was the frequent tag team partner of Sandy Parker, with whom she won the National Wrestling Alliance 's NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship. The title reign,...
and Sandy Parker won the World Tag Team title from Christanello and Rose in November 1971 in Hawaii and lost them in February 1972 to Christanello and Rose in Hong Kong. They also defended the title in the NWA and American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
, and the title was eventually integrated into the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWF). As a result, they were recognized as the first WWF Women's Tag Team Champions.
World Wrestling Federation
During the mid-1980s she competed in the WWF's women's division. Christianello continued to wrestle in tag team matches. On May 5, 1984, Susan Starr and Christianello defeated Wendi RichterWendi Richter
Wendi Richter is a retired American professional wrestler. She began her professional wrestling career in companies such as the National Wrestling Alliance, where she teamed with Joyce Grable, with whom she held the NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship twice. In the 1980s, she joined the World...
and Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee Leather
Peggy Lee , also known by her stage names Peggy Lee Leather, Lady X, and Thug, is an American professional wrestler.-World Wrestling Federation:Peggy Lee competed in the World Wrestling Federation in the mid-1980s...
. On June 5, 1984, Peggy Lee and Christianello defeated The Fabulous Moolah
The Fabulous Moolah
Mary Lillian Ellison , better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah, was an American female professional wrestler. She began her career working with promoter Billy Wolfe and his wife, wrestler and trainer Mildred Burke, as well as working alongside professional wrestler "Nature Boy" Buddy...
and Desiree Petersen
Desiree Petersen
Desiree Petersen is a professional wrestler. She was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and once held the WWF Women's Tag Team Championship.-Wrestling career:...
. The next day Moolah and Petersen defeated the team of Christianello and Judy Martin
Judy Martin (wrestler)
Judy Hardee is a former female professional wrestler known as Judy Martin. Martin is a former WWF Women's Tag Team Champion. She held the title with partner Leilani Kai as The Glamour Girls...
. On June 9, Moolah and Petersen defeated Martin and Christianello. The following day, Moolah and Petersen once again defeated Christianello and Judy Martin.
In August 1984, Christianello wrestled primarily singles matches. On August 19, Susan Green
Sue Green
Susan Tex Green is an American professional wrestler. She began wrestling at the age of 15 and was trained by The Fabulous Moolah. She was the frequent tag team partner of Sandy Parker, with whom she won the National Wrestling Alliance 's NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship. The title reign,...
defeated Christianello. In matches on both August 20 and 21, Susan Starr defeated Christianello. In 1987, she wrestled as part of Sensational Sherri's
Sherri Martel
Sherri Schrull was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by her ring names, Sherri Martel and Sensational Sherri....
team at the Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1987)
Survivor Series was the first Survivor Series pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1987 and was held at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio....
pay-per-view.
Personal life and death
Christanello was born and raised in Pittsburgh and was of ItalianItalian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
descent. She lived with The Fabulous Moolah
The Fabulous Moolah
Mary Lillian Ellison , better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah, was an American female professional wrestler. She began her career working with promoter Billy Wolfe and his wife, wrestler and trainer Mildred Burke, as well as working alongside professional wrestler "Nature Boy" Buddy...
on-and-off for forty years, ending in May 1999 when she moved back to Pittsburgh. While living with Moolah, she helped train women's wrestlers Sherri Martel
Sherri Martel
Sherri Schrull was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by her ring names, Sherri Martel and Sensational Sherri....
and Brittany Brown
Brittany Brown
Brittany Brown is a female professional wrestler, former promoter and current trainer. She competed in the Ladies Professional Wrestling Association, The Fabulous Moolah's Ladies International Wrestling Association, as well as in Killer Kowalski's International Wrestling Federation, National...
. After retiring from the ring, she was employed by Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
in the accounting department.
Her niece, Marie Minor, was trained by Christianello and worked as a wrestler under the ring name Angie Minelli for several years in the 1980s.
On August 25, 2011, Christanello died from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. She was 69 years old.
In wrestling
- Signature moves
- ArmlockArmlockAn armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint and/or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyperflexes or hyperrotates the shoulder joint is referred to as a shoulder lock, and an armlock that hyperextends the elbow joint is called...
- Body scissors
- LeglockLeglockA leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock...
- Armlock
Championships and accomplishments
- Cauliflower Alley ClubCauliflower Alley ClubThe Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America....
- Other honoree (1992)
- National Wrestling AllianceNational Wrestling AllianceThe 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 Women's World Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Women's World Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship was a women's professional wrestling tag team title sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance from the early 1950s through 1983...
(1 time) - with Toni RoseToni Rose-Professional wrestling career:Rose grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. She decided to become a professional wrestler at the age of seven, but first attended high school and college. She trained under The Fabulous Moolah in 1965...
- NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- Lady Wrestler (2009)
External links
- The Official Website of Donna Christantello
- Donna Christanello at Online World of Wrestling