Mario Milano
Encyclopedia
Mario Bulfone, better known by his ring name
Mario Milano is a former professional wrestler. Milano got his start in wrestling in Venezuela and later competed in the United States and Australia.
, Venezuela
at age 18. A curfew prohibited anyone under 19 from being out after 9 o'clock, so he had to hide his identity to avoid trouble with the police. He wore a mask and wrestled as Black Diablo. After he turned 20, he wrestled without the mask under his real name.
, Italy
. He lived in Nashville, Tennessee
, where he competed for the National Wrestling Alliance
(NWA). He won his first championship, the Mid-America version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship
, on November 5, 1963. After holding the title belts for one month, they dropped them to Tojo Yamamoto
and Ivan Malenkov but regained them the following day.
On March 2, 1965, Milano teamed with Fargo to win the Mid-America version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship
. He also teamed with Len Rossi to win the Mid-America version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship five more times.
to win the IWA World Tag Team Championship
three times that year. He also had two reigns in 1967 as IWA World Heavyweight Champion
after defeating Killer Kowalski
and Ripper Collins.
He uses the finisher Atomic Drop and did an angle where used it on a 400 pound wrestler.
Mario appeared on Australian TV for IWA (International Wrestling Australia) on their series Main Event Wrestling on the Aurora/Foxtel cable channel in 2008. He featured in 6 shows in an angle with resident heel champion Mark Mercedes.
On May 2011, Mario made his final live wrestling appearance for long running Melbourne promotion (Professional Championship Wrestling).
, Italy and later moved to Venezuela. He now lives in Australia. Bulfone has five children.
Mario Milano/Bulfone father of Vittorio Bulfone and grandfather of Natalie and Liam Bulfone.
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Mario Milano is a former professional wrestler. Milano got his start in wrestling in Venezuela and later competed in the United States and Australia.
Early career
Bulfone began wrestling in CaracasCaracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
at age 18. A curfew prohibited anyone under 19 from being out after 9 o'clock, so he had to hide his identity to avoid trouble with the police. He wore a mask and wrestled as Black Diablo. After he turned 20, he wrestled without the mask under his real name.
Tennessee
Bulfone moved to the United States to wrestle. A promoter felt that Americans would be unable to remember his name, so he gave Bulfone the name Mario Milano, naming him after MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He lived in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, where he competed for 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...
(NWA). He won his first championship, the Mid-America version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship
AWA Southern Tag Team Championship
The AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s. It was originally named the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship from its inception through 1977, when it was renamed the AWA Southern...
, on November 5, 1963. After holding the title belts for one month, they dropped them to Tojo Yamamoto
Tojo Yamamoto
Harold Watanabe was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tojo Yamamoto. He was born in Hawaii.-In-ring career:...
and Ivan Malenkov but regained them the following day.
On March 2, 1965, Milano teamed with Fargo to win the Mid-America version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship
NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version)
The Mid-America version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1957 until 1977. It was defended primarily in Tennessee and Alabama.-Title history:...
. He also teamed with Len Rossi to win the Mid-America version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship five more times.
Australia
In 1967, Milano was offered a three-month stint wrestling in Australia for promoter James Barnett. His stay was then extended, after which he was offered a contract and moved to Australia permanently. Wrestling in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion, he teamed with Red BastienRed Bastien
Rolland Bastein is a former professional wrestler, better known as Red Bastien.-Professional wrestling career:He took part in football and swimming in high school and broke in on Midwest carnivals, fighting local toughs and learning wrestling the hard way. Turning professional, he began in...
to win the IWA World Tag Team Championship
IWA World Tag Team Championship (WCW Australia)
The IWA World Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1966 through 1971....
three times that year. He also had two reigns in 1967 as IWA World Heavyweight Champion
IWA World Heavyweight Championship (WCW Australia)
The IWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from its founding in 1964 until 1971....
after defeating Killer Kowalski
Killer Kowalski
Władek "Killer" Kowalski was a Canadian professional wrestler. Kowalski wrestled for numerous promotions during his career, including the NWA and WWF, and was a known heel wrestler...
and Ripper Collins.
He uses the finisher Atomic Drop and did an angle where used it on a 400 pound wrestler.
Mario appeared on Australian TV for IWA (International Wrestling Australia) on their series Main Event Wrestling on the Aurora/Foxtel cable channel in 2008. He featured in 6 shows in an angle with resident heel champion Mark Mercedes.
On May 2011, Mario made his final live wrestling appearance for long running Melbourne promotion (Professional Championship Wrestling).
Personal life
Mario Bulfone was born in TriesteTrieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, Italy and later moved to Venezuela. He now lives in Australia. Bulfone has five children.
Mario Milano/Bulfone father of Vittorio Bulfone and grandfather of Natalie and Liam Bulfone.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Atomic Drop
- Signature moves
- Abdominal stretch
- Headbutt
Championships and accomplishments
- NWA Mid-AmericaNational 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 Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version)AWA Southern Tag Team ChampionshipThe AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s. It was originally named the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship from its inception through 1977, when it was renamed the AWA Southern...
(7 times) - with Jackie FargoJackie FargoHenry Faggart, known by his ringname Jackie Fargo, is a retired American professional wrestler who competed in Southeastern regional promotions and the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s...
(2) and Len Rossi (5) - NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version)NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version)The Mid-America version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1957 until 1977. It was defended primarily in Tennessee and Alabama.-Title history:...
(1 time) - with Jackie FargoJackie FargoHenry Faggart, known by his ringname Jackie Fargo, is a retired American professional wrestler who competed in Southeastern regional promotions and the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s...
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- IWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipIWA World Heavyweight Championship (WCW Australia)The IWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from its founding in 1964 until 1971....
(4 times) - IWA World Tag Team ChampionshipIWA World Tag Team Championship (WCW Australia)The IWA World Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1966 through 1971....
(10 times) - with Red BastienRed BastienRolland Bastein is a former professional wrestler, better known as Red Bastien.-Professional wrestling career:He took part in football and swimming in high school and broke in on Midwest carnivals, fighting local toughs and learning wrestling the hard way. Turning professional, he began in...
(3), Billy White WolfAdnan Al-KaissieAdnan Bin Abdulkareem Ahmed Alkaissy El Farthie , better known professionally as Adnan Al-Kaissie, is a former iraqi professional wrestler and a manager best known as Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissy, Billy White Wolf, or General Adnan...
(1), Antonio PuglieseAntonio PuglieseAntonio Pugliese , born in Cosenza, Italy, was a professional wrestler. He is better known by his ring name Tony Parisi. Pugliese was primarily a tag team wrestler, and he won tag team titles in several organizations, including the National Wrestling Alliance , World Wide Wrestling Federation , and...
(1), Dominic DeNucciDominic DeNucciDominic DeNucci is an Italian-American professional wrestler. He is also an accomplished trainer, counting former World Heavyweight champions Mick Foley and Shane Douglas, as well as referee Brian Hildebrand, among his students.-Early career:...
(1), The SpoilerDon JardineDon Jardine was a Canadian professional wrestler best known for his masked gimmick as "The Spoiler".-Career:Jardine began wrestling in the mid-1950s,making his wrestling debut in 1955 at the age of 15...
(1), Waldo Von ErichWaldo Von ErichWalter 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....
(1), Spiros ArionAndres LabrakisAndres Labrakis is a Greek retired professional wrestler who had extensive and successful careers in both Australia and the United States. Known as Spiros Arion and The Golden Greek, he debuted in 1961 and retired in 1978.- Europe :...
(1) and Mark LewinMark Lewin-Career:Mark Lewin broke into wrestling in the early '50s and had great early success in a matinee-idol babyface tag team with Don Curtis, headlining in major territories like New York and Chicago. The team's brief heel turn was a shock to its many fans...
(1) (Most reigns) - NWA Austra-Asian Brass Knuckles Championship (5 times)
- NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship was the top singles professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1972 until the promotion's 1978 closure....
(1 time) - NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Austra-Asian Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1972 through the promotion's 1978 closure....
(2 times) - with Bugsy McGrawBugsy McGrawBugsy McGraw is the ring name of former professional wrestler Michael Davis. He also wrestled under the name "The Skull." He is not to be confused with the other wrestler named Mike Davis.-Total Nonstop Action Wrestling :...
(1) and Larry O'DeaLarry O'DeaLarry Davies was a professional wrestler best known as Larry O'Dea. He was one half of the tag team known as "The Australians"....
(1)