Steve Lombardi
Encyclopedia
Steve Lombardi is an Italian American
professional wrestler
, and road agent. He is also known by his ring name
Brooklyn Brawler. He currently works for WWE as a road agent.
until early 1989, when he was repackaged as The Brooklyn Brawler. The Brawler character was that of a street fighter
, wearing battered jeans and torn New York Yankees
t-shirts, and smoking cigars. Under the tutelage of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
, the Brawler entered a feud
with The Red Rooster
. When The Rooster left Heenan's villain
group and became a fan favorite
, Heenan stated that he had made The Rooster a star and could do the same with any wrestler. After WrestleMania V
, the Brawler's alliance with Heenan was phased out and he returned to his former enhancement talent status, a role he would remain in throughout the early 1990s.
Since the late 1990s, he has been semi-retired from the ring, working mostly as a road agent for WWF and only occasionally appearing in the ring, usually for comic skits and matches. Lombardi lost to Dwayne Johnson, who would later become The Rock, in Johnson's WWF tryout match on March 10, 1996. Johnson later recalled the match in his autobiography
; praising Lombardi as a stand-up wrestler.
While semi-retired, the Brooklyn Brawler appeared on the independent wrestling scene, managing the Flying Stirpe Brothers Lou and Rob. Although they achieved little success, they will always be remembered for wreaking havoc and throwing uncooked pasta at the crowd.
Despite his status as enhancement talent, Lombardi had some big wins and title shots. In 1991 the Brooklyn Brawler entered into a small feud with new WWF star Big Bully Busick after the Brawler challenged Busick to match to see who the real bully of the WWF was. The Brawler defeated the Bully by countout and in a rematch one week later saw the Brawler dominate the Bully until the latter's manager Harvey Wippleman grabbed the Brawler's leg, leading to a controversial win for the Bully. On October 4, 1993 Lombardi also competed in the WWF Intercontinental title Battle Royal (as The M.V.P.). In 1997, he won a battle royal for a WWF Championship
match in Madison Square Garden
; he went on to face then-WWF champion Shawn Michaels
, but was defeated. On the September 20, 1999 episode of Raw is War
, Lombardi was one of the replacement referees while the original referees were on strike.
in a non-title handicap match and a rare singles victory over Just Joe
on an episode of WWE Jakked
. As part of an angle on the April 21, 2005 airing of SmackDown!, he adopted the moniker of the "Boston Brawler," shedding his customary New York Yankees
apparel in favor of Boston Red Sox
clothing. This was done in response to the Red Sox' defeat of the Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series
, which propelled the Sox to their World Series
victory over the St. Louis Cardinals
. Lombardi did this in a segment on SmackDown! (in New York City) with Heidenreich
. Heidenreich was looking to make more friends, but Lombardi decided he'd rather be the Boston Brawler. Heidenreich stopped wanting to be Lombardi's friend, which aided Heidenreich's ongoing face turn.
In early 2006, he still worked behind the scenes of WWE, including behind the camera with John Cena
on his WWE.com show "5 Questions". Cena often makes references to Lombardi, even jokingly calling him the greatest technical wrestler of all time. Also, his face popped up in front of Cena's mouth to censor curse words
, usually saying "Nu-Uh!" or "Brawler!". On the June 2, 2006 episode of Five Questions, Brawler showed his face. He even censored himself, saying "YOU are a piece of Brawler". In another episode of "5 Questions," Cena acknowledged that Lombardi was actually born in Detroit
, and not in Brooklyn. On May 7, 2006, WWE.com announced that, as part of Jakks Pacific
's WWE Classic Superstars collection, they would be releasing a Brooklyn Brawler action figure
. At Vengeance
, Brawler appeared as Doink the Clown when he came out to the ring with Eugene
during Eugene's match with Umaga
. On August 1, 2006, Lombardi went to the ECW brand for a match against then ECW wrestler, Kurt Angle
. Lombardi quickly lost when Angle applied an ankle lock on him. That same week, he appeared on SmackDown! against Vito
, losing by submission. On the December 18 edition of Raw
, Lombardi appeared in the 30 Man Battle Royal as the Brooklyn Brawler.
On the May 5, 2007 edition of SmackDown!, Lombardi made an appearance backstage in his Brooklyn Brawler persona, waiting in line for interviews to become SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long
's assistant. On the 15th anniversary of Raw on December 10, 2007, Lombardi appeared as Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz in a segment. When Triple H saw him, he exclaimed "I guess the Brooklyn Brawler was busy tonight".
On the July 12, 2010 edition of Monday Night RAW
, Lombardi made an appearance in a comedy match as "Doink the Clown
" for an 8-man tag. He teamed with William Regal, Zack Ryder
, & Primo Colon vs. Santino Marella, Vladimir Koslov
, The Great Khali, & Goldust. The match was set up as a foil for guest host Florence Henderson
who starred as Carol Brady in 70s sitcom The Brady Bunch
. Lombardi was pinned by the Great Khali during the match.
On the November 15, 2010 edition of Monday Night RAW, an old-school themed show, Lombardi made an appearance as the "King of old-school - Brooklyn Brawler" in which he lamented the crowds' apparent lack of knowledge with regards to who he was - specifically the lack of a pop
upon his entrance. He then proceeded to issue an open challenge to anyone from the "new school" - a challenge which was accepted by Ezekiel Jackson who defeated Lombardi. This bout took place 13 years to the date after Brawler fought then WWF (WWE) Champion Shawn Michaels in a losing effort at Madison Square Garden.
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
professional wrestler
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...
, and road agent. He is also known by his ring name
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:...
Brooklyn Brawler. He currently works for WWE as a road agent.
1980s-1990s
Lombardi began his WWF career in late 1983, competing under his real name and being used primarily as an enhancement talentJob (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling slang, the term job describes a losing performance in a wrestling match. It is derived from the euphemism "doing one's job", which was employed to protect kayfabe. As professional wrestling is scripted, inevitably a wrestler will be required to lose to an opponent.The term...
until early 1989, when he was repackaged as The Brooklyn Brawler. The Brawler character was that of a street fighter
Street fighting
Street fighting is a colloquial term used to denote unsanctioned, illegal in some countries, hand-to-hand fighting in public places, between individuals or groups of people....
, wearing battered jeans and torn New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
t-shirts, and smoking cigars. Under the tutelage of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Bobby Heenan
Raymond Louis "Ray" Heenan , better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
, the Brawler entered a feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with The Red Rooster
Terry Taylor
Terry Taylor , is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation...
. When The Rooster left Heenan's villain
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...
group and became a fan favorite
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
, Heenan stated that he had made The Rooster a star and could do the same with any wrestler. After WrestleMania V
WrestleMania V
WrestleMania V was the fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 2, 1989 at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey...
, the Brawler's alliance with Heenan was phased out and he returned to his former enhancement talent status, a role he would remain in throughout the early 1990s.
Since the late 1990s, he has been semi-retired from the ring, working mostly as a road agent for WWF and only occasionally appearing in the ring, usually for comic skits and matches. Lombardi lost to Dwayne Johnson, who would later become The Rock, in Johnson's WWF tryout match on March 10, 1996. Johnson later recalled the match in his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
; praising Lombardi as a stand-up wrestler.
While semi-retired, the Brooklyn Brawler appeared on the independent wrestling scene, managing the Flying Stirpe Brothers Lou and Rob. Although they achieved little success, they will always be remembered for wreaking havoc and throwing uncooked pasta at the crowd.
Despite his status as enhancement talent, Lombardi had some big wins and title shots. In 1991 the Brooklyn Brawler entered into a small feud with new WWF star Big Bully Busick after the Brawler challenged Busick to match to see who the real bully of the WWF was. The Brawler defeated the Bully by countout and in a rematch one week later saw the Brawler dominate the Bully until the latter's manager Harvey Wippleman grabbed the Brawler's leg, leading to a controversial win for the Bully. On October 4, 1993 Lombardi also competed in the WWF Intercontinental title Battle Royal (as The M.V.P.). In 1997, he won a battle royal for a WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
match in 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...
; he went on to face then-WWF champion Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
, but was defeated. On the September 20, 1999 episode of Raw is War
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, Lombardi was one of the replacement referees while the original referees were on strike.
2000s
In 2000, the Brawler scored a pinfall against then-World Champion Triple HTriple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
in a non-title handicap match and a rare singles victory over Just Joe
Joe Hitchen
Joseph Edward "Joe" Hitchen is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Joe E. Legend.-Canadian independent circuit:...
on an episode of WWE Jakked
WWE Jakked/Metal
WWE Jakked and WWE Metal were professional wrestling television programs produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . Both shows aired syndicated weekly from 1999 until 2002 and replaced WWF Shotgun Saturday Night...
. As part of an angle on the April 21, 2005 airing of SmackDown!, he adopted the moniker of the "Boston Brawler," shedding his customary New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
apparel in favor of Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
clothing. This was done in response to the Red Sox' defeat of the Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series
American League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the American League Championship Series , played in October, is a round in the postseason that determines the winner of the American League pennant...
, which propelled the Sox to their World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
victory over the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. Lombardi did this in a segment on SmackDown! (in New York City) with Heidenreich
Jon Heidenreich
Jon Heidenreich is an American professional wrestler, better known simply as Heidenreich. He is best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one time WWE Tag Team Champion with Road Warrior Animal as a part of the Road Warriors.-Early career:Prior to professional...
. Heidenreich was looking to make more friends, but Lombardi decided he'd rather be the Boston Brawler. Heidenreich stopped wanting to be Lombardi's friend, which aided Heidenreich's ongoing face turn.
In early 2006, he still worked behind the scenes of WWE, including behind the camera with John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
on his WWE.com show "5 Questions". Cena often makes references to Lombardi, even jokingly calling him the greatest technical wrestler of all time. Also, his face popped up in front of Cena's mouth to censor curse words
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
, usually saying "Nu-Uh!" or "Brawler!". On the June 2, 2006 episode of Five Questions, Brawler showed his face. He even censored himself, saying "YOU are a piece of Brawler". In another episode of "5 Questions," Cena acknowledged that Lombardi was actually born in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, and not in Brooklyn. On May 7, 2006, WWE.com announced that, as part of Jakks Pacific
Jakks Pacific
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. is a designer and marketer of toys and consumer products, with a range of products that feature numerous children's toy licenses...
's WWE Classic Superstars collection, they would be releasing a Brooklyn Brawler action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
. At Vengeance
Vengeance (2006)
Vengeance was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 25, 2006 at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was the sixth annual Vengeance event. Eight professional wrestling matches were featured on the...
, Brawler appeared as Doink the Clown when he came out to the ring with Eugene
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
during Eugene's match with Umaga
Eddie Fatu
Edward Smith "Eki" Fatu was a Samoan-American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Umaga...
. On August 1, 2006, Lombardi went to the ECW brand for a match against then ECW wrestler, Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
. Lombardi quickly lost when Angle applied an ankle lock on him. That same week, he appeared on SmackDown! against Vito
Vito LoGrasso
Vito Joseph LoGrasso is an American professional wrestler, of Italian origin, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling as Big Vito and more recently World Wrestling Entertainment and working for their "developmental territories" Ohio Valley Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling as...
, losing by submission. On the December 18 edition of Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, Lombardi appeared in the 30 Man Battle Royal as the Brooklyn Brawler.
On the May 5, 2007 edition of SmackDown!, Lombardi made an appearance backstage in his Brooklyn Brawler persona, waiting in line for interviews to become SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
's assistant. On the 15th anniversary of Raw on December 10, 2007, Lombardi appeared as Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz in a segment. When Triple H saw him, he exclaimed "I guess the Brooklyn Brawler was busy tonight".
On the July 12, 2010 edition of Monday Night RAW
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, Lombardi made an appearance in a comedy match as "Doink the Clown
Doink the Clown
Doink the Clown is a professional wrestling gimmick, originally used by Matt Osborne in the World Wrestling Federation from 1993 to 1995. Since Osborne's departure from the WWF, the character has been played by several wrestlers, primarily on the independent circuit, as well as in sporadic special...
" for an 8-man tag. He teamed with William Regal, Zack Ryder
Zack Ryder
Matthew Joseph Cardona, Jr. better known by his ring name Zack Ryder, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE and works on the Raw brand as a wrestler and the SmackDown brand as an assistant to SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long.Cardona wrestled mostly with his tag...
, & Primo Colon vs. Santino Marella, Vladimir Koslov
Oleg Prudius
Oleg Aleksandrovich Prudius is a Ukrainian American professional wrestler, also known by his ring name Vladimir Kozlov . Since competing for WWE, he won the WWE Tag Team Championships with Santino Marella on one occasion...
, The Great Khali, & Goldust. The match was set up as a foil for guest host Florence Henderson
Florence Henderson
Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...
who starred as Carol Brady in 70s sitcom The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
. Lombardi was pinned by the Great Khali during the match.
On the November 15, 2010 edition of Monday Night RAW, an old-school themed show, Lombardi made an appearance as the "King of old-school - Brooklyn Brawler" in which he lamented the crowds' apparent lack of knowledge with regards to who he was - specifically the lack of a pop
Pop (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a pop refers to the reaction of the crowd, often integrated into the show. It is measured by the amount of cheers or derision a wrestler gets during his entrance, interviews, and in-ring performance . There are many kinds of pops...
upon his entrance. He then proceeded to issue an open challenge to anyone from the "new school" - a challenge which was accepted by Ezekiel Jackson who defeated Lombardi. This bout took place 13 years to the date after Brawler fought then WWF (WWE) Champion Shawn Michaels in a losing effort at Madison Square Garden.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Sidewalk Smash (Sending the opponent face-first into the mat from the middle turnbuckle)
- Superplex
- Swinging neckbreaker
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Bobby HeenanBobby HeenanRaymond Louis "Ray" Heenan , better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
- Harvey Wippleman
- Bobby Heenan
Championships and accomplishments
- Border City WrestlingBorder City WrestlingBorder City Wrestling was an independent professional wrestling promotion once based in Windsor, Ontario. It was the base promotion for several Total Nonstop Action Wrestling wrestlers, including all of the former Team Canada, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley. Many BCW employees were trained by Scott...
- BCW Can-Am Heavyweight ChampionshipBCW Can-Am Heavyweight ChampionshipThe BCW Can-Am Heavyweight Championship is the top title contested for in the Ontario-based professional wrestling promotion Border City Wrestling.-Title history:...
(1 time) - BCW Can-Am Television ChampionshipBCW Can-Am Television ChampionshipThe BCW Can-Am Television Championship is a second-tier title contested for in the Ontario-based professional wrestling promotion Border City Wrestling.-Title history:-Source:...
(1 time)
- BCW Can-Am Heavyweight Championship
- NWA MichiganNational 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 Michigan Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Great Lakes Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Great Lakes Heavyweight Championship was the major championship in the National Wrestling Alliance member promotion NWA Great Lakes, and represented the states of Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. The championship lasted from 1997 through 2002...
(1 time)
- NWA Michigan Heavyweight Championship