Salvatore Bellomo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Salvatore Bellomo |
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![]() Bellomo in 2006.
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Born | Brussels, Belgium |
June 18, 1951
Died | February 9, 2019 | (aged 67)
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Adonis Romano Centurion Marsella Salvatore (Sal) Bellomo Salvatore (Sal) Martino Super Destroyer #3 Tino Bellomo Tino Salvadore |
Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
Billed weight | 290 lb (132 kg) |
Billed from | Sicily, Italy |
Trained by | Nino |
Debut | Early-1970s |
Retired | 2018 |
Salvatore Bellomo (born June 18, 1951 – died February 9, 2019) was a professional wrestler from Belgium. He wrestled for over 40 years! Many people remember him for his time in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the 1980s and with Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) in the 1990s.
Contents
Salvatore Bellomo's Wrestling Journey
Starting Out in the 1970s
Salvatore Bellomo learned how to wrestle from a trainer named Nino. He began his wrestling career in Belgium in the early 1970s, often wrestling at carnivals. In 1973, he traveled to the United Kingdom, where he wrestled under the name "Tino Salvadore." He even appeared on a TV show called World of Sport.
In 1975, he went to Mexico and wrestled as "Adonis Romano." He mostly took part in matches with six wrestlers at a time, called six-man tag team matches. After two years wrestling in Austria and Germany, he moved to Canada in late 1977.
Wrestling in Canada (1977–1980)
In December 1977, Bellomo started wrestling in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, for a company called Stampede Wrestling. In 1978, he joined NWA All-Star Wrestling in Vancouver, British Columbia. Here, he changed his wrestling name to "Salvatore Martino."
In October 1978, Salvatore Martino and Mike Sharpe won the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship. They were champions two times! In March 1979, he also won the NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship. He continued to wrestle in Canada until August 1980.
Wrestling in Japan (1978)
In mid-1978, Salvatore Bellomo went on a tour to Japan with a wrestling company called International Wrestling Enterprise. He wrestled 24 matches there. Some of his matches included a steel cage match against Rusher Kimura.
Wrestling in the United States (1979–1981)
From June 1979 to August 1980, Bellomo wrestled in Portland, Oregon, for Pacific Northwest Wrestling as "Sal Martino."
In January 1981, he began wrestling in Los Angeles, California, for NWA Hollywood Wrestling. He used his real name, Salvatore Bellomo, and teamed up with another wrestler named Víctor Rivera. In May 1981, they won the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship. They lost the titles later that year. Bellomo wrestled there until August 1981, then went back to Germany.
Time in the World Wrestling Federation (1982–1987)
In 1982, Salvatore Bellomo joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the United States. He was chosen because the WWF was looking for a new "good guy" Italian wrestler to replace Bruno Sammartino. A "good guy" in wrestling is called a babyface.
Bellomo made his TV debut in June 1982, winning a match in Madison Square Garden in New York City. He often appeared on WWF shows, winning against many opponents. This made him an "undercard hero," meaning he was a popular wrestler who wasn't usually in the main event.
In 1983, Bellomo and his tag team partners tried to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship, but they didn't succeed. He also tried to win the WWF Championship and the WWF Intercontinental Championship, but couldn't.
By 1985, Bellomo was often used as a jobber. This means he would lose matches to make other wrestlers look stronger. He lost to famous wrestlers like Brutus Beefcake and Jim Neidhart.
In December 1984, Salvatore Bellomo was part of a famous moment on Roddy Piper's talk show, Piper's Pit. Roddy Piper made fun of Bellomo, saying, "I didn't order a pizza." Then, Piper and other wrestlers attacked Bellomo until Junkyard Dog came to help him.
Bellomo took a break from the WWF in September 1985 and came back in August 1986. He made his last appearance with the WWF in March 1987.
Catch Wrestling Association (1988–1992)
In December 1988, Bellomo started wrestling for the Catch Wrestling Association in Austria and Germany. He was sometimes called "Tino Bellomo." He took part in tag team tournaments and made his final appearance with the CWA in December 1992.
Eastern Championship Wrestling (1992–1994, 1996)
In April 1992, Bellomo joined Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was living in Philadelphia at the time. He was much heavier and had a full beard. He was called "Wildman" Sal Bellomo and wore special gear that looked like a Roman centurion. He also changed his wrestling style to be more brawling-focused.
In his first match, he won a battle royal, which is a match where many wrestlers are in the ring at once and are eliminated until only one is left. He then lost in the final match to decide the first ECW Heavyweight Champion.
Bellomo had a feud (a wrestling rivalry) with Tony Stetson in mid-1992. In 1993, he appeared on the first episode of ECW Hardcore TV. He also had a brief rivalry with the Super Destroyers because he started pretending to be them, calling himself "Super Destroyer #3."
In August 1993, Bellomo and The Sandman teamed up for a tournament to win the ECW Tag Team Championship. They made it to the finals but lost. Bellomo also had a rivalry with Rockin' Rebel, defeating him in a chairs match at November to Remember. He left ECW in May 1994.
Bellomo returned to ECW (which was now called Extreme Championship Wrestling) in June 1996. He joined a wrestling group called a stable known as the Full Blooded Italians. He left ECW again later that year.
Later Career (1994–2018)
After leaving ECW, Salvatore Bellomo continued to wrestle for different independent wrestling companies until 2018. He also worked as a trainer at the Belgian Wrestling School in Belgium. He often told his students "Cha Cha!" as a fun saying. Bellomo also ran the Belgian Catch Wrestling Federation. In 2015, some of his students even appeared on Belgium's Got Talent and wrestled live on TV!
Wrestling Style and Character
Even though Salvatore Bellomo was born in Belgium, his family was from Italy. His wrestling character often showed this. In the World Wrestling Federation, his character was an Italian immigrant who spoke English in a funny way.
Bellomo first wrestled in a "technical style," which means he used many wrestling moves and holds. Some of his special moves included a "back dropkick" and a crossbody block. Later in his career, he changed to a "brawling/powerhouse style," which meant he used more powerful moves and punches. His special moves then included the Pizza Splash (a big splash) and a mule kick.
Passing Away
Salvatore Bellomo sadly passed away from cancer on February 9, 2019. He was 67 years old.
Championships and Achievements
- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Mike Sharpe (1 time) and Bill Cody (1 time)
- NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Víctor Rivera
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 276 of the 500 best single wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1992
- World Xtreme Wrestling
- WXW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WXW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with the Mad Russian
- WXW Hall of Fame (Class of 2013)