1. Home
  2. Profiles
  3. Lou Albano

Lou Albano

lou-albano

[Captain Lou Albano GALLERY]

[Sicilians] [Lumberjacks] [Wild Samoans] [George Steele] [British Bulldogs] [Headshrinkers]

Check out Captain Lou Albano’s WWE Alumni profile here!

[Captain Lou Albano Dies at 76]
[NWS condolences to Albano Family]
[HOF Manager Lou Albano dies]

[Lou Albano on IMDB.com]
[WWE Hall of Fame Page]
[The Fink: Capt Lou We Love You!]
[WWE.com – Lou Albano Passes]
[CNN.com – Lou Albano Passes]
[CBS.com – Lou Albano Passes]


Wrestlers that Captain Lou Albano Has Managed:
Crusher Verdu
The Mongols (Bepo & Geeto)
Nikolai Volkoff
The Spoiler
Yukon Lumberjacks
Bobby Duncum
Don Muraco
Wild Samoans
Dick Murdoch
Adrian Adonis
Fred Blassie
Luke Graham
Tarzan Tyler
The Golden Terror
Ken Patera
Greg Valentine
Pat Patterson
Jimmy Snuka
George The Animal Steel
Baron Mikel Scicluna
King Curtis
The Executioners
Prof. Toru Tanaka
Mr. Fuji
Mr Saito
Valiant Brothers
Ripper Hawkins
The Moondogs
Andre The Giant
The Machines Moondog Mayne
Iron Mike McCord
Bugsy McGraw
Butcher Vachon
Bulldog Brower
Fabulous Moolah
Ivan Koloff
US Express
The British Bulldogs
Headshrinkers

Title History

  • Midwest tag team title w/Tony Altimore.
  • WWF United States tag team title w/Tony Altimore defeating Spiros Arion & Arnold Skaaland.

Career Highlights

  • Lou Albano first rose to national prominence in the late-fifties as part of a tag team known as The Sicilians with Tony Altomare.
  • The Sicilians caused a lot of controversy with their stereotypical Italian gangster gimmick.
  • The Sicilians were once approached in Chicago by some legitimate “wise guys” and were told – to tone their act down.
  • June 30, 1961: The Sicilians won the prestigous Midwest tag team title in Chicago.
  • July 10, 1967: The Sicilians won the WWF United States tag team title from Spiros Arion & Arnold Skaaland.
  • Lou Albano ended his partnership with Altimore and set out to become a manager, targeting WWWF Champion, Bruno Sammartino.
  • Lou Albano led “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff to end Bruno Sammartino’s seven year title reign.
  • Lou Albano led Pat Patterson, Don Muraco, and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine to Intercontinental title reigns.
  • Lou Albano led the Wild Samoans, The Valiant Brothers, Saito & Fuji, The British Bulldogs to the WWF Tag Team Titles.
  • Lou Albano led a total of 15 different teams to the WWF tag team titles!
  • November 1986: Lou Albano left the WWF to sponser Multiple Scorces desease.
  • 1989: Lou Albano went into semi-retirement and starred in a TV program called “The Super Mario Bros. Super Show”.
  • 1990’s: Lou Albano became a vegetarian which helped him drop 150 pounds.
  • 1996: Lou Albano was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame.
  • May 2005: Captain Lou Albano, 71, suffered a heart attack and was released from the hospital later that week.
  • January 13, 2006–East Coast Wrestling Association: Jimmy Snuka w/Captain Lou Albano defeated Mike Tobin.
  • March 14, 2006: Lou Albano was honored at the premiere party for the release of the Super Mario Brothers TV show on DVD.
  • ~~~Guests: Lou Duva of boxing fame, Iron Sheik, Jimmy Valiant, Nikolai Volkoff, Jimmy Snuka and host Johnny Valiant.
  • April 29, 2006–National Wrestling Superstars: Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka w/Captain Lou Albano defeated Johnny Candido.
  • April 13, 2007–NWS: The Patriot & Rogue w/Captain Lou Albano defeated The Baghdad Bullies w/King Idu Stinq.
  • June 11, 2007 – Vince McMahon Appreciation Night: Captain Lou Albano made unscripted comments about Mr. Vince McMahon.
  • ~~~Later that night: Mr. Vince McMahon exited the building and got into his private limousine just before it exploded into flames!
  • October 14, 2009: Legendary Captain Lou Albano passed away in Florida at the age of 76.
  • October 19, 2009–RAW: The WWE showed a very nice tribute video in honor of WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano.

    Dave Meltzer wrote (October 14): Lou Albano, who passed away at the age of 76 earlier today, was one of the major figures in the popularity of the WWWF from 1971-83. People may remember him from the Cyndi Lauper videos and Super Mario television show, but he was the key manager in the promotion and was very often as important as anyone in some of the big crowds the company drew.

 

During the period after Bruno Sammartino stopped being a regular, there are people within the organization who felt the heat Albano brought as manger of the top heels was the biggest factor in drawing crowds during the Bob Backlund run. Albano generally was put with the nutty types of contenders, and almost always with the tag team champions.

He would dress like his proteges to a degree, and eventually became known for the rubber bands all over his face. He was a major part of the wheel of success for Vince McMahon Sr., far more important than anyone who didn’t closely follow the promotion would be able to understand. Albano was the key component in making Jimmy Snuka into the hottest wrestler in that part of the country when the two split up and Snuka went babyface.

He and Roddy Piper were also the keys in the Wendi Richter/Cyndi Lauper/Fabulous Moolah angle in 1984 that garnered WWWF more mainstream publicity on a national basis than wrestling had gotten since its days on network television, building to the original WrestleMania. When Albano turned babyface, including a run managing the British Bulldogs, he was in a role that had little legs, and there was internal bitterness as he left the company and concentrated on acting. Later, he was often embarrassing playing the role of the crazy, stereotypical representative of wrestling in news piece on the sport. He was not the first person to use the phrase, often imitated, never duplicated, in wrestling, but in the Northeast, he will long be remembered for it.

Former wrestler Len Kruger wrote: I can remember in 1983 my second time in there doing WWF T.V’s in Allentown, PA. I was sitting on the bleachers before the taping began and he walks in with a bucket of KFC and says, “hey kid do you want some chicken?” We sat there eating KFC talking about the business. As you know he was a regular guy like us. Often imitated, never duplicated! May he rest in peace.

Updated:

Social Media

Twitter:

Trained By

Debut

1953

Birthday

July 29, 1933

Hometown

Born in Rome, Italy
Moved: Mount Vernon, New York
Lived: Carmel, New York
Billed from Italy

Gender

Male

Height

5'10"

Weight

350 lbs

Finishing Move(s)

Favorite Move(s)

Notable Feuds

Mr Fuji
Wild Samoans
Rocky Johnson
Tony Atlas
Bobby Heenan
Big John Studd
King Kong Bundy

Status

Deceased