Dino Bravo

Adolfo Bresciano (August 6, 1948 – March 10, 1993) was an Italian-born Canadian professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Dino Bravo.

Early career (1970–1985)

Bresciano began wrestling in 1970, taking the "Dino Bravo" moniker from Pepe DiPasquali, a wrestler from the early 1960s who had teamed with Dominic DeNucci as the Bravo brothers, Dino and Dominic. He was trained by Gino Brito and often worked in a tag team with his mentor, billed as Brito's cousin. Bravo worked in a number of other tag teams, partnering with, among others, "Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods and DeNucci.

Bravo held the Jim Crockett Promotions version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Woods, winning the title from Gene and Ole Anderson and eventually losing the title to the Andersons. Bravo also had a major program with Blackjack Mulligan, pinning Mulligan twice in a televised non-title match to set up a series of matches for Mulligan's United States title. Bravo did not win the U.S. title from Mulligan, but did receive several shots at NWA World Champion Harley Race during his tenure with Crockett.

By the late 1970s, Bravo had become a big enough draw to get a singles push in the Montreal territory. In December 1978, he defeated Gene Kiniski in Toronto to win the new Canadian heavyweight title as recognized in that area

World Wrestling Federation (1985–1992)

Bravo returned to the World Wrestling Federation in 1985.

With Dominic DeNucci, Bravo captured the WWF World Tag Team Title in March 1978 from Professor Tanaka and Mr. Fuji. Three months later in June, The Yukon Lumberjacks defeated Bravo and DeNucci for the title.

In the early 1980s, Bravo and King Tonga (later known as Haku) formed a tag team for a brief while, but never got much of a push. Bravo was scheduled to headline a card against Hulk Hogan in 1986, but the match was cancelled on short notice, with Bravo leaving the company shortly thereafter; the rumour was that the company did not want the Montreal crowd to cheer Bravo, the home town hero, over Hogan, and that Bravo quit after finding out.

Bravo returned to the WWF in late 1986 with a new look. He was now noticeably more muscular (with rumours that he had not only been working out, but also taking steroids in order to bulk up his physique), and almost immediately dying his brown hair blond. He was again a heel and began working as part of Luscious Johnny Valiant's stable with Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and Brutus Beefcake. Beefcake was kicked out of the stable at WrestleMania III and Bravo took his place in The Dream Team tag team with Valentine.

Bravo returned to singles competition after a few months and began a strongman gimmick. In his days of wrestling mostly in Canada, Bravo was known as more of a technical wrestler, but with his strongman gimmick his technical side was pushed into the background and his style changed to using power (brawling) moves such as bodyslams, clotheslines, punches and kicks, and other power holds such as the bearhug, while his finishing move changed from an airplane spin to a sidewalk slam. At the 1988 Royal Rumble, Bravo (who was legitimately strong and was said to be able to press more than 500 pounds) attempted to bench press what he claimed was 715 pounds, which would have been a world record at that time. Commentator (and former bodybuilder) Jesse "The Body" Ventura helped lift the bar at one point, but Bravo played the lift as a success and began billing himself as the "World's Strongest Man." In this gimmick, Bravo feuded with Don Muraco, Ken Patera, Ron Garvin, and Jim Duggan. Bravo yelled "Bah-ah" every time he got the upper hand on an opponent, to get crowd heat.

He played up his Québécois identity wearing the Fleur-de-lis and was managed by Frenchy Martin; who often toted around a sign reading USA is not OK. In March 1988, Bravo lost in the first round of the WWF Championship tournament at WrestleMania IV against Don Muraco after pulling the referee between himself and Muraco to prevent a hit from the Hawaiian. Before the match to further play on Bravo's "world's strongest man" claim, Jesse Ventura in commentary claimed that during Bravo's "record" lift of 715 pounds, he had only used his "two little pinkies" and had only put two pounds of pressure on the bar. During a rematch at the inaugural SummerSlam at Madison Square Garden in August, Martin distracted Bravo's opponent Muraco to allow Bravo to get the victory (Muraco's usual manager Superstar Billy Graham was doing commentary for the event alongside Gorilla Monsoon as Ventura was assigned as the guest referee for the main event, thus Graham, who was not at ringside, could only look on in frustration at Bravo and Martin's illegal tactics). In October at the King of the Ring, Martin managed Bravo in a win over Jim Duggan in a flag match. At the Royal Rumble in January 1989, Bravo, accompanied by Martin, teamed with The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (Jacques and Raymond) but lost a two out of three falls match against Jim Duggan and The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart). At WrestleMania V Bravo defeated fellow Canadian Rugged Ronnie Garvin.

After Frenchy Martin's departure, Bravo joined Jimmy Hart's stable and entered a feud with another power wrestler, The Ultimate Warrior, unsuccessfully challenging Warrior for his WWF Intercontinental Championship. Prior to a WrestleMania VI loss to Duggan, Bravo teamed up with Earthquake, and Bravo would often display his strength by doing push ups while the 460 lb. Earthquake sat on his back (although Tenta kept his feet on the floor, so not all of his weight was on his partner). The team of Earthquake and Bravo would have a lengthy feud with Hulk Hogan and Tugboat.

Following a WrestleMania VII loss to Kerry Von Erich, he wrestled less frequently, with his next appearance on WWF TV coming in August 1991 as a face (without Jimmy Hart or dyed-blonde hair), now being billed as the "Canadian Strongman, Dino Bravo" in a victory over Louie Spicolli. Bravo then began a short run on Montreal house shows as a face, against The Mountie (Jacques Rougeau) and The Barbarian. In his final match, televised on Sky Movies, he and Colonel Mustafa lost to The Legion of Doom in Sheffield, England. Bravo left the WWF and retired from wrestling following a European tour in April 1992. After retiring, he helped train wrestlers in Montreal.

On March 10, 1993, Bresciano was found shot dead. He was 44 years old. He was hit by 17 bullets, 7 to the head and 10 to the torso, while watching hockey in his Vimont, Laval, Quebec home. His alleged role in illegal cigarette smuggling in Canada is popularly believed to have led to his officially unsolved murder. Rick Martel has stated in interviews that because of Bresciano's notoriety from being a popular professional wrestler, he was able to attract many customers (particularly natives), thus crossing the Mafia. Right before his death, Bresciano confided to friends that he knew his days were numbered. He was a nephew by marriage of Montreal crime boss Vic Cotroni, and was believed by authorities to be involved in his organization for some time. Bresciano's remains are in a mausoleum at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery in Montreal, Quebec.

• Finishing moves
  • Airplane spin
  • Side suplex
• Signature moves
  • Belly to back suplex
  • Double underhook suplex
  • Gutwrench suplex
  • Inverted atomic drop
• Managers
  • Jimmy Hart
  • Frenchy Martin
  • Johnny Valiant
• Nicknames
  • "Canada's Strongest Man"
  • "The World's Strongest Man"
• Entrance themes
  • "La Marseillaise" by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle (WWF)

• ^ "Finishing Moves List". Other Arena. Retrieved 2009-08-28. 
• "Jimmy Hart profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-09-04. 

• Georgia Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mr. Wrestling
• Lutte Internationale
  • Canadian International Heavyweight Championship (6 times)
  • Canadian International Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tony Parisi
• Maple Leaf Wrestling
  • NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (2 times)
• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Mr. Wrestling (1), Tiger Conway Jr. (1) and Ricky Steamboat (1)
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time) – with Mr. Wrestling
• NWA Hollywood Wrestling
  • NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Victor Rivera
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him # 179 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
  • PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (1978)
• World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation
  • WWF Canadian Championship (1 time, inaugural and final)
  • WWWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dominic DeNucci