There have been many fantastic professional wrestlers of Italian descent: Bruno Sanmartino, Debrah ‘Medusa’ Micelli, Terry Bollea (Hulk Hogan) and Liv Morgan to name just a few. Big Vito LoGrasso feels that he might be the Don of them all, however. In a wrestling career that has – so far – spanned over three decades, the veteran grappler has wrestled for nearly every major promotion and right around the world. He’s been a good guy, a bad guy, and the toughest man to ever wrestle in a dress.
Vito LoGrasso joined Ben Veal for episode 024 of the #WrestlingLifePod. Here are some things you might not know about the Wise Man of the Wise Guys:
He started out German: The future member of the Full Blooded Italians stable started out playing a German heel character called Skull Von Krush. Unusually, he made it to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) after only a year in independent wrestling, as an enhancement talent.
“It was a different time in wrestling,” Vito told Ben. “They had all the enhancement talent dress in hallways.” Sitting in a dressing room with the Nasty Boys, The Legion of Doom, Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage and many other legends of the industry was daunting for a rookie: “You basically went in and did what they told you to do. And if you sold well and took good bumps, they said I want this kid because he knows how to sell. Back then squash matches were a premium. But I never had a squash match. They always let me have some offence. That’s something I pride myself on. There were lots of guys who just got beat up, but I came in and they actually gave me offence,” Vito recalled.
He was the Matt Cardona of his era, joining six promotions in eight years: The early nineties were a chaotic time in professional wrestling, with a shifting roster of promotions, most notably the rise and fall of both World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW).
Leaving WWF in 1993, Vito joined the United States Wrestling Association, then was brought into ECW by Taz. In ECW he was part of Da Baldies, a stable based on a real New York street gang. Following that he joined WCW and became hardcore champion, only to depart when the company lost its Monday Night War with WWF. After wrestling for Total Non Stop Action Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling, Vito returned to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2005.
Vito told Ben that this wandering existence was helpful in learning the different wrestling styles needed to get over in locations as varied as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
He had great fun wrestling in a dress: Back in WWE, Big Vito wrestled with Nunzio as the Full Blooded Italians before the WWE decide to rebrand him as a cross-dressing singles wrestler. It was a gimmick that might have buried a lesser man (Perry Saturn and his mop, anyone?) - however, Vito excelled.
“Fifteen years of preparation just to get to wrestling in a dress,” he told Ben laughing. But that experience – and the respect he had from other wrestlers – enabled Vito to fully commit to the gimmick and end up with an unbeaten run over several months. He also became a Playgirl centrefold!
More importantly, the power in his performance made Vito a role model for other people struggling with their identity in an era where gender roles were more fixed than they are today. “I was happy, being myself, smiling and having the time of my life,” Vito told Ben. “That gimmick helped so many people overcome what they wanted to be in their lives. I opened the door for people to be able to do it and not be afraid.”
He took a career break after his wife got sick: Vito married fellow wrestler Noel ‘Lil Noel’ Harlow in 2014 but she fell sick on their wedding day with a back ailment. She subsequently had two strokes and a brain biopsy which eventually led to reconstructive back surgery. Vito couldn’t work and took several years off to care for her.
The couple have since recorded a podcast series with Vince Russo, which has helped Noel improve her memory and indulge her passion for and knowledge of wrestling after the impact of her illness.
Noel remains the wise guy’s wise woman and recommended that Vito appeared on the Wrestling Life podcast!
Still in great shape, Vito feels he still has one or two years left as an active wrestler. Ultimately, he’d love to be back on TV as a manager and part time wrestler, or behind the scenes training the next generation of superstars.
Big Vito always answers calls from his brothers: Looking back at his wrestling life, Vito has many happy memories, but like so many wrestlers is proud of the relationships he built. Vito was known as a good guy who would help people going through hard times. So, when he and Noel had their own crucible, other wrestlers helped them out too.
Vito fondly recalls Rob Van Dam sending them a box of supplements; Diamond Dallas Page provided Noel with access to his DDPY yoga programme; and the realest guy in the room, Enzo Amore even called to check in. “All the money and the fame: that’s the icing on the cake,” Vito told Ben. “If you get respect from the boys, as a man, you really did something good in wrestling.”
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About the author: Steve Shepperson-Smith lives in Hertfordshire, England and has a highly successful career in the public relations industry and as a Board member. He has been a wrestling fan for over 30 years and would still like to work in publicity for a wrestling promotion one day. Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, The Rock and Asuka are some of the wrestlers he has most enjoyed watching over the years. His ambition is to attend WrestleMania one day with his kids. In London. Connect with Steve: X | LinkedIn | Instagram
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