Height: 55' 10"
Weight: 220 lbs.
From: Trevino, Italy
Birthday: Apr 13
Pro Debut: January 15, 1942
Aliases: Argentina Rocca
Feds worked for: TSW, WWWF,
NWA, World Wrestling Council (Puerto Rico), MAC (Canada), Midwest Wrestling Association, Capitol Wrestling Corporation (NY), Japanese Pro Wrestling Association (Japan), International Wrestling Grand Prix (Japan), American Wrestling Association (Ohio/Montreal)
Finisher: Argentine Backbreaker
Signature Moves: Airplane Spin, Backbreaker, Standing Dropkick, Hiptoss
Career Highlights: -AWA (Montreal) World Champion
-AWA (Ohio) World Champion
-MAC (Canada) International Champion
-NWA (New York) International Champion
-NWA (New York) World Tag Team Champion (w/ Jose Miguel Perez)
-NWA
Texas Champion (2x)
-WWC North American Tag Team Champion (w/ Jose Miguel Perez)
-WWWF International Champion
-WWF United States Tag Team Champion (w/ Jose Miguel Perez)
Affiliates: Jose Miguel Perez
Notable Feuds: Jack Dillon, Eduardo Perez,
Mighty Atlas, Jack Vansky, Gino Garabalid, Marco Polo, Karl Von Hess, Hans Schmidt, Don Stevens, Eddie Graham,
Jerry Graham, Dick the Bruiser
Other Facts: -Was an accomplished singer and music lover -- he was also an avid cigar smoker.
-Good friend of Arturo Toscanini
-Was depicted wrestling Superman on the cover of Superman #155 (August, 1962)
-Endorsed (but did not sing in) a popular LP called "In This Corner, The Musical World Of Argentina Rocca". There was a photo of him doing a dropkick on the cover of the album.
-Appeared in the movie "Alice, Sweet Alice", where he was murdered by a psycho. This scene was used in the theatres, but it was edited out of some video and tv versions of the movie.
-Said to have lost to Buddy Rogers in the finals of a tournament in Rio de Jainero, Brazil to determine the first WWWF World Champion. That tournament was ficticious.
-Did colour commentary with Vince McMahon, Jr, for
WWF broadcasts in the mid-1970s.
-Refereed the first IWGP main event, where
Karl Gotch defeated Antonio Inoki.
-Was famous for stating "I will still be wrestling when I'm 75 years old and will be living to 150." He did neither.
-Was also involved in the Madison Square Garden riot of 1957; this riot made the cover of LIFE magazine
-Passed away March 15, 1977 at the age of 49.
-Inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1995.
