• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Bios

Mario Galento

Height: 6' 2"

Weight: 150 lbs

From: New York

Birthday: Jun 17th

Pro Debut: Early 1950s

Aliases: Butch Boyette, The Masked Flash, The Super Manager, Dixie Rebel, Aztec García, Aztec Gracia, Black Scorpion, Wild Rebel

Feds Worked For: TSW, NWA, Al Haft Sports (IL/OH), Capitol Wrestling Corporation, Championship Wrestling from Florida (FL), Fred Kohler Enterprises (IL), GeneraXión Lucha Libre (Mexico), Georgia Championship Wrestling (GA), Gulas Wrestling Enterprises (TN), Gulf Athletic Club (TX), Gulf Coast Championhip Wrestling (AL/TN), Kola Kwariani Booking Office (NY), Louisiana Wrestling Enterprises (AL/LA/MS), M & M Promotions (NM/TX), Mike London Sports (AZ/CO/NM), NWA Mid-America (KY/TN), St. Louis Wrestling Club (MO), Terminal Athletic Club (OH), Wrestling Promotions, Inc. (AZ)

Finisher: Hangman's Neckbreaker

Career Highlights: -NWA Georgia Champion
-NWA (Georgia) Southern Tag Team Champion (4x; 1 each w/ Buddy Fuller, Al Galento, Bobby Shane, and Dutch Savage)
-NWA (Georgia) United States Junior Heavyweight Champion (3x)
-NWA Gulf Coast Champion (6x)
-NWA (Gulf Coast) Southern Tag Team Champion (3x; 2 w/ Red Roberts, 1 w/ Lee Fields)
-NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Champion (w/ Lee Fields)
-NWA (Gulf Coast) World Tag Team Champion (2x; 1 each w/ Lee Fields and Tom Drake)
-NWA (Mid-America) World Tag Team Champion (w/ Lee Fields)
-NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Champion
-NWA Tennessee Tag Team Champion (w/ Alex Pérez)
-TSW Mississippi Champion
-WP Arizona Champion
-WP Western States Tag Team Champion (w/ Sputnik Monroe)

Affiliates: Smokey, The Super Assassins, Lee Fields, Buddy Fuller, Al Galento, Bobby Shane, Dutch Savage, Red Roberts, Alex Perez, Tom Drake

Notable Feuds: Yvon Roberre, Billy Hines, Eduardo Perez, Buddy Fuller, Dale Lewis, Al Costello, Louie Tillet, Pancho Villa, Chin Lee, Lee Fields, Don Fields, The Great Mephisto, Little Eagle, Lester Welch, Rocky Smith

Other Facts: -Real name was Bonnie Lee Boyette, but he went by Butch because he worked as a butcher. His siblings called him Big Bud.
-Husband of pro wrestling valet Smokey
-Father of pro wrestler Barbara Galento
-Given the name Mario Galento by "Spider" Al Galento. He was sometimes billed as Al’s brother.
-Though billed from New York, he was born in Alamo, TN
-Always loved listening to Johnny Cash - especially "Boy Named Sue"
-Knew and practiced self hypnosis.
-Often took a hand towel to the ring and tied it in his corner. At a time when it looked like he was losing his match, he would grab that towel, wrap it around his fist and pummel his opponent. He would also clip a clothes pin under his long hair and use that like brass knucks.
-Had his eye pulled out by Jerry Jarrett. After Jarrett had a 30-minute match with Jerry Lawler, Galento attacked him in the ring. Jarrett pulled the eye out as self-defence. Galento then got a nightstick from Jerry Lawler's bag and came back to the ring to continue the attack. He had approximately 200 stitches as a result of this. After recovering from this injury and having the stitches removed, he attacked Lawler with a straight razor during a match and was only stopped because when they both made it back to the dressing room, Jimmy Valiant pulled a gun and pointed it at Galento's head. All 3 men were arrested. The motivation for this entire thing was that Memphis promoter Roy Welch was beginning to suffer from dementia and Galento had been hired to defend him from Jarrett because Welch believed Jarrett was going to steal the territory from him.
--Appeared in the movies "Frontier Woman" in 1956 and "Natchez Trace" in 1960
-Owned Mario's Pizza & Italian Food restaurant in Marietta, GA
-Stated that he had been through rehab and wanted to make inspirational films to be shown in churches.
-Had an Autobiography of sorts for sale entitled "The Gentle Brute."
-Trained Bill Ash and Ken Wayne for pro wrestling
-Died on January 6 ,1989 at the age of 74 as a result of liver disease.