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Alex Marvez Looks at the Assassin

Posted: Oct 26th 2006 By: CMBurnham

In October 1961, Joe Hamilton wrestled his first match as The Assassin in Atlanta.

And he hated it.

"I had the wrong kind of mask," Hamilton said. "It was an old nylon mask.

Anytime anyone would get me in a headlock, it would twist around the eyeholes to the back of my head."

Fortunately for Hamilton, it didn't take him long to find the right fit with a new satin hood and tag-team partner.

As the Assassins, Hamilton and the late Tom Renesto became one of the industry's top duos from 1961 to 1974. Hamilton chronicles that run and other highlights from his 50 years in the wrestling business in his new autobiography "Assassin: The Man Behind the Mask (Crowbar Press; $19.95)."

"The first night Tom and I teamed up, it was unbelievable," said Hamilton, who was paired with Renesto roughly six weeks after debuting as The Assassin. "It was like we were working together for years already five minutes into the match. There was an unbelievable magic between him and I."

Although the Assassins later headlined for a slew of regional and international promotions, Hamilton said his first match with Renesto remains one of the three most memorable moments of his storied career. Renesto (real name Tony Martin) died of heart failure in 2000 at the age of 72.

Hamilton's other favorite matches were a two-hour, 45-minute draw with Dick Steinborn in Augusta, Ga., and when he became the youngest performer ever to headline in Madison Square Garden. A 19-year-old Hamilton teamed with his older brother Larry against Argentina Rocca and Miguel Perez in a tussle that drew a reported 20,355 fans with 8,000 more turned away from the heralded New York City venue in May 1958.

Now, students that Hamilton has helped train are getting their chance to wrestle in Madison Square Garden and other arenas booked by World Wrestling Entertainment. Hamilton, 68, is grooming aspiring WWE grapplers through his Deep South Wrestling school and promotion in McDonough, Ga.

New WWE talent that Deep South has produced includes Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, Mike Knox and Montel Vontavious Porter (former South Florida independent performer Antonio "MVP" Banks). Hamilton, who helped handle training for World Championship Wrestling during the 1990s, also is responsible for assisting in the development of current and former WWE stars like Paul "Triple H" Levesque, Bill Goldberg, Kevin Nash and Diamond Dallas Page.

"The first thing I want to instill in (trainees) is the fact if you're going to be successful, you're going to have to sacrifice," said Hamilton, referring to the industry's physical and scheduling demands. "On the surface, everyone says they're willing to do it when they think about the glitz and glamour of the sport and the money involved. But sometimes, those other things become too much for them to sacrifice."

More information on "Assassin: The Man Behind the Mask" is available at www.crowbarpress.com.