Angelo Poffo
Angelo Poffo | |
---|---|
Birth name | Angelo John Poffo |
Born | [1] Downers Grove, Illinois, U.S.[1] | April 10, 1925
Died | March 4, 2010[1] Sarasota, Florida, U.S. | (aged 84)
Alma mater | DePaul University |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | Randy Savage Lanny Poffo |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Angelo Poffo[3] Masked Miser[3] The Carpet Bagger |
Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Billed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
Billed from | Chicago, Illinois |
Trained by | Karl Pojello |
Debut | 1949 |
Retired | 1991[1] |
Angelo John Poffo (April 10, 1925 – March 4, 2010) was an American professional
Early life, family and education
Poffo was born in
Poffo attended
He enlisted in the Navy during World War II where in 1945, he set a world record for sit-ups.[1] He completed 6,033 sit-ups in four hours and ten minutes. According to his son Lanny, after 6,000 sit-ups he did 33 more, one for each year of Jesus's life.[1][5]
Professional wrestling career
Poffo started wrestling in 1948 at
He formed a villainous tag team with
Poffo wrestled in the 1970s and 1980s under a mask as "the Carpet Bagger" for
According to Poffo's son Lanny, Vince McMahon declined to include Poffo in a 1987 World Wrestling Federation event featuring legends. Lanny Poffo claims that this decision caused an early rift in the relationship between McMahon and Poffo's other son, Randy Savage.[6] His last match was in 1991 against Luis Martinez.[1]
He made a few appearances in
Personal life
During Poffo's time in college, he met another student at DePaul, Judith (Judy) nee Sverdlin[1] from Naperville, Illinois; they wed on June 6, 1949.[2] They were married for more than 60 years, and together they had two sons, Randy (1952–2011) and Lanny (1954–2023), both professional wrestlers.[1] After retiring from professional wrestling, Poffo taught physical education in Illinois.[1] His son Randy would also do things for him and his wife Judy, sending them on trips to Japan and Europe and Israel until they told him they were too tired to travel. On Angelo’s 70th birthday, Randy paid $50,000 to buy his father a yellow Cadillac automobile, the same car the elder Poffo had purchased in 1959 and drove around the wrestling circuit for 200,000 miles. When Angelo was sick, Randy installed an invalid toilet and walk-in bathtub in his parents’ home.[7] He was also known for saving money to help provide his family.[8]
On March 4, 2010, Poffo died in his sleep at age 84. His son Randy told the Tampa Bay Times, “I have always been proud to call Angelo Poffo my father, he is a great example of a self-sacrificing, hard-working man who always put his family first. He has always been my hero and my mentor, and the priceless gifts he gave I will have and cherish forever.”[9]
He is buried at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois, near his hometown Downers Grove.
Championships and accomplishments
- Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling
- AGPW North American Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Cuban Assassin[10]
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Other honoree (1996)
- Fred Kohler Enterprises
- NWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship (7 times)[11]
- 1 time)[1]
- NWA Midwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bronco Lubich[12]
- International Championship Wrestling
- NWA Detroit
- 1 time) – with Lanny Poffo
- Southwest Sports, Inc.
- World Championship Wrestling
- World Wrestling Association
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Chris Markoff (2), Nicoli Volkoff (1) [15]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Oliver, Greg (March 4, 2010). "Angelo Poffo was wrestler, promoter, father to two stars". slamwrestling.net. SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- ^ a b Guzzo, Paul (June 6, 2017). "The Macho Mom: Judy Poffo, mother of wrestlers Randy Savage and Lanny Poffo, dead at 90". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 24, 2021 – via tampabay.com.
- ^ a b c "Angelo Poffo profile". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
- ^ "Floridian: A wrestling dynasty". sptimes.com. Archived from the original on 2002-02-14.
- ^ Rickard, Mike II (2005). "Poffo, Angelo". Wrestleinfo.com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-06. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ Guzzo, Paul (March 31, 2014). "WWE Hall of Fame again spurns Macho Man". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
- ^ Greenberg, Keith Elliot. "The Final Days of Randy 'Macho Man' Savage". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
- ^ "Angelo Poffo, Dead at 84". Wrestler Deaths. 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
- ^ "Pro wrestler's legacy expanded through his sons, Randy 'Macho Man' Savage and Leapin' Lanny Poffo". Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Publishing Company. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
- ^ "AGPW North American Tag Team Championship". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ "Midwest Heavyweight Championship (Illinois & Wisconsin)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ "Midwest Tag Team Championship". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "NWA Texas Tag Team Title [E. Texas]". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
- ^ "W.W.A. World Tag Team Title (Indianapolis)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
External links
- Profile at Online World of Wrestling
- Angelo Poffo's profile at Cagematch.net , Internet Wrestling Database