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Nunzio (wrestler)

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This article is about the professional wrestler. For other uses, seeNunzio (disambiguation).

Nunzio
Nunzio in 2010
Born(1972-03-12)March 12, 1972(age 52)[1]
Howard Beach, Queens,New York City,U.S.[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Damien Stone[1]
Guido Maritato[1]
James Maritato[1]
James Stone
Jeff the Killer
Little Guido[1]
Little Guido Maritato[1]
Nunzio[1]
Tony Broadway[2]
Billed height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)[3]
Billed weight170 lb (77 kg)[3]
Billed fromRockland County, New York[3]
Little Italy, New York City
Italy
Trained byBilly Robinson[1]
Debut1991[1]

James Maritato(born March 12, 1972) is an Americanprofessional wrestler,best known for his work inExtreme Championship Wrestling(ECW) andWorld Wrestling Entertainment(WWE) under the ring namesLittle GuidoandNunzio.[4]A high-school football player and amateur wrestler, he trained under Billy Robinson, making his professional debut in the early nineties. He joined Eastern Championship Wrestling initially as anenhancement talent,as well as competing in theshoot styleUWF Internationalpromotion.[1][5]Maritato later returned to ECW (now Extreme Championship Wrestling), being given the gimmick of “Little Guido” as part of the comedy stable theFull Blooded Italians(F.B.I). He would stay with the promotion until its closure in January 2001.

After ECW closed its doors, Maritato worked on the independent circuit before he was signed to a contract by WWE in 2002. There he was part of the promotion’s cruiserweight division until its disbandment in 2007, as well as a new version of the F.B.I Stable. He would take part in the ECW One Night Stand events as well as the relaunch of the franchise as a third brand before leaving WWE and returning to the independent circuit.

Early life

[edit]

While attendingNanuet Senior High School(located inRockland County, New York), Maritato competed in football (as part of the school's 1989 team that went undefeated, untied, and unscored upon)[6]and wrestling.

Professional wrestling career

[edit]

Early career (1991–1992)

[edit]

Maritato was trained as a professional wrestler byBilly Robinson.He debuted in 1991, facing Parsippany Smith Fields in his first match.[1][5]He competed for the Amarillo, Texas-based USWF promotion under the name James Stone.[7]

Eastern Championship Wrestling (1992–1994)

[edit]

Maritato joinedEastern Championship Wrestling(ECW) under thering name"Damien Stone" on July 14, 1992, where he lost toTommy Cairo.Over the next two years, he wrestled intermittently with ECW as ajobber.He also wrestled forInternational World Class Championship Wrestlingand other promotions in theNortheastern United States.

UWF International (1995-1996)

[edit]

Maritato took some time off from ECW in 1995 and went toJapanto compete in theshoot styleUWF Internationalpromotion.[1][5]

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1996–2001)

[edit]
See also:Full Blooded Italians

Maritato returned to Eastern Championship Wrestling - by now known asExtreme Championship Wrestling- at theBig Ass Extreme Bashin March 1996. AtMassacre on Queens Boulevardin April 1996, "The Italian Stallion"J.T. Smithannounced that "Damien Stone" was in fact hisSiciliancousin, "Little Guido". Smith and Little Guido formed the comedystableFull Blooded Italians(F.B.I.), which grew to include multiple other members.[5]

During 1999, he became a "serious wrestler", although still accompanied by Sal E. Graziano and proclaiming himself to be an F.B.I. member (though only the two of them were left). After his turn he was involved in some intense singles matches until late 2000, when he formed atag teamwithTony Mamaluke.[5]The duo won theWorld Tag Team Championshipon August 26, 2000 and held them until December when they lost them toDanny Doring and Roadkill.[5]They continued to wrestle together until ECW folded in January 2001.[1]

Independent circuit (2001–2002)

[edit]

When ECW closed, Maritato wrestled for severalindependent promotions,mostly in the New York Tri-State area; he often teamed with former partner Tony Mamaluke. They had a notable run inRing of Honorbefore Maritato was signed byWorld Wrestling Entertainmentin 2002.[5]

World Wrestling Entertainment (2002–2008, 2010–2011)

[edit]

Alliance with Jamie Noble; Full Blooded Italians (2002–2004)

[edit]
See also:Full Blooded Italians

Maritato was introduced on WWE television as "Nunzio" (a possible reference to themob/bodyguardcharacters Guido and Nunzio in theMythAdventuresseries of books byRobert Asprin).[5]As theon-screenheel cousin ofJamie Noble,he attackedCrash Hollyduring a match with Noble on the December 12, 2002 edition ofSmackDown!.[5][8]Nunzio began afeudwith Holly after this, defeating him on several occasions before going on to face the likes ofTajiri,Shannon Moore,andChuck Palumbo.[9][10]

The team and cousin storyline of Nunzio and Noble soon faded. Nunzio reformed the Full Blooded Italians, this time withJohnny "The Bull" StamboliandChuck Palumbo,but the team found little success.[11]AfterWrestleMania XX,Palumbo wasdraftedtoRaw,and the F.B.I. was reduced to a tag team.[12]After Stamboli was released, Nunzio began competing in thecruiserweightdivision.[5]

Cruiserweight Champion; alliance with Vito (2005–2006)

[edit]

In 2005, Maritato returned to his Little Guido persona for one night; he reunited with the original Full Blooded Italians to take onSuper CrazyandTajiriin a three-way match at the ECW reunion showOne Night Stand.[13]

As Nunzio, he continued to perform on SmackDown!B-showVelocityas both afan favoriteand avillain,forming a short-lived tag team withFunaki.On the August 6 (taped on August 2) edition ofVelocity,Nunzio won theCruiserweight Championshipby defeatingPaul Londonafter a newvillainous wrestler,Vito,made his debut by giving Nunzio ablackjack,which he used to knock London out.[14]Nunzio joined forces with Vito, thus becoming a full-time villain.

The pair began feuding withThe Mexicoolsand atNo Mercy,Mexicool memberJuventuddefeated Nunzio with aJuvi Driverto take the Cruiserweight Championship.[15]Nunzio regained the title on November 15 at ahouse showinRome, Italybut lost it right back to Juventud on the November 25SmackDown.[16]

Nunzio and Vito would both briefly turn into fan favorites by briefly engaging in a feud againstGregory Helms.Vito and Nunzio would quickly go back to beingvillains,however, due to Vito's newgodfathergimmick.

In late-May 2006, Nunzio's partnership with Vito began to crumble after it was revealed that, in storyline, Vito enjoyedcross-dressing,which made Nunzio feel betrayed and embarrassed.[17][18]Nunzio ended his alliance with Vito, and moved to theECWbrand.[19]

Full Blooded Italians reunion; departure (2006–2008)

[edit]
See also:The Full Blooded Italians

In June when theECW brandwas launched, Nunzio leftSmackDownto join other "ECW originals" onECW,retaking his Little Guido name in the process.[19]F.B.I.was revived again, this time with Little Guido as a face once again, alongsideTony MamalukeandTrinityand for a short while,Big Guido.[20]The F.B.I. were used for tag matches onECWto either take on debuting tag teams or facing another tag team when a tag match was needed.[20]AtDecember to Dismember,they took onElijah BurkeandSylvester Terkayin a losing effort.[21]His partner Tony Mamaluke was released on January 18, leaving Guido and Trinity alone to carry on the stable.[22][23]

After Mamaluke's release, Little Guido vanished fromtelevision(he only appeared once onECW on Sci Fiwith the Little Guido name). After his hiatus, he later returned on the April 17, 2007 episode (inItaly,where he was well received by fans) using his old Nunzio name again but without Trinity, who had been released in June.[24][25]After losses to the debutingJohnny NitroandThe Miz,Nunzio disappeared from television for a few months.[26][27]He returned on the September 11 edition ofECW,in a losing effort toMatt Striker.[28]Nunzio was used mainly as ajobberduring this period, losing toTommy Dreamer,[29]Jamie Noble,[30]Kevin Thorn,[31]andKenny Dykstra.[32]

In 2008, Nunzio returned on January 15, in a losing effort againstShelton Benjamin,[33]and on his next appearance, on April 8, he lost toElijah Burke.[34]He then engaged in a brief feud withMark Henry,but came out on the losing end.[35][36]After nearly 2 years, Nunzio finally won a broadcast match on May 5, as he was in a handicap match along with the rest of the ECW roster againstTriple HandMr. Kennedy.[37]

On August 8, 2008, Nunzio was released from his WWE contract.[38]

Referee (2010–2011)

[edit]

Maritato appeared at a house show for WWE Raw, atMadison Square Gardenon December 26, 2010, as a referee when the majority of referees could not make it to the arena due to blizzards and gale-force winds; this position expanded to televised events on February 1. On September 29, 2011, Maritato announced that he was no longer working for WWE.[39]

Return to the independent circuit (2008–present)

[edit]
Maritato (right) andBig Vitoin 2013.

Maritato wrestled forJersey All Pro Wrestlingon September 19.[40]On November 15, he won theJAPW Tag Team Championshipwith Tracy Smothers.[41]On January 16, 2009, Maritato was inducted into the ECPW Hall of Fame.

In February 2009, it was announced that Maritato would be a trainer for the "Bodyslam U"professional wrestling schoolin New Jersey, while still competing on the independent circuit.[42]On March 13, 2009, Guido lost toShane Douglas,who made his return to theNational Wrestling Alliancefor the first time since Douglasdrops the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in nearly fifteen years.In June, Guido returned toRing of Honorlosing to Jay Briscoe at theHammerstein BallroominNew York City.[43]In late 2009, Maritato began competing for theNational Wrestling Allianceunder the name Nunzio. He also performed for the NWA On Fire expansion based out of New England.[44]Maritato reunited again on October 6, 2012 as F.B.I., being defeated by Danny Doring and Roadkill in theHouse of Hardcore's first show.[45]AtHouse of Hardcore 2,now returning under his "Little Guido" ring name, faced Vik Dalishus in a losing effort. On June 6, 2014, atHouse of Hardcore 4,Maritato defeated Matt Striker. Maritato wrestled atHouse of Hardcore's next eventon June 7, 2014, in which he defeated Danny Doring.

AtHouse of Hardcore 7,Maritato teamed up with Team Tremendous (Bil Carr and Dan Barry) to take on Anthony Greene, Ben Ortiz, and Vik Dalishus in a winning effort.[46]He then took part in a ten-man tag team match atHouse of Hardcore 10,teaming up withOfficer Colt Cabana,Bill Carr, Dan Barry, andF.B.I.memberTony Mamaluke,to successfully defeatAfa Jr.,Jade,Lance Anoa'i,L.A. Smooth,and Vik Dalishus.[47]

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling / Impact Wrestling (2010, 2022)

[edit]

On August 8, 2010, Maritato took part inTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling's ECW reunion show,Hardcore Justice,where he,Tony Mamaluke(billed as Tony Luke) andTracy SmothersdefeatedKid Kash,Simon DiamondandJohnny Swingerin a six-man tag team match.[48]On the following edition ofTNA Impact!,the ECW alumni, known collectively asExtreme, Version 2.0 (EV 2.0),were assaulted byA.J. Styles,Kazarian,Robert Roode,James Storm,Douglas WilliamsandMatt MorganofRic Flair'sFourtunestable, who thought they didn't deserve to be in TNA.[49][50]The following week TNA presidentDixie Cartergave each member of EV 2.0 TNA contracts in order for them to settle their score with Fourtune.[51]On the August 26 edition ofImpact!Guido and Luke weresquashedby Roode and Storm in a tag team match.[52]The match ended F.B.I.'s association with TNA. Maritato was announced as a part of the newTotal Nonstop ActionIndiabased projectRing Ka Kingworking under the name Tony Broadway teaming withJoey Hollywood.[2]However Ring Ka King only lasted one season and ended the same year.

In 2022, Maritato made an appearance for TNA, now known asImpact Wrestling,on the April 21 episode ofImpact!,challengingMatt Cardonafor theImpact Digital Media Championship,where he was unsuccessful.[53][54][55]

Other media

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On March 6, 2006, Maritato was seen supporting his brother on theNBCgame showDeal or No Dealin which he won$25,000.[citation needed]In 1996 Maritato competed in a mixed martial arts fight in Texas against Steve Nelson, who was also his past opponent in UWFi. The fight appears on Nelson's official MMA record as a win. Maritato competed under the name James Stone, which he also wrestled under during its stint in UWFi.

Championships and accomplishments

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcdefghijklmno"Nunzio Profile".Online World Of Wrestling.RetrievedMay 30,2007.
  2. ^abKapur, Bob (March 14, 2012)."Ring ka King: Coronations and championships - Jarrett's control quest continues".Slam! Sports.Canadian Online Explorer.Archived from the original on January 1, 2013.RetrievedApril 18,2012.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^abc"Nunzio Bio".WWE. Archived fromthe originalon December 28, 2006.RetrievedMay 4,2008.
  4. ^Lents, H.M.,Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling(2nd edition), McFarland, 2003, p138
  5. ^abcdefghijMilner, John M.; Oliver, Greg; Kapur, Bob."Nunzio".SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012.RetrievedSeptember 22,2008.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^Kevin Armstrong (November 22, 2014),"End Zone: 25 years ago, Nanuet HS went untied, unscored upon",NY Daily News
  7. ^"UFC, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) News, Results: MMA Fighting".MMA Fighting.August 11, 2011.
  8. ^"WWE SmackDown! Results – December 12, 2002".Online World Of Wrestling. December 12, 2002.RetrievedSeptember 22,2008.
  9. ^"WWE SmackDown! Results – January 2, 2003".Online World Of Wrestling. January 2, 2003.RetrievedSeptember 22,2008.
  10. ^"WWE SmackDown! Results – January 16, 2003".Online World Of Wrestling. January 16, 2003.RetrievedSeptember 22,2008.
  11. ^"Full Blooded Italians Profile".Online World Of Wrestling.RetrievedSeptember 22,2008.
  12. ^"Draft Lottery 2004".ProWrestlingHistory. March 22, 2004.RetrievedSeptember 22,2008.
  13. ^Gramlich, Chris (June 12, 2005)."One great Night of hardcore hostalgia".SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012.RetrievedSeptember 22,2008.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ^"History Of The Cruiserweight Championship – Nunzio".WWE. August 6, 2005. Archived fromthe originalon July 24, 2008.RetrievedSeptember 22,2008.
  15. ^"No Mercy 2005 Results".WWE. October 9, 2005. Archived fromthe originalon March 31, 2008.RetrievedAugust 9,2008.
  16. ^"Anarchy in the U.K."WWE. November 25, 2005.RetrievedAugust 9,2008.
  17. ^Dee, Louie (May 12, 2006)."Tragic Homecoming".WWE.RetrievedSeptember 22,2008.
  18. ^Williams III, Ed (May 19, 2006)."Seeing red".WWE.RetrievedSeptember 22,2008.
  19. ^abHoffman, Brett (June 13, 2006)."An Extreme Debut".WWE.RetrievedJune 22,2008.
  20. ^ab"Full Blooded Italians – World Wrestling Entertainment – ECW Resurrection".WWE.RetrievedSeptember 22,2008.
  21. ^"Hybrid beatdown".WWE. December 4, 2006.RetrievedAugust 9,2008.
  22. ^Waldman, Jon (January 18, 2007)."Axe drops for many WWE stars".SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 2,2007.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  23. ^"World Wrestling Entertainment releases Superstars".WWE.RetrievedDecember 23,2007.
  24. ^Rote, Andrew (April 17, 2007)."Out of line".WWE.RetrievedSeptember 22,2008.
  25. ^"Trinity released".WWE. June 22, 2007.RetrievedSeptember 22,2008.
  26. ^"The beginning of a new ECW dawn".WWE.RetrievedJune 19,2007.
  27. ^Clayton, Corey (July 10, 2007)."Nitro and Punk continue to roll toward The Bash".WWE.RetrievedNovember 17,2007.
  28. ^"No apologies".WWE.RetrievedSeptember 11,2007.
  29. ^"A scary affair".WWW.RetrievedOctober 30,2007.
  30. ^"Monsters continue to roam".WWE.RetrievedNovember 6,2007.
  31. ^"Heating up for the holidays".WWE.RetrievedNovember 20,2007.
  32. ^"It's not easy being gold".WWE.RetrievedDecember 18,2007.
  33. ^"The Gold Standard shines".WWE.RetrievedJanuary 15,2008.
  34. ^"Contract War".WWE.RetrievedApril 8,2008.
  35. ^"All mixed up".WWE.RetrievedApril 22,2008.
  36. ^"Championship Friday".WWE. June 6, 2008.RetrievedMay 2,2008.
  37. ^"Punk'd by the General Manager".WWE. May 5, 2008.RetrievedAugust 9,2008.
  38. ^"WWE releases six superstars, referee Nick Patrick".WWE. August 8, 2008.RetrievedAugust 8,2008.
  39. ^"WWE releases referee, now taking independent bookings".Pro Wrestling Torch.September 29, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 29,2011.
  40. ^"JAPW Beachwood Brawl (9/19/08 Beachwood, NJ)".Jersey All Pro Wrestling.September 19, 2008.Archivedfrom the original on March 1, 2023.RetrievedMarch 9,2023.
  41. ^"JAPW Reboot (11/15/08 Jersey City, NJ)".Jersey All Pro Wrestling.November 15, 2008.Archivedfrom the original on March 1, 2023.RetrievedMarch 9,2023.
  42. ^Wilson, Daniel (February 20, 2009)."Nunzio turns his attention to training".SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 26,2009.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  43. ^"Guido Returns".ROH Wrestling. April 30, 2009.
  44. ^"NWA on Fire".NWA on Fire. May 28, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon August 23, 2011.RetrievedDecember 7,2018.
  45. ^Johnson, Mike (October 6, 2012)."Complete House of Hardcore live coverage: Dreamer, Edge, Bucks, London, Kendrick, Carlito, and many more".Pro Wrestling Insider.RetrievedOctober 14,2012.
  46. ^Match, Cage (November 15, 2015)."House of Hardcore 7 results".
  47. ^Match, Cage (November 13, 2015)."House of Hardcore X match results".
  48. ^Caldwell, James (August 8, 2010)."Caldwell's TNA Hardcore Justice PPV results 8/8: Ongoing" virtual time "coverage of ECW-themed PPV headlined by RVD vs. Sabu".Pro Wrestling Torch.RetrievedAugust 8,2010.
  49. ^Tomich, Kevin (August 9, 2010)."TNA News: Spoilers – detailed Impact TV taping report for" Whole F'n Show "featuring new angle, MOTY candidate?, three title matches".Pro Wrestling Torch.RetrievedAugust 12,2010.
  50. ^Bishop, Matt (August 12, 2010)."TNA's 'The Whole F'n Show': Beer Money, Machine Guns put on match of year candidate; Fortune makes statement".Slam! Sports.Canadian Online Explorer.Archived from the original on June 29, 2012.RetrievedAugust 13,2010.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  51. ^On the August 26 edition of TNA Impact, James Maritato wrestled in a tag team match with Tony Luke, in a loss toRobert RoodeandJames StormWilkenfeld, Daniel (August 19, 2010)."Wilkenfeld's TNA Impact report 8/19: Ongoing" virtual time "coverage of Spike TV broadcast".Pro Wrestling Torch.RetrievedAugust 19,2010.
  52. ^Wilkenfeld, Daniel (August 26, 2010)."Wilkenfeld's TNA Impact report 8/26: Ongoing" virtual time "coverage of Spike TV broadcast (updated)".Pro Wrestling Torch.RetrievedAugust 27,2010.
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  54. ^Guzzo, Gisberto (April 21, 2022)."Vincent Brings PCO Back To Life, Moose Isn't Sorry, And Much More - IMPACT Fight Size".Fightful.RetrievedApril 22,2022.
  55. ^Garza, Antonio (April 21, 2022)."Impact Wrestling live results: Rebellion go-home show".Figure Four Online.RetrievedApril 22,2022.
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[edit]
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