David DiMeglio
Encyclopedia
David Mark DiMeglio was an American professional wrestler, best known by his ring name Dino Casanova, who competed in Northeastern independent promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...

, Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...

 and the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation was a Mid-Atlantic independent professional wrestling promotion based in Essex, Maryland. Founded by promoter Dennis Wippercht and wrestler Tim "Lucifer" Burke in 1991, the MEWF was one of the leading independent promotions on the East Coast during the 1990s...

, most notably as one half of The Cream Team with Rip Sawyer
Rip Sawyer
Rip Sawyer is a retired American professional wrestler who competed in the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast independent circuit during the late 1980s and early 1990s. As one-half of The Cream Team with longtime tag team partner Dino Casanova, they won the MEWF Tag Team Championship in the Mid-Eastern...

. He and Sawyer, among others such as Barry Hardy
Barry Hardy
Barry Hardy is an American professional wrestler and trainer who has competed in North American independent promotions since 1987, including East Coast Wrestling, Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, the National Wrestling Alliance, New Millennium Wrestling and Larry Sharpe's World Wrestling...

, Duane Gill
Duane Gill
Duane Gill is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation as Gillberg, a parody of then-rival promotion World Championship Wrestling's top star Goldberg. During his tenure in the WWF, Gill became a one time Light Heavyweight Champion...

 and Axl Rotten
Axl Rotten
Brian Knighton is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Axl Rotten.-Early years:After watching a professional wrestling match on television, Knighton decided to become a wrestler...

, helped train Ian Rotten
Ian Rotten
John Benson Williams is an American professional Wrestler better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in Global Wrestling Federation , Extreme Championship Wrestling , and his own wrestling promotion IWA: Mid-South.-Early career:After becoming a fan of Dusty Rhodes and "Superstar"...

 during his early career. He also had a brief stint in World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...

 with Romeo Valentino during the mid-1990s. As The Goodfellas, they would continue teaming with each other on the independent circuit until his death.

Early career

DiMeglio began wrestling in the Mid-Atlantic region during the late 1980s and eventually began teaming with Rip Sawyer as Cream Team on the Virginia independent circuit. In May 1988, they defeated International World Class Championship Wrestling
International World Class Championship Wrestling
International World Class Championship Wrestling was an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was promoted by Angelo Savoldi and his sons Mario, Tom, and Joseph Savoldi....

's Billion Dollar Babies (G.Q. Stratus & Mike Sampson) in a tournament final to became the first tag team champions for Max Thrasher's Atlantic Wrestling Federation.

On December 17, 1988, they wrestled The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton
Ricky Morton
Richard Wendell "Ricky" Morton is an American professional wrestler who has worked for such wrestling organizations as Jim Crockett Promotions, the American Wrestling Association, Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and Total Nonstop Action...

 & Robert Gibson
Reuben Kane
Robert Gibson is a professional wrestler. He is famous as half of the tag team known as Rock 'N Roll Express, with Ricky Morton.-Early career:Cain started wrestling as Robert Gibson in 1977...

) for the Virginia Wrestling Association tag team titles losing via countout. A year later, The Cream Team fought The Brothers Superior (Superior & Neil Superior) to decide the first NWL Tag Team Champions
NWL Tag Team Championship
The NWL Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in the National Wrestling League promotion. The Brothers Superior defeated The Cream Team in Moorefield, West Virginia in 1989 to become the first champions...

. After more then three years as champions, the Cream Team lost the AWF Tag Team titles to the Hellhounds in York, Pennsylvania
York, Pennsylvania
York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...

 at the end of the year.

Appearing at the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation's first event, he and Sawyer lost to the Lords of Pain (Pain
Duane Gill
Duane Gill is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation as Gillberg, a parody of then-rival promotion World Championship Wrestling's top star Goldberg. During his tenure in the WWF, Gill became a one time Light Heavyweight Champion...

 & Agony
Barry Hardy
Barry Hardy is an American professional wrestler and trainer who has competed in North American independent promotions since 1987, including East Coast Wrestling, Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, the National Wrestling Alliance, New Millennium Wrestling and Larry Sharpe's World Wrestling...

) in a match to crown the first MEWF Tag Team Champions on August 2, 1991. Defeating Pain and Bubba Monroe
Bubba Monroe
Quentin Bell , better known by his ring name Bubba Monroe, is a retired American professional wrestler and trainer who wrestled in numerous regional and independent promotions in the Southern United States during the 1980s and 90s...

 (substituting for an injured Agony) for the title on December 1, the two would continue defending the title for much of 1992, as well becoming the Atlantic Coast Wrestling Federation's first tag team champions in April 1992, until they began wrestling for the Philadelphia-based Eastern Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...

. Following their departure, the title were vacated on October 23.

Eastern Championship Wrestling

He and Sawyer made their debut in Eastern Championship Wrestling in late 1992, teaming with Glen Osbourne
Glen Osbourne
Glen Osbourne is an American professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Eastern Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s, where he was the youngest holder of the ECW World Television Championship...

 in a six-man tag team match to defeat Max Thrasher and The Super Destroyers
The Super Destroyers
The Super Destroyers is a Professional wrestling Tag team consisting of Doug Stahl and A.J. Petrucci. They both currently perform on Independent circuit and they are best known for their stint in NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling where they were the first-ever and longest reigning tag team...

 at the Taber Youth Association in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 3. The two later made an unsuccessful bid for the ECW Tag Team Championship weeks later losing to The Super Destroyers at The Chestnut Cabaret
The Chestnut Cabaret
thumb|[[Exene Cervenka]] performing with [[X |X]] at the Chestnut Cabaret in 1986The Chestnut Cabaret was a nightclub in Philadelphia...

 in Philadelphia on October 24.

At the beginning of the year, DiMeglio and Sawyer had regained the AWF Tag Team titles from the Hellhounds. The two men remained champions until their breakup in May 1993. DiMeglio and Nick Tarentino, as "The Goodfellows", defeated Rip Sawyer and A.J. Fritzoid for the belts in York that same month and held the belts until the promotion's close that same year.

Returning to Maryland, he began teaming with Romeo Valentino as The Goodfellas (or The Goodfellows) eventually winning the WWA Tag Team Championship. They later defended the titles against the Lords of Pain in Essex, Maryland
Essex, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 39,078 people, 15,952 households, and 10,336 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,104.1 people per square mile . There were 16,997 housing units at an average density of 1,785.1 per square mile...

 on April 9, 1994. He and Valentino would continue teaming together in the Mid-Atlantic region for the next several years including NWA New Jersey, Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance
World Wrestling Alliance (Massachusetts)
The WWS World Wrestling Stars formerly the WWA World Wrestling Alliance now WWA NEWENGLAND is a New England-based American independent professional wrestling promotion located in Massachusetts. Founded by former WWF referee Fred Sparta and his brother Mike in 1996. Fred retired in the year 2000 and...

.

World Championship Wrestling

On February 2, 1995, he and Valentino made their WCW debut on WCW Worldwide
WCW WorldWide
WCW WorldWide was a syndicated TV show produced by World Championship Wrestling.-Wide World Wrestling:The show began in 1975 , a syndicated one-hour program produced by Charlotte, North Carolina-based Jim Crockett Promotions...

 against The Fantastics
Fantastics
The Fantastics are a professional wrestling tag team composed of Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers.-History:While in the Mid-Southern area, Terry taylor was teamed with a budding young wrestler named Bobby Fulton, who at the time was a jobber on TV but showed promise...

 (Bobby Fulton
James Hines
James Hines is a professional wrestler better known as Bobby Fulton of The Fantastics.-Career:James Hines started wrestling as a 16 year old in 1977 as Jimmy Hines....

 & Tommy Rogers
Thomas Couch
Thomas R. Couch is a professional wrestler better known as Tommy Rogers of The Fantastics.-Career:Couch started wrestling in 1980 as Tommy Rogers in North Carolina...

) at Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...

 in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

. Several weeks later, they appeared on WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night was a weekly Saturday night TV show on TBS produced by World Championship Wrestling. The program existed through various incarnations under different names before becoming WCW Saturday Night in 1992...

in the main event against Stars & Stripes (Marcus Bagwell
Buff Bagwell
Marcus Alexander Bagwell is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling between 1991 and 2001, where he was a five time World Tag Team Champion.-Professional wrestling career: Bagwell...

 & The Patriot
Del Wilkes
Del Wilkes is a former American professional wrestler. Over the span of 14 years, he performed in various promotions such as American Wrestling Association, All Japan Pro Wrestling...

). This was included as a dark match at SuperBrawl V at the Baltimore Arena
1st Mariner Arena
1st Mariner Arena is an arena located in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2003, it was renamed by 1st Mariner Bank, which purchased naming rights to the arena for 10 years. It was reported that 1st Mariner Bank will need to pay the city $75,000 for the next ten years to keep the naming rights to the complex...

 in Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

 on February 19, 1995. After confronting Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...

, WCW World Heavyweight Champion Big Van Vader interfered in the match attacking all four men.

Occasionally appearing in World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...

 during the next two years, DiMeglio was seen on WCW Saturday Night facing "Flyin'" Brian Pillman
Brian Pillman
Brian William Pillman was an American football player and professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling....

 on April 29 and Sting in a match for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....

 at the Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia on July 11, 1995. Later that year, he and Frankie Lancaster lost to Pillman & Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...

 on WCW Saturday Night on December 9 and, several weeks later, he faced Hugh Morris
Hugh Morris
Hugh Morris is the current managing director of England cricket, and a former Welsh cricketer, who played in three Tests for England in 1991...

 at WCW Main Event
WCW Main Event
WCW Main Event is a televised wrestling program of World Championship Wrestling that aired from 1988 to 1998. For most of its run, it was the promotion's secondary show and aired on Sunday evenings on TBS. The show originally aired in 1988 as NWA Main Event...

 on January 7, 1996. Cassanova also won the MEWF Light Heavyweight/Maryland Championship from Mark Schrader
Mark Shrader
Mark "The Shark" Shrader is a retired American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter who competed in numerous independent promotions throughout the United States during the 1990s and early 2000s...

 on March 17, 1996, but was stripped of the title a month later.

Return to Maryland and later career

In October 1999, he and Max Thrasher defeated Bad Crew
Bad Crew
The Bad Crew was an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Bad Crew #1 and Bad Crew #2 , who competed in North American regional and independent promotions throughout the 1990s including Extreme Championship Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling and World Xtreme Wrestling...

 to win the MEWF Tag Team title before losing the title to Ricky Blues
Ricky Blues
"Hard Rock" Ricky Blues is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and trainer who competed in the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic independent circuit during the 1990s and 2000s. He is regarded as a pioneering cruiserweight wrestler and dominated the Baltimore-area, especially in the Mid-Eastern...

 & The New Patriot
Tom Brandi
Tom Brandi is a professional wrestler known for his work in World Wrestling Federation as Salvatore Sincere. He is also known for his current work as The Patriot, working for such companies as Pro-Wrestling WORLD-1, National Wrestling Superstars, and other independent promotions on the East...

 on November 13. The following year, he and Thrasher entered a championship tournament for the vacant MEWF Tag Team title, advancing to the finals before they lost to Jim Christian and Rayne on January 7, 2000.

Teaming with Romeo Valentino, DiMeglio lost to Morgus the Maniac
Morgus the Maniac
Morgus the Maniac is an American professional wrestler who has competed on the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern independent promotions including the Eastern Wrestling Alliance, Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, National Wrestling League/House of Pain Wrestling Federation and Extreme Championship...

 & The Clown at the Harry Grove Stadium
Harry Grove Stadium
Harry Grove Stadium, located in Frederick, Maryland, is the home of the Frederick Keys, a class A minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Opened in 1990, it seats 5,400 fans....

 in Frederick, Maryland
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...

 on July 17, 2000 with midget wrestler Dink
Claude Giroux (wrestler)
Claude Giroux is a Canadian-born midget wrestler whose career spans over 20 years. He is still active in the Canadian Independent circuit. Giroux's biggest exposure came when he performed as Doink The Clown's sidekick Dink in the World Wrestling Federation between 1993 and 1995...

 as special guest referee. The following night at the Summer Sizzler supercard, he and Valentino lost to MEWF Tag Team Champions The Tokyo Terrors after Thrasher attempted to interfere.

During the summer, he made several appearances in NWA New Jersey facing Gillberg
Duane Gill
Duane Gill is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation as Gillberg, a parody of then-rival promotion World Championship Wrestling's top star Goldberg. During his tenure in the WWF, Gill became a one time Light Heavyweight Champion...

 in Wildwood, New Jersey
Wildwood, New Jersey
Wildwood is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area and is a popular summer resort destination. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's year-round population was 5,325...

 on July 19 and August 3 before losing to Max Thrasher in a four-way match with Morgus the Maniac and Buzz Stryker in Dundalk, Maryland on September 22, 2000. He later defeated Max Thrasher for the MEWF Heavyweight Championship in late 2000, although he held the title for only a short period before losing it back to Thrasher before the end of the year. The title was later vacated on March 17 and, although he lost to Rayne in a match for the vacant title in Baltimore on April 17, he finally defeated Rayne to regain the MEWF Heavyweight Championship on August 2, 2001. Holding the title for over three months, DiMeglio eventually lost the title to Cat Burglar in Dundalk, Maryland
Dundalk, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,306 people, 24,772 households, and 16,968 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,689.5 people per square mile . There were 26,385 housing units at an average density of 1,985.9 per square mile...

 on November 25.

He defeated Max Thrasher for the MEWF Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship on January 27, 2001. Losing the title to Morgus the Maniac on March 17, he continued wrestling until his death from a heart attack, possibly drug related, on March 1, 2002.

Championships and accomplishments

  • Atlantic Coast Wrestling Federation
  • ACWF Tag Team Championship (1 time, first) with Rip Sawyer
    Rip Sawyer
    Rip Sawyer is a retired American professional wrestler who competed in the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast independent circuit during the late 1980s and early 1990s. As one-half of The Cream Team with longtime tag team partner Dino Casanova, they won the MEWF Tag Team Championship in the Mid-Eastern...


  • Atlantic States Wrestling Alliance
  • ASWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Rip Sawyer

  • Atlantic Wrestling Federation
  • AWF Tag Team Championship (3 times, first) with Rip Sawyer (2) and Nick Tarentino

  • Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
    Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
    The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation was a Mid-Atlantic independent professional wrestling promotion based in Essex, Maryland. Founded by promoter Dennis Wippercht and wrestler Tim "Lucifer" Burke in 1991, the MEWF was one of the leading independent promotions on the East Coast during the 1990s...

  • MEWF Heavyweight Championship
    MEWF Heavyweight Championship
    The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship is the highest ranking singles title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, one of three in the promotion....

     (2 times)
  • MEWF Mid-Atlantic Championship
    MEWF Mid-Atlantic Championship
    The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship was the second highest ranking singles title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, one of three in the promotion....

     (2 times)
  • MEWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • MEWF Tag Team Championship
    MEWF Tag Team Championship
    This is a chronological list of MEWF tag team champions. The MEWF Tag Team Championship is the oldest championship title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation having been established when the Lords of Darkness defeated Cream Team at the MEWF's first show in Pasadena, Maryland on August 2, 1991...

     (3 times) with Rip Sawyer
    Rip Sawyer
    Rip Sawyer is a retired American professional wrestler who competed in the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast independent circuit during the late 1980s and early 1990s. As one-half of The Cream Team with longtime tag team partner Dino Casanova, they won the MEWF Tag Team Championship in the Mid-Eastern...

    , Max Thrasher and Chad Bowman

  • Universal Independent Wrestling
  • UIW Tag Team Championship (1 time, first) with Rip Sawyer

  • Wrestling Independent Network
  • WIN Tag Team Championship (1 time, first) with Rip Sawyer

External links

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