James Maritato
Encyclopedia
James Maritato is an American
professional wrestler
, of Italian
origin, currently working on the independent circuit
. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW)
under the ring name
s Little Guido Maritato and Nunzio.
(located in Rockland County, New York
), Maritato competed in football (as part of the school's 1989 team that went undefeated, untied, and unscored upon) and wrestling. He was later trained as a professional by Billy Robinson
, debuting in the professional ranks in the early 1990s, with his first match against a wrestler known as Parsippany Smith Fields (real name Eric Fox), according to his shoot interview. Maritato then went to Japan
to compete in the shoot style
UWF International
promotion
.
(ECW) under the name
Damian Stone. He was later given the gimmick of Little Guido and put in the comedy stable the Full Blooded Italians
(F.B.I.), alongside an African American named "The Italian Stallion" J.T. Smith
, Tracy Smothers
, and "The Big Don" Tommy Rich
. None of whom, with the exception of Maritato, were really Italian.
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 a tag team
with Tony Mamaluke. The duo won the World Tag Team Championship on August 26, 2000 and held them until December when they lost them to Danny Doring and Roadkill
. They continued to wrestle together until ECW folded in January 2001.
, mostly in the New York Tri-State area; he often teamed with former partner Tony Mamaluke. They had a notable run in Ring of Honor
before Maritato was signed by World Wrestling Entertainment in 2002.
Maritato was introduced on WWE television as Nunzio, a possible reference to the mob
/bodyguard
characters Guido and Nunzio in the MythAdventures
series of books by Robert Asprin
. As the on-screen
heel cousin of Jamie Noble
, he attacked then face Crash Holly
after he defeated Noble in a match on the December 12, 2002 edition of SmackDown!. Nunzio began a feud
with Holly after this, defeating him on several occasions before going on to face the likes of Tajiri
, Shannon Moore
, and Chuck Palumbo
.
The team and cousin storyline of Nunzio and Noble soon faded. Nunzio reformed the Full Blooded Italians, this time with Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli
and Chuck Palumbo
, but the team found little success. After WrestleMania XX
, Palumbo was drafted
to Raw
, and the F.B.I. was reduced to a tag team. After Stamboli was released, Nunzio began competing in the cruiserweight
division.
In 2005, Maritato returned to his Little Guido persona for one night; he reunited with the original Full Blooded Italians to take on Super Crazy
and Tajiri
in a three-way dance at the ECW reunion show One Night Stand
.
As Nunzio, he continued to perform on SmackDown! B-show Velocity
as both a fan favorite
and a villain
, forming a short-lived tag team with Funaki
. On the August 6 (taped on August 2) edition of Velocity, Nunzio won the Cruiserweight Championship
by defeating Paul London
after a new villainous wrestler
, Vito
, made his debut by giving Nunzio a blackjack, which he used to knock London out. Nunzio joined forces with Vito, thus becoming a full time villain.
The pair began feuding with The Mexicools
and at No Mercy
, Mexicool member Juventud
defeated Nunzio with a Juvi Driver to take the Cruiserweight Championship. Nunzio regained the title on November 15 at a house show
in Rome, Italy
but lost it right back to Juventud on the November 25 SmackDown.
Nunzio and Vito would both briefly turn into fan favorites by briefly engaging in a feud against Gregory Helms
. Vito and Nunzio would quickly go back to being villains
, however, due to Vito's new godfather
gimmick.
In late May 2006, Nunzio's partnership with Vito began to crumble after it was revealed that, in storyline, Vito enjoyed cross-dressing
, which made Nunzio feel betrayed and embarrassed. Nunzio ended his alliance with Vito, and moved to the ECW brand.
was revived again, this time with Little Guido as a face once again, alongside Tony Mamaluke and Trinity
and for a short while, Big Guido
. The F.B.I. were used for tag matches on ECW to either take on debuting tag teams or facing another tag team when a tag match is needed. At December to Dismember, they took on Elijah Burke
and Sylvester Terkay
in a losing effort. His partner Tony Mamaluke was released on January 18, leaving Guido and Trinity alone to carry on the stable.
After Mamaluke’s release, Little Guido vanished from television
(he only appeared once on ECW on Sci Fi with the Little Guido name). After his hiatus, he later returned on the April 17, 2007 episode (in Italy
, where he was well received by fans) using his old Nunzio name again but without Trinity, who had been released in June. After losses to the debuting Johnny Nitro and
The Miz, Nunzio disappeared from television for a few months. He returned on the September 11 edition of ECW, in a losing effort to Matt Striker. Nunzio was used mainly as a jobber during this period, losing to Tommy Dreamer
, Jamie Noble, Kevin Thorn
, and Kenny Dykstra.
In 2008, Nunzio returned on January 15, in a losing effort against Shelton Benjamin
, and on his next appearance, on April 8, he lost to Elijah Burke
. He then engaged in a brief feud with Mark Henry
, but came out on the losing end. 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 against Triple H
and Mr. Kennedy
.
On August 8, 2008, Nunzio was released from his WWE contract.
on September 19. On November 15, he won the JAPW Tag Team Championship
with Tracy Smothers. 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 school in New Jersey, while still competing on the independent circuit. In June Guido returned to Ring of Honor
losing to Jay Briscoe at the Hammerstein Ballroom
in New York City
.
In late 2009 Maritato began competing for the National Wrestling Alliance
under the name Nunzio. He currently performs for the NWA On Fire expansion that is based in New England.
's ECW reunion show, Hardcore Justice
, where he, Tony Mamaluke (billed as Tony Luke) and Tracy Smothers
defeated Kid Kash, Simon Diamond and Johnny Swinger in a six man tag team match. On the following edition of TNA Impact!
, the ECW alumni, known collectively as Extreme, Version 2.0 (EV 2.0)
, were assaulted by A.J. Styles
, Kazarian
, Robert Roode, James Storm
, Douglas Williams
and Matt Morgan of Ric Flair
's Fourtune stable, who thought they didn't deserve to be in TNA. The following week TNA president Dixie Carter gave each member of EV 2.0 TNA contracts in order for them to settle their score with Fourtune. On the August 26 edition of Impact! Guido and Luke were squashed by Roode and Storm in a tag team match. The match ended F.B.I.'s association with TNA.
on 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.
game show
Deal or No Deal
in which he won $
25,000.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
origin, currently working on the independent circuit
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW)
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...
under the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
s Little Guido Maritato and Nunzio.
Starting out
While attending Nanuet Senior High SchoolNanuet Senior High School
Nanuet Senior High School is a public high school located in Nanuet, New York. It is formally known as "Nanuet Senior High School: The John P. Burke Building," named after the school's long-time principal. The Nanuet Senior High School houses grades...
(located in Rockland County, New York
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
), Maritato competed in football (as part of the school's 1989 team that went undefeated, untied, and unscored upon) and wrestling. He was later trained as a professional by Billy Robinson
Billy Robinson
Billy Robinson is a British professional wrestler and catch wrestling instructor. Robinson was well known in Japan where he has trained mixed martial arts fighters in catch wrestling...
, debuting in the professional ranks in the early 1990s, with his first match against a wrestler known as Parsippany Smith Fields (real name Eric Fox), according to his shoot interview. Maritato then went to Japan
Professional wrestling in Japan
Puroresu is the popular term for the predominant style or genre of professional wrestling that has developed in Japan. The term comes from the Japanese pronunciation of "professional wrestling" , which is shortened to puroresu . The term became popular among English-speaking fans due to Hisaharu...
to compete in the shoot style
Shoot wrestling
Shoot wrestling is a combat sport that has its origins in Japan's professional wrestling circuit of the 1970s. Professional wrestlers of that era attempted to utilize more realistic or "full contact" moves in their matches to increase their excitement...
UWF International
UWF International
Union of Wrestling Forces International, better known as UWF International, U-Inter, or simply UWFi, was a shoot style professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1991 to 1996. Although the matches were worked , the UWF-i was very convincing for its time, promoting a more hard-hitting, realistic...
promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995–2001)
He stayed in UWF until 1995 where he joined Extreme Championship WrestlingExtreme 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...
(ECW) under the name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Damian Stone. He was later given the gimmick of Little Guido and put in the comedy stable the Full Blooded Italians
Full Blooded Italians
The Full Blooded Italians is a professional wrestling stable and tag team that wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s and for World Wrestling Entertainment during the mid-2000s.-Extreme Championship Wrestling:...
(F.B.I.), alongside an African American named "The Italian Stallion" J.T. Smith
John T. Smith
John T. "J.T." Smith is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling in the 1990s.-Tri-State Wrestling Alliance:...
, Tracy Smothers
Tracy Smothers
Tracy Smothers is an American professional wrestler.-Early career:Tracy started his career in the Memphis promotion on Saturday morning TV. Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers started teaming as The Southern Boys in Florida Championship Wrestling in 1987 where they feuded with The New Breed...
, and "The Big Don" Tommy Rich
Tommy Rich
Thomas Richardson , better known by his ring name, "Wildfire" Tommy Rich, is a professional wrestler. He is best known for his wrestling career in Georgia and Memphis throughout the 1980s.-Professional wrestling career:...
. None of whom, with the exception of Maritato, were really Italian.
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 a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
with Tony Mamaluke. The duo won the World Tag Team Championship on August 26, 2000 and held them until December when they lost them to Danny Doring and Roadkill
Danny Doring and Roadkill
Danny Doring and Roadkill were a tag team in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1996 to 2001.-Extreme Championship Wrestling:In December 1997, Doring and Roadkill formed together in an unlikely tag team. At first, they were managed by Miss Congeniality, the onscreen girlfriend of Doring. At Heat...
. They continued to wrestle together until ECW folded in January 2001.
SmackDown! brand
When ECW closed, Maritato wrestled for several independent promotionsIndependent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
, mostly in the New York Tri-State area; he often teamed with former partner Tony Mamaluke. They had a notable run in Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
before Maritato was signed by World Wrestling Entertainment in 2002.
Maritato was introduced on WWE television as Nunzio, a possible reference to the mob
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
/bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
characters Guido and Nunzio in the MythAdventures
MythAdventures
MythAdventures or Myth Adventures is a fantasy series by Robert Lynn Asprin and Jody Lynn Nye. After twelve novels by Asprin, published 1978 to 2002, he and Nye continued the series with seven more books...
series of books by Robert Asprin
Robert Asprin
Robert Lynn Asprin was an American science fiction and fantasy author and active fan, best known for his humorous MythAdventures and Phule's Company series.- Background :...
. As the on-screen
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
heel cousin of Jamie Noble
Jamie Noble
James Howard Gibson better known by his WWE ring name Jamie Noble, is an American former professional wrestler currently working for WWE as a trainer. He is best known for his work from 2002 to 2009 when a severe back injury forced him to retire from competition...
, he attacked then face Crash Holly
Mike Lockwood
Michael John "Mike" Lockwood was an American professional wrestler best known for his time with World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment under the ring name Crash Holly....
after he defeated Noble in a match on the December 12, 2002 edition of SmackDown!. Nunzio began a feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Holly after this, defeating him on several occasions before going on to face the likes of Tajiri
Yoshihiro Tajiri
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :...
, Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore is an American professional wrestler, who is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment for several years in the 2000s.Moore befriended Matt and Jeff Hardy...
, and Chuck Palumbo
Chuck Palumbo
Charles "Chuck" Palumbo is an American professional wrestler, currently working for Nu-Wrestling Evolution . Palumbo is best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment...
.
The team and cousin storyline of Nunzio and Noble soon faded. Nunzio reformed the Full Blooded Italians, this time with Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli
John Hugger
John Hugger is an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling as Johnny the Bull, World Wrestling Entertainment as Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli...
and Chuck Palumbo
Chuck Palumbo
Charles "Chuck" Palumbo is an American professional wrestler, currently working for Nu-Wrestling Evolution . Palumbo is best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment...
, but the team found little success. After WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX was the twentieth WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on March 14, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York....
, Palumbo was drafted
2004 WWE Draft Lottery
The 2004 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft Lottery took place at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan on March 22, 2004. The draft took place live for two hours on WWE's flagship television program, Raw on Spike TV. Post-draft trades were announced on WWE's official website, WWE.com, until...
to Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, and the F.B.I. was reduced to a tag team. After Stamboli was released, Nunzio began competing in the cruiserweight
Cruiserweight (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a cruiserweight is a wrestler weighing 220 lb and less, sometimes 215. The older term junior heavyweight, which was used to describe the division, is more favored in Japan, where many titles for lighter-weight competitors are called junior heavyweight titles...
division.
In 2005, Maritato returned to his Little Guido persona for one night; he reunited with the original Full Blooded Italians to take on Super Crazy
Super Crazy
Francisco Islas Rueda is a Mexican professional wrestler, or Luchador, best known by his ring name Super Crazy. Islas is most known for his three year run in the original ECW...
and Tajiri
Yoshihiro Tajiri
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :...
in a three-way dance at the ECW reunion show One Night Stand
ECW One Night Stand (2005)
ECW One Night Stand was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It was held on June 12, 2005 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York. The main event was a tag team match between The Dudley Boyz and the team of Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman...
.
As Nunzio, he continued to perform on SmackDown! B-show Velocity
WWE Velocity
WWE Velocity was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It replaced two syndicated WWE shows, Jakked/Metal. Once a weekly Saturday night show on Spike TV and on Sky Sports 2 in the UK on Sunday mornings, Velocity became a webcast from 2005 to 2006...
as both a fan favorite
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
and a villain
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
, forming a short-lived tag team with Funaki
Shoichi Funaki
is a Japanese/American professional wrestler best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one-time Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time Hardcore Champion.-Early years :...
. On the August 6 (taped on August 2) edition of Velocity, Nunzio won the Cruiserweight Championship
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs...
by defeating Paul London
Paul London
Paul Michael London is an American professional wrestler best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
after a new villainous wrestler
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
, Vito
Vito LoGrasso
Vito Joseph LoGrasso is an American professional wrestler, of Italian origin, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling as Big Vito and more recently World Wrestling Entertainment and working for their "developmental territories" Ohio Valley Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling as...
, made his debut by giving Nunzio a blackjack, which he used to knock London out. Nunzio joined forces with Vito, thus becoming a full time villain.
The pair began feuding with The Mexicools
The Mexicools
The Mexicools were a professional wrestling stable and tag team, that were signed to World Wrestling Entertainment's SmackDown! brand. The team consisted of three well-known Mexican wrestlers of the late 1990s: Super Crazy, Psicosis and Juventud...
and at No Mercy
No Mercy (2005)
No Mercy was the eighth annual No Mercy professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on October 9, 2005 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas and featured wrestlers and other talent from WWE's SmackDown! brand...
, Mexicool member Juventud
Juventud Guerrera
Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández , better known as Juventud Guerrera, is a Mexican professional wrestler who is best known for his work in many wrestling promotions worldwide, including all the major American wrestling promotions, such as World Wrestling Entertainment, World Championship...
defeated Nunzio with a Juvi Driver to take the Cruiserweight Championship. Nunzio regained the title on November 15 at a house show
House show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
in Rome, Italy
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
but lost it right back to Juventud on the November 25 SmackDown.
Nunzio and Vito would both briefly turn into fan favorites by briefly engaging in a feud against Gregory Helms
Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms...
. Vito and Nunzio would quickly go back to being villains
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
, however, due to Vito's new godfather
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
gimmick.
In late May 2006, Nunzio's partnership with Vito began to crumble after it was revealed that, in storyline, Vito enjoyed cross-dressing
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
, which made Nunzio feel betrayed and embarrassed. Nunzio ended his alliance with Vito, and moved to the ECW brand.
ECW brand
In June when the ECW brand was launched, Nunzio left SmackDown to join other "ECW originals" on ECW, retaking his Little Guido name in the process. The F.B.I.Full Blooded Italians
The Full Blooded Italians is a professional wrestling stable and tag team that wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s and for World Wrestling Entertainment during the mid-2000s.-Extreme Championship Wrestling:...
was revived again, this time with Little Guido as a face once again, alongside Tony Mamaluke and Trinity
Stephanie Finochio
Stephanie Finochio is an American stuntwoman and retired professional wrestler and valet better known by her ring name Trinity...
and for a short while, Big Guido
Michael Fury
Michael Santoni Jr. is an Italian American professional wrestler best known under the ring name of Big Guido. Santoni wrestled as an enforcer for the Full Blooded Italians in Extreme Championship Wrestling in the last 1990s. He was also a part of the team's reunion in World Wrestling Entertainment...
. The F.B.I. were used for tag matches on ECW to either take on debuting tag teams or facing another tag team when a tag match is needed. At December to Dismember, they took on Elijah Burke
Elijah Burke
Elijah Samuel Burke is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero; a gimmick in which he portrays a Harlem street preacher...
and Sylvester Terkay
Sylvester Terkay
Sylvester Terkay is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist best known for his run in World Wrestling Entertainment ....
in a losing effort. His partner Tony Mamaluke was released on January 18, leaving Guido and Trinity alone to carry on the stable.
After Mamaluke’s release, Little Guido vanished from television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
(he only appeared once on ECW on Sci Fi with the Little Guido name). After his hiatus, he later returned on the April 17, 2007 episode (in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where he was well received by fans) using his old Nunzio name again but without Trinity, who had been released in June. After losses to the debuting Johnny Nitro and
John Morrison and The Miz
John Morrison and The Miz were a professional wrestling tag team and former WWE Tough Enough contestants. The team worked for World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand, but also appeared on the SmackDown and Raw brands due to ECW's talent exchanges with those brands during their tenure as a team...
The Miz, Nunzio disappeared from television for a few months. He returned on the September 11 edition of ECW, in a losing effort to Matt Striker. Nunzio was used mainly as a jobber during this period, losing to Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
, Jamie Noble, Kevin Thorn
Kevin Fertig
Kevin Matthew Fertig is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring names Mordecai and Kevin Thorn....
, and Kenny Dykstra.
In 2008, Nunzio returned on January 15, in a losing effort against Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
, and on his next appearance, on April 8, he lost to Elijah Burke
Elijah Burke
Elijah Samuel Burke is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero; a gimmick in which he portrays a Harlem street preacher...
. He then engaged in a brief feud with Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
, but came out on the losing end. 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 against Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
and Mr. Kennedy
Ken Anderson (wrestler)
Kenneth Anderson is an American professional wrestler and occasional actor. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Mr. Anderson. He is a former two-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, making him an overall two time world champion. He wrestled under the ring...
.
On August 8, 2008, Nunzio was released from his WWE contract.
Independent circuit
Maritato wrestled for Jersey All Pro WrestlingJersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey.-1997:Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia on April 19, 1997. This promotion was born out of a dream of "Fat" Frank. He wanted to take the promotion...
on September 19. On November 15, he won the JAPW Tag Team Championship
JAPW Tag Team Championship
The JAPW Tag Team Championship is a championship in the Jersey All Pro Wrestling promotion. Being a professional wrestling championship, it is not won via direct competition; it is instead won via a predetermined ending to a match or awarded to a wrestler because of a wrestling angle...
with Tracy Smothers. 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 school in New Jersey, while still competing on the independent circuit. In June Guido returned to Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
losing to Jay Briscoe at the Hammerstein Ballroom
Hammerstein Ballroom
The Hammerstein Ballroom is a two-tiered, 12,000 square feet ballroom located within the Manhattan Center Studios on 311 West 34th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States of America. It is known for its elegant appearance and excellent acoustical design...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In late 2009 Maritato began competing for 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...
under the name Nunzio. He currently performs for the NWA On Fire expansion that is based in New England.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010)
On August 8, 2010, Maritato took part in Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
's ECW reunion show, Hardcore Justice
Hardcore Justice (2010)
Hardcore Justice was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on August 8, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
, where he, Tony Mamaluke (billed as Tony Luke) and Tracy Smothers
Tracy Smothers
Tracy Smothers is an American professional wrestler.-Early career:Tracy started his career in the Memphis promotion on Saturday morning TV. Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers started teaming as The Southern Boys in Florida Championship Wrestling in 1987 where they feuded with The New Breed...
defeated Kid Kash, Simon Diamond and Johnny Swinger in a six man tag team match. On the following edition of TNA Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
, the ECW alumni, known collectively as Extreme, Version 2.0 (EV 2.0)
ECW Originals
The ECW Originals was a professional wrestling stable that made sporadic appearances in various wrestling promotions, including World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
, were assaulted by A.J. Styles
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, Kazarian
Frankie Kazarian
Frank B. Gerdelman is an Armenian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Frankie Kazarian or simply Kazarian. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, Robert Roode, James Storm
James Storm
James Allen Cox is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "The Cowboy" James Storm. Since 2002, Storm has been employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he, along with A.J...
, Douglas Williams
Doug Williams (wrestler)
Douglas Clayton Durdle is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Doug Williams. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Douglas Williams...
and Matt Morgan of Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
's Fourtune stable, who thought they didn't deserve to be in TNA. The following week TNA president Dixie Carter gave each member of EV 2.0 TNA contracts in order for them to settle their score with Fourtune. On the August 26 edition of Impact! Guido and Luke were squashed by Roode and Storm in a tag team match. The match ended F.B.I.'s association with TNA.
Return to WWE (2010–2011)
Maritato appeared at a house show for WWE Raw, at Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
on 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.
Other media
On March 6, 2006, Maritato was seen supporting his brother on the NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal (US game show)
Deal or No Deal is the American version of the international game show of Dutch origin of the same name. The show was hosted by Howie Mandel, and premiered on December 19, 2005, on National Broadcasting Company . The hour-long show typically aired at least twice a week during its run, and included...
in which he won $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
25,000.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Kiss of Death / Kamikazee / Maritator / Sicilian Drop (Inverted double underhook facebuster)
- Sicilian Slice (Diving leg drop bulldog)
- Fujiwara armbar
- Arrivederci (Springboard single arm DDT)
- Sicilian Crab (Elevated over the shoulder Boston crab)
- Signature moves
- Back elbow
- Punch or slap
- Cross armbar
- Front missile dropkick
- Armbar Takedown
- Snap Suplex
- DDTDDT (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock, and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat...
- Snap swinging neckbreaker
- Reverse Bulldog
- Italian Legsweep(Modified Russian Legsweep)
- Rapid Punches
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Sal E. Graziano
- Tommy RichTommy RichThomas Richardson , better known by his ring name, "Wildfire" Tommy Rich, is a professional wrestler. He is best known for his wrestling career in Georgia and Memphis throughout the 1980s.-Professional wrestling career:...
- VitoVito LoGrassoVito Joseph LoGrasso is an American professional wrestler, of Italian origin, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling as Big Vito and more recently World Wrestling Entertainment and working for their "developmental territories" Ohio Valley Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling as...
- TrinityStephanie FinochioStephanie Finochio is an American stuntwoman and retired professional wrestler and valet better known by her ring name Trinity...
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "The Sicilian Shooter"
- "The Extreme Stud"
- "The Pugnacious Pisan"
Championships and accomplishments
- Chaotic WrestlingChaotic WrestlingChaotic Wrestling is an American independent wrestling promotion based in North Andover, Massachusetts owned by Jamie Jamitowski and formerly Killer Kowalski prior to his death in August 2008. In addition to the promotion is the Chaotic Training Center, a professional wrestling school where...
- CW Tag Team ChampionshipChaotic Wrestling Tag Team ChampionshipThe Chaotic Wrestling Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in American independent promotion Chaotic Wrestling. The title was first won by The Damned defeating Derik Destiny and Kid Krazy in Worcester, Massachusetts on September 17, 2000...
(1 time) – with Luis Ortiz
- CW Tag Team Championship
- East Coast Pro Wrestling
- ECPW Hall of Fame (2009)
- Extreme Championship WrestlingExtreme Championship WrestlingExtreme 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...
- ECW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Tony Mamaluke (1) and Tracy SmothersTracy SmothersTracy Smothers is an American professional wrestler.-Early career:Tracy started his career in the Memphis promotion on Saturday morning TV. Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers started teaming as The Southern Boys in Florida Championship Wrestling in 1987 where they feuded with The New Breed...
(1)
- ECW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Tony Mamaluke (1) and Tracy Smothers
- Jersey All Pro WrestlingJersey All Pro WrestlingJersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey.-1997:Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia on April 19, 1997. This promotion was born out of a dream of "Fat" Frank. He wanted to take the promotion...
- JAPW Tag Team ChampionshipJAPW Tag Team ChampionshipThe JAPW Tag Team Championship is a championship in the Jersey All Pro Wrestling promotion. Being a professional wrestling championship, it is not won via direct competition; it is instead won via a predetermined ending to a match or awarded to a wrestler because of a wrestling angle...
(1 time) – with Tracy SmothersTracy SmothersTracy Smothers is an American professional wrestler.-Early career:Tracy started his career in the Memphis promotion on Saturday morning TV. Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers started teaming as The Southern Boys in Florida Championship Wrestling in 1987 where they feuded with The New Breed...
- JAPW Tag Team Championship
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him #79 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2003
- USA Pro Wrestling
- USA Pro Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Rahul Kay (1) and Kid Kruel (1)
- USA Pro United States Championship (1 time)
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- WWE Cruiserweight ChampionshipWWE Cruiserweight ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs...
(2 times)
- WWE Cruiserweight Championship