Sam DeCero
Encyclopedia
Samuel "Sam" DeCero is a retired American
professional wrestler, manager, trainer
and promoter
. He was one-half of the Maxx Brothers, also known as the Wild or World Warriors, with Mad Maxx
who together competed in the American Wrestling Association
and the World Wrestling Association
, winning the WWA World Tag Team Championship
in 1984. He and Mad Maxx also toured Japan several times during the mid-1980s and unsuccessfully challenged IWGP Tag Team Champions Tatsumi Fujinami
& Kengo Kimura
in 1986.
DeCero is also the founder and owner of Windy City Pro Wrestling
based in Chicago, Illinois, one of the oldest independent promotions in the United States, and is responsible for training hundreds of wrestlers. One of his former students, Christopher Daniels
, started his career in DeCero's promotion and later became an established star on the independent circuit
and in TNA.
& Butcher Vachon
), Hercules Cortez, The Crusher
, Dick the Bruiser and other stars of the era. He became interested in music as a teenager and played the kettle drum in his school marching band
. At age 16, while still in high school, DeCero joined a heavy metal
band. Though achieving some limited success, he eventually left the band after six years. Prior to this, DeCero approached promoter Paul Krusky after attending a local wrestling show and asked about entering professional wrestling. He was initially turned away by Krusky who told the 22-year old DeCero he was far too small to compete. DeCero began training and, within three months, he had increased his weight from 165 to 200 lbs. greatly improving his overall muscle mass. He later described his diet and training regimen in a 1991 interview,
Krusky agreed to take him into the business and, after paying him a fee, DeCero was introduced to a facility in Louisville, Kentucky
where he was trained by Paul Christy
and Randy Savage
, as well as his brother Lanny
and father Angelo Poffo, for eight months before making his debut in 1981. Throughout his training, he drove 14 hours to and from Louisville each weekend, helped set up the ring and participated in wrestling matches for which he was paid $10. From there, he spent his rookie year in Indianapolis
for the World Wrestling Association
as Slammin' Sammy Darro. One of his first matches was against one of his childhood heroes Dick the Bruiser.
and, changing his name to Super Maxx, they eventually began teaming together. After winning the WWA World Tag Team Championship
from Dick the Bruiser & Jeff Van Kamp
in 1984, they moved on to the American Wrestling Association
where they became one of its top tag teams during the mid-1980s. Some of their highlight matches were against teams such as The Midnight Rockers (Marty Jannetty
& Shawn Michaels
) and AWA Tag Team Champions Curt Hennig
& Scott Hall
whom they faced in Hammond, Indiana
on March 22, 1986. He and Mad Maxx also went on several tours of Japan where they earned as much as $3,000 a week and, while in World Japan Pro Wrestling, faced IWGP Tag Team Champions Tatsumi Fujinami
& Kengo Kimura
in a no disqualification match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship. DeCero praised the Japanese and described his experiences overseas in an interview years later.
Throughout his career, he wrestled many of the top stars in the Midwest and Central States territories including Bruiser Brody, Adrian Adonis
, Dick Murdoch
, Jesse Ventura
, Mr. Saito and Nick Bockwinkel
. Many of these wrestlers gained respect for DeCero, who frequently faced them in "stiff" matches, and has credited them for helping him during his early career.
to be removed and two spinal fusion
s. Although he would recover from his injuries, he was told by doctors that he would unable to return to wrestling. DeCero also required surgery to remove growths caused by steroid
use. He decided to open his own promotion, Windy City Wrestling, and spent almost a year gathering the necessary capital from family and friends prior to its debut in 1988. Mike Gretchner was one of the biggest invests and later became the Windy City Wrestling's general manager
. He also started a wrestling school, Windy City Professional Wrestling Academy, in South Side Chicago which trained hundreds of wrestlers during the next twenty years. In September 1988, the school was profiled by the Chicago Sun-Times
as reporter Larry Weintraub took part in a 3-hour training session under Frank "The Tank" Melson, Tarzan and DeCero. DeCero later said that it was his intention to bring back the "blood-and-guts wrestling that people loved years ago in the (International) Amphitheatre" and to make Chicago the center of professional wrestling once more.
The promotion became very successful during the next two years bringing in a number of territory stars such as Mad Maxx, "Mr. Electricity" Steven Regal
, Dennis Condrey
, "Playboy" Buddy Rose
, Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy
, Bam Bam Bigelow and Bruiser Brody shortly before his death; it was also where The Texas Hangmen (Psycho & Killer) and manager Paul E. Dangerously started their early careers. Windy City Wrestling also ran a weekly half-hour television show on Sportsvision
, produced and directed by DeCero, and aired in five markets within three years. In October 1990, DeCero appeared with head trainer Sonny Rogers and WCW Heavyweight Champion Hurricane Smith as guests on The Doug Buffone Show
. The show was taped at Ditka's Restaurant in Merrillville, Indiana
, and also featured former Chicago Bears
lineman Revie Sorey
. By 1991, DeCero had promoted over 80 shows and helped organize fundraisers for Toys for Tots
, Muscular Dystrophy and the Maryville City for Youth. One of his benefit shows with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless was held at the International Amphitheater and was attended by 4,000 fans. DeCero and the promotion would also organize fundraisers for local fraternal police orders, booster clubs, and high schools.
Much of DeCero's charity work, as well as the wrestling school, attracted considerable media attention from newspapers and magazines. Windy City Wrestling was, at one point, ranked the fifth largest promotion in the United States. With the end of the 1980s wrestling boom, DeCero was hopeful that his promotion would surpass the National Wrestling Alliance
and the World Wrestling Federation. He cited both the general decline of the NWA and Hulk Hogan
's departure from the WWF, as well as correctly predicting the close of Pacific Northwest Wrestling
, as reasons for his promotion to become the top wrestling organization. It was also his opinion that fans had grown tired of sports entertainment
and that Windy City Wrestling was one of the few, if not the only promotion, actively promoting traditional "family friendly" wrestling.
Although financial setbacks and the decline of the territory system eventually forced DeCero to keep the promotion based in the general Chicago area, it was the only Midwestern regional promotion to survive into the 1990s. He was also able to feature former WWF stars such as Brian Knobbs
, Bob Backlund
, Greg Valentine
and King Kong Bundy
as well as younger Extreme Championship Wrestling
wrestlers Rob Van Dam
and Sabu. His wrestling school also remained one of the top facilities in the region and whose students included Steve Boz, Terry Allen, Vic Capri, Bigtime, Trevor Blanchard, Jayson Reign, Mike Anthony, Ace Steel
, Sosay
, Kevin Quinn
and Christopher Daniels
. DeCero has also helped train referee Terry Hooper, female wrestler Sandra D and midget wrestler Puppet the Psycho Dwarf. In 1998, he had 70 students enrolled in his school. Several of his students have appeared as preliminary wrestlers at WWF house shows and televised events in the area. Around this time, he started a sister wrestling promotion, Urban America Pro Wrestling, which ran events in Chicago's inner city neighborhoods and featured African-American and minority wrestlers.
feud with new co-owner Billy Whack who promised to "contact everyone who DeCero may have ever crossed by non-payment, bad business deals or personal reasons" and "invited every wrestler in the Chicago wrestling scene to join him in doing the one thing that every person who has ever started a wrestling group in Chicago has always wanted to do - conquer Sam DeCero and his WCPW". Billy Whack had previously promoted Lunatic Wrestling Federation, formerly based in Mokena
and Midlothian, Illinois
, which had rivaled DeCero's organization in previous years.
In December 2010, Windy City Pro Wrestling closed.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler, manager, trainer
Athletic trainer
An athletic trainer is a certified, health care professional who practices in the field of sports medicine. Athletic training has been recognized by the American Medical Association as an allied health care profession since 1990....
and promoter
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
. He was one-half of the Maxx Brothers, also known as the Wild or World Warriors, with Mad Maxx
John Richmond (wrestler)
John Richmond is a retired American professional wrestler, best known by his ringname Eli the Eliminator, who competed in North American regional promotions during the 1980s in Bill Watts' Universal Wrestling Federation and World Class Championship Wrestling, most notably as a member of Skandor...
who together competed in the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
and the World Wrestling Association
World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis)
The World Wrestling Association was an Indianapolis-based pro wrestling promotion which was operated by Dick "The Bruiser" Afflis and his business partner Wilbur Snyder. The WWA was affiliated with the larger American Wrestling Association and recognized its champions, though the WWA also had its...
, winning the WWA World Tag Team Championship
WWA World Tag Team Championship
The WWA World Tag Team Championship was the primary tag team title in the Indianapolis-based World Wrestling Association from the promotion's formation in 1964 until the late 1980s when the promotion closed.-Title history:...
in 1984. He and Mad Maxx also toured Japan several times during the mid-1980s and unsuccessfully challenged IWGP Tag Team Champions Tatsumi Fujinami
Tatsumi Fujinami
is a Japanese professional wrestler who is famous for his gimmick as "The Dragon." He is the one who is credited for inventing the Dragon Sleeper and the Dragon Suplex...
& Kengo Kimura
Kengo Kimura
Seiei Kimura is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Kengo Kimura and for his many years working for New Japan Pro Wrestling in Japan.-Japan Wrestling Association :...
in 1986.
DeCero is also the founder and owner of Windy City Pro Wrestling
Windy City Pro Wrestling
Windy City Pro Wrestling was an American regional professional wrestling promotion based in Chicago, Illinois. Established by retired wrestler Sam DeCero in 1988, the promotion was one of several major regional territories in the Midwest during the late 1980s, along with Dick the Bruiser's World...
based in Chicago, Illinois, one of the oldest independent promotions in the United States, and is responsible for training hundreds of wrestlers. One of his former students, Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is also known for performing under the ring name Curry Man. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , while also...
, started his career in DeCero's promotion and later became an established star 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...
and in TNA.
Early life and career
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Sam DeCero became interested in professional wrestling at an early age and remained a fan throughout his childhood. He often attended live wrestling events with his parents at the International Amphitheater where he watched the Vachon Brothers (Mad DogMaurice Vachon
Maurice Vachon is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, best known by his ring name "Mad Dog" Vachon. He is the brother of wrestlers Paul and Vivian Vachon, and the uncle of wrestler Luna Vachon...
& Butcher Vachon
Paul Vachon
Paul "Butcher" Vachon is a former professional wrestler. He is a member of the Vachon wrestling family.-Professional wrestling career:Paul Vachon grew up as one of thirteen children of Ferdinand Vachon, a Montreal police officer...
), Hercules Cortez, The Crusher
The Crusher
The Crusher may refer to:* Reginald Lisowski, a former wrestler.* The Crusher, an album by melodic death metal band Amon Amarth.* The Crusher, a song by The Ramones.* The Crusher, a song by Dee Dee King....
, Dick the Bruiser and other stars of the era. He became interested in music as a teenager and played the kettle drum in his school marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
. At age 16, while still in high school, DeCero joined a heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band. Though achieving some limited success, he eventually left the band after six years. Prior to this, DeCero approached promoter Paul Krusky after attending a local wrestling show and asked about entering professional wrestling. He was initially turned away by Krusky who told the 22-year old DeCero he was far too small to compete. DeCero began training and, within three months, he had increased his weight from 165 to 200 lbs. greatly improving his overall muscle mass. He later described his diet and training regimen in a 1991 interview,
Krusky agreed to take him into the business and, after paying him a fee, DeCero was introduced to a facility in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
where he was trained by Paul Christy
Paul Christy
Paul Christy is a former professional wrestler known mainly for his work in the National Wrestling Alliance and International Championship Wrestling as well as a very short stint in the World Wrestling Federation in the mid-'80s...
and Randy Savage
Randy Savage
Randall Mario Poffo , better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling .Savage held twenty championships during his professional wrestling career and was a...
, as well as his brother Lanny
Lanny Poffo
Lanny Mark Poffo , better known by his ring name "Leaping" Lanny is an American professional wrestler. Poffo was born in Calgary, Canada, to Angelo Poffo, an Italian American Catholic, and Judy, a Jewish American. He is also the brother of wrestling legend "Macho Man" Randy Savage...
and father Angelo Poffo, for eight months before making his debut in 1981. Throughout his training, he drove 14 hours to and from Louisville each weekend, helped set up the ring and participated in wrestling matches for which he was paid $10. From there, he spent his rookie year in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
for the World Wrestling Association
World Wrestling Association
The World Wrestling Association is a lucha libre promotion based in the Tijuana-area of Mexico. It was founded in 1986 by Benjamin Mora, Jr....
as Slammin' Sammy Darro. One of his first matches was against one of his childhood heroes Dick the Bruiser.
Maxx Brothers
It was while wrestling in the WWA that DeCero met his future tag team partner Mad MaxxJohn Richmond (wrestler)
John Richmond is a retired American professional wrestler, best known by his ringname Eli the Eliminator, who competed in North American regional promotions during the 1980s in Bill Watts' Universal Wrestling Federation and World Class Championship Wrestling, most notably as a member of Skandor...
and, changing his name to Super Maxx, they eventually began teaming together. After winning the WWA World Tag Team Championship
WWA World Tag Team Championship
The WWA World Tag Team Championship was the primary tag team title in the Indianapolis-based World Wrestling Association from the promotion's formation in 1964 until the late 1980s when the promotion closed.-Title history:...
from Dick the Bruiser & Jeff Van Kamp
Jeff Van Kamp
Jeff VanCamp, Sr. is former professional wrestler, who wrestled as Lord Humongous in 1984. He wrestled mainly in the South and was managed by Ron Fuller. He feuded with Fuller over the NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship.-Career:...
in 1984, they moved on to the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
where they became one of its top tag teams during the mid-1980s. Some of their highlight matches were against teams such as The Midnight Rockers (Marty Jannetty
Marty Jannetty
Frederick Marty Jannetty is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation as part of tag team The Rockers with partner Shawn Michaels, and later as a singles competitor. While in the WWF, he became a one time Intercontinental Champion and a one time...
& Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
) and AWA Tag Team Champions Curt Hennig
Curt Hennig
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World...
& Scott Hall
Scott Hall
Scott Hall is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name...
whom they faced in Hammond, Indiana
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
on March 22, 1986. He and Mad Maxx also went on several tours of Japan where they earned as much as $3,000 a week and, while in World Japan Pro Wrestling, faced IWGP Tag Team Champions Tatsumi Fujinami
Tatsumi Fujinami
is a Japanese professional wrestler who is famous for his gimmick as "The Dragon." He is the one who is credited for inventing the Dragon Sleeper and the Dragon Suplex...
& Kengo Kimura
Kengo Kimura
Seiei Kimura is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Kengo Kimura and for his many years working for New Japan Pro Wrestling in Japan.-Japan Wrestling Association :...
in a no disqualification match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship. DeCero praised the Japanese and described his experiences overseas in an interview years later.
Throughout his career, he wrestled many of the top stars in the Midwest and Central States territories including Bruiser Brody, Adrian Adonis
Adrian Adonis
Keith A. Franke was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Adorable" Adrian Adonis.-Career:Franke trained under Fred Atkins and debuted in 1974, wrestling under his own name...
, Dick Murdoch
Dick Murdoch
Hoyt Richard "Dick" Murdoch was an American professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:A second-generation wrestler, the son of 1950s Texas wrestler Frankie Hill Murdoch, Dick Murdoch grew up with fellow second-generation wrestlers Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk, watching their fathers...
, Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura
James George Janos , better known as Jesse Ventura, is an American politician, the 38th Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003, Navy UDT veteran, former SEAL reservist, actor, and former radio and television talk show host...
, Mr. Saito and Nick Bockwinkel
Nick Bockwinkel
Nicholas Warren Francis "Nick" Bockwinkel is a retired American professional wrestler. He mainly competed in the American Wrestling Association in the United States...
. Many of these wrestlers gained respect for DeCero, who frequently faced them in "stiff" matches, and has credited them for helping him during his early career.
Windy City Wrestling
During his wrestling career, DeCero also worked as a city construction worker in Chicago. While on the job in 1987, he fell off a truck and landed on a steel plate suffering a severe back injury. He underwent surgery which required an intervertebral discIntervertebral disc
Intervertebral discs lie between adjacent vertebrae in the spine. Each disc forms a cartilaginous joint to allow slight movement of the vertebrae, and acts as a ligament to hold the vertebrae together.-Structure:...
to be removed and two spinal fusion
Spinal fusion
Spinal fusion, also known as spondylodesis or spondylosyndesis, is a surgical technique used to join two or more vertebrae. Supplementary bone tissue, either from the patient or a donor , is used in conjunction with the body's natural bone growth processes to fuse the vertebrae.Fusing of the...
s. Although he would recover from his injuries, he was told by doctors that he would unable to return to wrestling. DeCero also required surgery to remove growths caused by steroid
Steroid
A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...
use. He decided to open his own promotion, Windy City Wrestling, and spent almost a year gathering the necessary capital from family and friends prior to its debut in 1988. Mike Gretchner was one of the biggest invests and later became the Windy City Wrestling's general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
. He also started a wrestling school, Windy City Professional Wrestling Academy, in South Side Chicago which trained hundreds of wrestlers during the next twenty years. In September 1988, the school was profiled by the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
as reporter Larry Weintraub took part in a 3-hour training session under Frank "The Tank" Melson, Tarzan and DeCero. DeCero later said that it was his intention to bring back the "blood-and-guts wrestling that people loved years ago in the (International) Amphitheatre" and to make Chicago the center of professional wrestling once more.
The promotion became very successful during the next two years bringing in a number of territory stars such as Mad Maxx, "Mr. Electricity" Steven Regal
Steve Regal
Steve Regal is a former professional wrestler, better known as "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal, who competed in North American regional promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance and the American Wrestling Association during the early 1970s and 1980s.-Professional wrestling career:Born in Ft...
, Dennis Condrey
Dennis Condrey
Dennis Condrey is an American professional wrestler, best known as being one half of the tag team Midnight Express....
, "Playboy" Buddy Rose
Buddy Rose
Paul Perschmann was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Playboy" Buddy Rose.-Career:Paul Perschmann was trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson in the early 1970s...
, Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy
Terry Gordy
Terry Ray 'Bam Bam' Gordy, Sr. was a professional wrestler who was best known in North America for being a member of the Fabulous Freebirds.-Career:...
, Bam Bam Bigelow and Bruiser Brody shortly before his death; it was also where The Texas Hangmen (Psycho & Killer) and manager Paul E. Dangerously started their early careers. Windy City Wrestling also ran a weekly half-hour television show on Sportsvision
Sportsvision
Sportsvision was a subscription TV service founded by Chicago White Sox owners Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn, and media mogul Fred Eychaner. The service broadcast live sporting events....
, produced and directed by DeCero, and aired in five markets within three years. In October 1990, DeCero appeared with head trainer Sonny Rogers and WCW Heavyweight Champion Hurricane Smith as guests on The Doug Buffone Show
Doug Buffone
Douglas John Buffone is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. Buffone, the son of a coal miner , attended high school at Shannock Valley High School in Rural Valley, Pennsylvania.-College career:Buffone played...
. The show was taped at Ditka's Restaurant in Merrillville, Indiana
Merrillville, Indiana
Merrillville is a town in Ross Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 35,246 at the 2010 census. Merrillville is located in the east-central portion of Lake County.-Geography:Merrillville is located at ....
, and also featured former Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
lineman Revie Sorey
Revie Sorey
Revie Sorey is a former professional American football player who played offensive lineman for nine seasons for the Chicago Bears. Revie lives with his son Trace in the affluent Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn....
. By 1991, DeCero had promoted over 80 shows and helped organize fundraisers for Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which donates toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. The program was founded in 1947 by reservist Major William L...
, Muscular Dystrophy and the Maryville City for Youth. One of his benefit shows with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless was held at the International Amphitheater and was attended by 4,000 fans. DeCero and the promotion would also organize fundraisers for local fraternal police orders, booster clubs, and high schools.
Much of DeCero's charity work, as well as the wrestling school, attracted considerable media attention from newspapers and magazines. Windy City Wrestling was, at one point, ranked the fifth largest promotion in the United States. With the end of the 1980s wrestling boom, DeCero was hopeful that his promotion would surpass 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...
and the World Wrestling Federation. He cited both the general decline of the NWA and Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
's departure from the WWF, as well as correctly predicting the close of Pacific Northwest Wrestling
Pacific Northwest Wrestling
Pacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
, as reasons for his promotion to become the top wrestling organization. It was also his opinion that fans had grown tired of sports entertainment
Sports entertainment
Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competitive event using a high level of theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertaining an audience...
and that Windy City Wrestling was one of the few, if not the only promotion, actively promoting traditional "family friendly" wrestling.
Although financial setbacks and the decline of the territory system eventually forced DeCero to keep the promotion based in the general Chicago area, it was the only Midwestern regional promotion to survive into the 1990s. He was also able to feature former WWF stars such as Brian Knobbs
Brian Knobbs
Brian Yandrisovitz , better known as Brian Knobbs, is an American professional wrestler, best known as one half of the tag team The Nasty Boys along with Jerry Sags.-The Nasty Boys:...
, Bob Backlund
Bob Backlund
Robert Lee "Bob" Backlund is an American professional wrestler with an in ring career that spanned over 30 years. Over that time, he went on to become a two-time WWWF/WWF Champion...
, Greg Valentine
Greg Valentine
John Wisniski, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine.-Training:...
and King Kong Bundy
King Kong Bundy
Christopher Alan "Chris" Pallies is an American professional wrestler, stand-up comedian and actor, better known by his ring name, King Kong Bundy.-Personal:...
as well as younger 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...
wrestlers Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Sabu. His wrestling school also remained one of the top facilities in the region and whose students included Steve Boz, Terry Allen, Vic Capri, Bigtime, Trevor Blanchard, Jayson Reign, Mike Anthony, Ace Steel
Ace Steel
Chris Guy is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Ace Steel. He is perhaps best known for his time with Ring of Honor and occasional appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment, as well as his stint with its Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental territory...
, Sosay
Sosay
Jennifer Elaine Kaiser is an American actress, model, professional wrestler and artist. She is best known for her tenure in Ohio Valley Wrestling under the ring name Sosay .-Early life:...
, Kevin Quinn
Kevin Quinn
Kevin Quinn is a British neo-Nazi and the current leader of the November 9th Society . He lives in Bedford with his wife and children....
and Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is also known for performing under the ring name Curry Man. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , while also...
. DeCero has also helped train referee Terry Hooper, female wrestler Sandra D and midget wrestler Puppet the Psycho Dwarf. In 1998, he had 70 students enrolled in his school. Several of his students have appeared as preliminary wrestlers at WWF house shows and televised events in the area. Around this time, he started a sister wrestling promotion, Urban America Pro Wrestling, which ran events in Chicago's inner city neighborhoods and featured African-American and minority wrestlers.
Retirement
In May 2008, DeCero announced at a WCPW show that he would be turning over the promotion to Ripper Manson. It was also at this show that he inducted the Windy City Dream Team (Lance Allen and Eddie Strong), Kevin Quinn, Frank "The Tank" Melson, K.C. Knight and "Iron" Mike Samson into the WCPW 2008 Hall of Fame. Head trainer Sonny Rogers and WCPW alumni Trevor Blanchard, Lips Manson, Zebra Kid and Christopher Daniels accompanied them to the ring. That same year, DeCero became involved in a kayfabeKayfabe
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...
feud with new co-owner Billy Whack who promised to "contact everyone who DeCero may have ever crossed by non-payment, bad business deals or personal reasons" and "invited every wrestler in the Chicago wrestling scene to join him in doing the one thing that every person who has ever started a wrestling group in Chicago has always wanted to do - conquer Sam DeCero and his WCPW". Billy Whack had previously promoted Lunatic Wrestling Federation, formerly based in Mokena
Mokena, Illinois
Mokena is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 14,583 at the 2000 census, with a special census conducted in 2007. The 2007 census showed that the population of the village increased to 18,669 people residing within the corporate limits...
and Midlothian, Illinois
Midlothian, Illinois
Midlothian is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 14,315 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Midlothian is located at ....
, which had rivaled DeCero's organization in previous years.
In December 2010, Windy City Pro Wrestling closed.
Championships and accomplishments
- World Wrestling AssociationWorld Wrestling Association (Indianapolis)The World Wrestling Association was an Indianapolis-based pro wrestling promotion which was operated by Dick "The Bruiser" Afflis and his business partner Wilbur Snyder. The WWA was affiliated with the larger American Wrestling Association and recognized its champions, though the WWA also had its...
- WWA World Tag Team ChampionshipWWA World Tag Team ChampionshipThe WWA World Tag Team Championship was the primary tag team title in the Indianapolis-based World Wrestling Association from the promotion's formation in 1964 until the late 1980s when the promotion closed.-Title history:...
(1 time) with Mad MaxxJohn Richmond (wrestler)John Richmond is a retired American professional wrestler, best known by his ringname Eli the Eliminator, who competed in North American regional promotions during the 1980s in Bill Watts' Universal Wrestling Federation and World Class Championship Wrestling, most notably as a member of Skandor...
- Other titles
- Polynesian Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Mad Maxx