Joseph DiTomasso (1922 – April 30, 1988) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tiger Joe Tomasso. He is most known from his matches in Stampede Wrestling and American Wrestling Association.
| Joe Tomasso | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Joseph DiTomasso[1] |
| Born | 1922 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | April 30, 1988 (aged 65–66) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Assassin Assassin #2 The Bat Joe Tomasso Tiger Tomasso Tiger Joe Tomasso Tiger 'Tweet Tweet' Tomasso[2] |
| Debut | 1952[1] |
| Retired | 1976 |
Early life
editDiTomasso was born in Montreal, Quebec, but moved to Hamilton, Ontario at a young age.[3]
Professional wrestling career
editTomasso debuted in 1952 for Stampede Wrestling, then known as Big Time Wrestling, where he lost his debut match against George Scott.[4] His second match was against Stu Hart where he once again lost.[5] In his third match, Joe, Chico Garcia and Ripper Leone defeated George Scott, Sandy Scott and Sugy Hayamaka.[5]
During the 1950s, he engaged in a long-running series of NWA regional American midwest grudge matches against Bobby Nelson.[6]
In 1960, Tomasso was defeated by Bob Rasmussen in one of his first American Wrestling Association matches.[7]
In 1976, Joe was defeated by Karl von Schotz.[8] After two years of not wrestling, Tomasso had his last wrestling match in 1980 where he defeated Smith Hart by disqualification.[9]
Personal life
editAccording to wrestling book Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling, Tomasso was in a friendly "clique of Alberta wrestlers", including Tiny Mills.[10]
Championships and accomplishments
edit- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA Idaho Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[11]
- NWA Western Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[11]
- NWA Western Tag Team Championship/NWA World Tag Team Championship (4 times)[11] - with Rocky Monroe, Mitsu Arakawa, Tony Borne and Eric The Great
- Stampede Wrestling
- Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (4 times)[3][11] - with Gil Hayes, Earl Black and Dave Ruhl
- Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 1995)[12][13]
- World Wrestling Association
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times)[11] - with Assassin #1
References
edit- ^ a b "SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Tiger 'Tweet Tweet' Tomasso". SLAM!. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ "Joe Tomasso". WrestlingData. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ a b "Joe Tomasso". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- ^ "Big Time Wrestling". Cagematch. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ a b "Big Time Wrestling". Cagematch. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ staff (June 27, 1955). "B. Nelson, The Bat in Mat Feature". The Journal Times.
- ^ "AWA". Cagematch. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- ^ "Stampede". Cagematch. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- ^ "Stampede". Cagematch. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- ^ McCoy, Heath (2005). Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. Canwest, later ECW Press. ISBN 978-1550227871.
- ^ a b c d e "Joe Tomasso". Cagematch. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ Whalen, Ed (host) (December 15, 1995). "Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame: 1948-1990". Showdown at the Corral: A Tribute to Stu Hart. Event occurs at 27:55. Shaw Cable. Calgary 7.
- ^ "Official Stampede Wrestling Hall Of Fame (1948-1990)". wrestling-titles. Retrieved 24 June 2018.