WRESTLERS from Italy

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Italian Wrestlers of all time. This list of famous Italian Wrestlers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Italian Wrestlers.

1. Bruno Sammartino (1935 - 2018)

With an HPI of 56.45, Bruno Sammartino is the most famous Italian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages on wikipedia.

Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 – April 18, 2018) was an Italian-American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). Widely recognized as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Sammartino's 2,803-day reign as WWWF World Heavyweight Champion is the longest in the championship's history as well as the longest world title reign in WWE history. Born in Italy to a family of seven, Sammartino grew up in poverty. As a child, Sammartino survived the German occupation of Italy during World War II. In 1950, he came to the United States with his family, where they would settle in Pittsburgh. Sammartino would later take up bodybuilding before beginning his career as a professional wrestler in 1959. Dubbed "the Italian Strongman” and "the Strongest Man in the World" early in his career, Sammartino later earned the title "the Living Legend". Known for his powerful bearhug finishing move, Sammartino wrestled for various territories in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) before joining the WWWF territory. Already recognized as a future star, Sammartino won the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship in 1963 after beating the inaugural champion, Buddy Rogers, in 48 seconds. He then held the title for a reign of a record 2,803 days – nearly 8 years. While doing so, Sammartino became a popular attraction in Madison Square Garden, selling out the arena numerous times throughout his career. Sammartino would later reclaim the WWWF Heavyweight Championship in 1973 for another reign of 1,237 days before gradually retiring from full-time competition. After his retirement, Sammartino became a vocal critic of the drug use and raunchier storylines that became prevalent in the professional wrestling industry after his retirement but he reconciled with WWE in 2013 and headlined their Hall of Fame ceremony that year. Terry Funk commented that Sammartino "was bigger than wrestling itself".

2. Ignazio Fabra (1930 - 2008)

With an HPI of 47.47, Ignazio Fabra is the 2nd most famous Italian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Ignazio Fabra (25 April 1930 – 13 April 2008) is a flyweight Greco-Roman wrestler from Italy. He won a world title in 1955 and finished second at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics and 1962 and 1963 world championships. He placed fifth at the 1960 Olympics and fourth at the 1964 Olympics.Fabra was deaf since birth and communicated by signs. He was winning the 1952 Olympic final against Boris Gurevich, but then misinterpreted a gesture of his coach, went into an attack, and got caught up in a counter-attack. After winning the 1955 world title he was a heavy favorite at the 1956 games, but lost in the final to Nikolay Solovyov due to a knee injury. Fabra retired in the late 1960s and became a wrestling coach. He led the national wrestling team at the 1969 World Games of the Deaf and prepared the 1972 Olympic medalist Giuseppe Bognanni.Fabra was the first person to participate both at Olympic Games and Deaflympics. He has also won gold medals in 1961 and 1965 Deaflympics.

3. Antonino Rocca (1921 - 1977)

With an HPI of 47.47, Antonino Rocca is the 3rd most famous Italian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Antonino Rocca (born Antonino Biasetton; 13 April 1921 – 15 March 1977) was an Italian naturalized Argentinian professional wrestler. He tag teamed with partner Miguel Pérez. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 1995 and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996.

4. Enrico Porro (1885 - 1967)

With an HPI of 47.41, Enrico Porro is the 4th most famous Italian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Enrico Porro (Enrico Aldanian, 16 January 1885 – 14 March 1967) was an Italian Greco-Roman wrestler and Olympic champion. He was the first gold medal at the Olympic Games of the Italian military sports body Gruppo Sportivo della Marina Militare (the sport section of the Italian armed force Italian Navy).

5. Angelo Parisi (b. 1953)

With an HPI of 45.93, Angelo Parisi is the 5th most famous Italian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Angelo Parisi (born 3 January 1953 in Arpino, Frosinone, Italy) is a French judoka and olympic champion. He won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. At his Olympic debut in 1972 he represented Great Britain. Parisi holds the 8th dan degree.

6. Lou Albano (1933 - 2009)

With an HPI of 44.10, Lou Albano is the 6th most famous Italian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Louis Vincent Albano (July 29, 1933 – October 14, 2009) was an Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor, who performed under the ring/stage name "Captain" Lou Albano. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1969, before becoming a manager until 1996. Over the course of his 42-year career, Albano guided 15 different tag teams and three singles competitors to championship gold. Albano was one of the "Triumvirate of Terror", a threesome of nefarious WWF managers which included The Grand Wizard of Wrestling and Freddie Blassie. The trio was a fixture in the company for a decade until The Grand Wizard's death in 1983. A unique showman, with an elongated beard, rubber band, facial piercings, and loud outfits, Albano was the forefather of the 1980s Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection. Working first with NRBQ and later with Cyndi Lauper, Albano helped usher in wrestling's crossover success with a mainstream audience. Capitalizing on his success, he later ventured into Hollywood with various television, film, and music projects. He became well known to a younger generation of fans as the actor and voice of Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

7. Ezio Gamba (b. 1958)

With an HPI of 42.80, Ezio Gamba is the 7th most famous Italian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Ezio Gamba (born 2 December 1958) is a retired judoka from Italy, who represented his native country at four consecutive Olympic Games (1976, 1980, 1984 and 1988). Gamba claimed the gold medal in the men's lightweight division (‍–‍71 kg) in 1980 by defeating Great Britain's Neil Adams.

8. Vincenzo Maenza (b. 1962)

With an HPI of 39.63, Vincenzo Maenza is the 8th most famous Italian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Vincenzo Maenza (born 2 May 1962) is an Italian Greco-Roman wrestler. He won two gold medals and a silver medal at the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Olympic Games.

9. Andrea Minguzzi (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 35.80, Andrea Minguzzi is the 9th most famous Italian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Andrea Minguzzi (born 1 February 1982) is an Italian Greco-Roman wrestler. He won a gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

10. Giuseppe Maddaloni (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 31.63, Giuseppe Maddaloni is the 10th most famous Italian Wrestler.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Giuseppe Maddaloni (born 10 July 1976) is an Italian judoka. He was born in Naples. He won a gold medal in the lightweight (‍–‍73 kg) division at the 2000 Summer Olympics.He was trained by his father Gianni Maddaloni, in the district of Scampia, the Neapolitan region of Italy.