Salvatore Bellomo was a Belgian professional wrestler with a career spanning over 40 years, making a notable impact in the United States, particularly with WWE in the 1980s and ECW in the 1990s.
In 1982, Bellomo was signed by WWE after Peter Maivia recommended him to audition, as the company was seeking a new babyface Italian wrestler to replace Bruno Sammartino. He made his televised in-ring debut on June 28, 1982, on the MSG Network, defeating Baron Mikel Scicluna.
Throughout his WWE tenure, Bellomo had a series of notable matches, including unsuccessful challenges for the WWE World Tag Team Championship alongside various tag team partners. He also faced top WWE stars like The Iron Sheik and Don Muraco, as well as putting over opponents like David Schultz, Greg Valentine, Big John Studd, Paul Orndorff, and Pat Patterson.
By mid-1984, Bellomo's winning streak had slowed, and he began losing to opponents like Brutus Beefcake, Jim Neidhart, and The Missing Link. His final WWE appearance was in March 1987, where he lost to Brad Rheingans in the Nassau Coliseum.
After a seven-year hiatus, Bellomo returned to professional wrestling in 1992, joining Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW). He began his ECW career as "Wildman" Sal Bellomo, adopting a new ring attire resembling a Roman centurion and a more brawling-oriented wrestling style.
In his first ECW match, Bellomo won a battle royale as part of a tournament to crown the inaugural ECW Heavyweight Champion. He went on to lose to Jimmy Snuka in the tournament final. Bellomo then began feuding with Tony Stetson, with Stetson emerging victorious in a loser leaves town match in August 1992.
Bellomo returned to ECW in November 1992 and continued to wrestle for the promotion until May 1994. He made a brief return to ECW in 1996.
