In WWE in the late 1980's, a bleach blonde powerhouse named Dino Bravo leaped off the screen. Billing himself as the 'World's Strongest Man", Bravo became a successful midcard heel. Using a brawling approach, with power moves mixed in, Bravo's strongman gimmick would leave its mark in WWE history. Bravo used an airplane spin finisher that dazzled on camera. He kayfabe bench pressed 715 pounds, which he claimed was the world record. To continue to bolster his strongman claim, he would do pushups with the massive Earthquake on his back. Bravo and Earthquake would form a dastardly heel team. Bravo would leave WWE in 1992 and head back to Canada to train up-and-coming professional wrestlers.
Dino Bravo's legacy does include more than his Golden Era run with WWE. Both before and after WWE, Bravo would make headlines. Dino Bravo's career is a must-know for any WWE wrestling fan. His time in his hometown Montreal territory and his infamous involvement in the shady Canadian mafia make him a famed character in professional wrestling.
10 Dino Bravo And "Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods Won NWA Gold
Dino Bravo would team up with "Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods to win the Jim Crockett Promotions version of the NWA tag titles. They would defeat the notorious team of Ole and Gene Anderson. They would eventually lose the titles back to the Andersons. Dino Bravo would continue with JCP. He had a feud with Blackjack Mulligan over the NWA US title. Bravo would also challenge Harley Race for the NWA World Title during his time with Crockett.
9 Dino Bravo And Haku Formed A Brief Tag Team
In the early 1980's, Bravo would form a tag team with Haku (going by King Tonga at the time.) Haku is a legendary figure in pro wrestling. What a powerhouse duo this could have been. Bravo and Haku would also be heated rivals in the Montreal territory.
Bravo and Haku would team up again at the 1990 Survivor Series on pay per view. Joining the duo would be Earthquake and The Barbarian facing Hulk Hogan, Jim Duggan, Tugboat and Big Boss Man.
8 Dino Bravo Feuded With Ultimate Warrior
Bravo would challenge the Ultimate Warrior for the Intercontinental Championship. Bravo was one of few men that could almost match power with the Warrior. During this feud Bravo was managed by Jimmy Hart. As part of Hart's stable they would try consistently to take the Intercontinental title from the Ultimate Warrior but continually fell short. Yet, Dino Bravo did score a rare pinfall victory over the Ultimate Warrior at a Montreal house show in 1988. To keep the Warrior booked strong, Bravo won with his feet on the ropes.
7 Dino Bravo Was Over In Montreal
No matter if Bravo was portraying a heel or a face, he was always over with the crowd in his hometown of Montreal. Montreal crowds always loved Bravo and treated him like a legendary figure. Crowds would turn on babyface wrestlers if Bravo was the heel. In what might have been the first Montreal Screwjob, Bravo was scheduled to face World Champion, Hulk Hogan, in Montreal. Due to the potential of The Hulkster getting booed, the match was canceled. This cost Dino Bravo a major pay day.
6 Dino Bravo's Last WrestleMania Match
WrestleMania VII would be Dino Bravo's last Mania match. He would lose to Kerry Von Erich. Bravo lost his first WrestleMania match at Mania IV to Don Muraco. He would pick up his first win against Ronnie Garvin at WrestleMania V.
Bravo would lose at WrestleMania VI to Hacksaw Jim Duggan. His loss to Von Erich would give Bravo a career 1-3 record at the "Showcase of the Immortals". His loss to Von Erich would be his last match with manager Jimmy Hart.
5 Dino Bravo Would Become A Member Of The Dream Team
While WresteMania IV would be Bravo's first match, it would not be his first appearance at Mania. At WrestleMania III, the original Dream Team of Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake defeated the Fabulous Rougeaus Brother with the help of outside interference from Bravo. After the match, Bravo and Valentine would argue with Beefcake, kicking him out of the Dream Team. The New Dream Team would not have as much success as the originals. They would quietly disband after the inaugural Survivor Series. Bravo and Valentine would join forces again at Survivor Series 1989, joining Randy Savage's King's Court team.
4 Dino Bravo And Rick Martel Were Real Life Friends
Dino Bravo and Rick Martel both tagged together and wrestled against each other throughout their careers. Martel, who was also a Canadian wrestler, was a real life friend of Dino Bravo. After Bravo's WWE career was seemingly over, Martel contacted officials about him and Bravo becoming a tag team. Martel offered to take all the bumps of a match and allow Bravo to continue being the strong man. While WWE officials passed on this tag team, Martel felt like they could have still been successful. Martel knew that Bravo couldn't enter a regular 9-5 work schedule, and he tried to get his friend one last WWE run.
3 Dino Bravo Was A WWWF Tag Team Champion
Dino Bravo would team with famed Italian American professional wrestler and trainer Dominic DeNucci to win the WWWF tag team titles in 1978. They defeated Professor Tanaka and Mr. Fuji for the titles. The duo would hold the titles for three months before losing the belts to The Yukon Lumberjacks, Eric and Pierre. This would be his only tag title associated with WWE. Ironically enough, Dominic DeNucci was originally in a tag team in the 1960's using the name Dominic Bravo.
2 Dino Bravo Was Billed Canadian Champion
In many Canadian cities during 1985 and 1986 WWE billed Dino Bravo as the "WWF Canadian Champion". This was due to the WWE expansion and purchasing wrestling territories and wanting to continue to promote the territories' legacy. WWE would abandon the Canadian Championship in January of 1986. Bravo would not be the only successful star to come out of the Montreal territory and move to WWE. Stars such as Rick Martel, Ronnie Garvin, and the Fabulous Rougeaus Brothers all came from the famed Montreal territory.
1 Dino Bravo's Death Was Featured On Dark Side Of The Ring
Dino Bravo was shot dead on March 10th, 1993. He was shot 17 times in his Montreal home. Bravo was nephew by marriage to a reported Montreal crime boss, Vic Cotroni. Allegedly Bravo was murdered due to his role in a cigarette smuggling ordeal. Professional wrestling has unfortunately dealt with many tragic deaths, but Bravo's is one of the most notorious. On the second season of the acclaimed wrestling documentary series Dark Side Of The Ring, Bravo's death is highlighted in the sixth episode. His murder investigation remains opened and unsolved.