Every Tuesday, we take a look at an outlandish character from wrestling’s days gone by. Sometimes laughable, sometimes revolting, but always preposterous, they’re part of what makes pro rasslin’ so great. Ranging from slightly peculiar to downright ludicrous, these are the wrestlers that time has rightly forgotten.
One of the biggest mysteries about Americo Sebastiano Costantino is why he was known simply as Rico during his wrestling career instead of his incredibly badass full name. Before we get into his awful gimmick, let me tell you something about Rico, the man. Before ever stepping foot in a wrestling ring, Rico finished near the top of his class at Northwestern Military & Naval Academy, worked as a paramedic for a while, and then enrolled in the police academy, from which he graduated first in the entire state of Nevada. From there, he spent time on a SWAT team, before settling into his next job as a bodyguard. After that, Rico became an AMERICAN GLADIATOR. Next up, he joined the Power Team and traveled the world performing unbelievable feats of strength. While doing this, Rico Costantino took the time to be ordained a Minister, then began working closely with the Special Olympics and other children’s charities. Finally, Rico became a professional wrestler and was signed by the WWE after wrestling just 12 matches in the independents, which shouldn’t be a surprise given who we’re talking about I guess. Unfortunately for him, WWE didn’t capitalize on having the planet’s most accomplished man on their roster. Instead, he became the homosexual stylist of Billy Gunn & Chuck Palumbo. After the team split, Rico began wearing glitter and face paint, taking his feminine tendencies over the top. Sigh. Make no mistake, Rico the wrestler had a short career with an absolutely ghastly gimmick. Rico the human being, however…well, he should be making Dos Equis commercials.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om3GpMl85fs]
[…] is a former Tough Enough contestant who did a fair share of valeting herself, managing the likes of Rico and her husband Charlie Haas. Stacy Carter is a former WWE Women’s Champion, and is […]
Aww… Rico wasn’t that bad. Not nearly as bad as other guys listed in your Ghastly Gimmicks series.
I agree with Mike, not really “ghastly.” Cliched? Yes. I can imagine Goldust, Gorgeous George, and Natche screaming “He took err jerbs!!” from the backroom when they saw Rico. But he was a phenomenal athlete, and personally, I really miss him.
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