Rest in peace, Captain Lou Albano — You were a genuinely cool and inspiring human being!
Here’s what I remember about Lou, and what made him so cool:
- He safety-pinned rubber bands to his face years before the kids started piercing every lobe and nubbins on their bodies.
- He wore Hawaiian shirts!
- He was a fat, loud, violent Italian before being a fat, loud, violent Italian was cool.
- He used to hang out with Cindy Lauper.
- He first name is “Captain”!
- He was in the WWF, when it still had the F.
- Back then, to see wrestling you needed a UHF antenna and a TV schedule scribbled on crumpled notebook paper by a soon-to-be high school drop out.
- He got to hang out with young Hulk Hogan, Sgt. Slaughter and the Iron Sheik.
- He managed over 50 different wrestlers who won two dozen championships (thanks Wikipedia).
- He’s Mario from the Mario Brothers!
