Tony Ricca
| Tony Ricca | |
|---|---|
 Ricca signing autographs | |
| Birth name | Thomas Ricca |
| Born | June 7, 1968 Hammonton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
|
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[citation needed] |
| Billed weight | 255 lb (116 kg)[citation needed] |
| Trained by | Larry Sharpe |
| Debut | November 9, 1990 |
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Thomas Ricca (born June 7, 1968)[citation needed] is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Tony Ricca and The Pharaoh. He is also the promoter of the New Jersey-based promotion Arena Kaged Wrestling (AKW).
Early life and professional wrestling career[edit]
Thomas Ricca was born and raised in Hammonton, New Jersey. He graduated from Hammonton High School in 1986.[1] He trained as a professional wrestler under Larry Sharpe and debuted November 9, 1990, as one-half of the tag team "The Hammonton Hitmen". His debut was at a charity event that benefited the troops that were serving in the Gulf War. After his debut, Ricca was asked to work independently as "The Hammonton Hitman".[2]
On July 29, 1991, Ricca wrestled at a television taping for an episode of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)'s Superstars of Wrestling, and was defeated by Jim Duggan.[3] The episode aired on August 31, 1991.[4] In 1992, at "The Brawl at the Hall", Ricca debuted as The Pharaoh against Glen "Madman" Osbourne in the first main event. The Pharaoh pinned Osbourne after a flying back flip off the top rope.[1]
In June 1998, Ricca opened up Powerslam, a professional wrestling training center in Hammonton, New Jersey. Powerslam officially opened during the Red, White and Blueberry Festival.[5] In 2000, Ricca unveiled his promotion, Arena Kaged Wrestling (AKW), at the same location as Powerslam. Matches aired on WMCN-TV.[6] For a February 2002 AKW event, Ricca added headliners that included Disco Inferno, Vito LoGrasso, Daffney, Lou Albano, Dick Woehrle and Gary Wolfe.[7][8]
In 2015, a limited amount of Retro Action Figures of Ricca were made that brought attention to him in the media.[9]
In 2017, Ricca wrote an online article for the magazine Entrepreneur.[10]
Community[edit]
In 2019, Ricca brought together groups in Hammonton, New Jersey, to identify its Little Italy district that had been designated for over ten years without any identity. Hammonton is one of the towns in the United States with the highest percentage of residents who claim Italian ancestry. Ricca is working to include signs, banners, a website and an interactive map of the area. The first signage installed for Little Italy is located at one of the district's entrances near Cannoli World, a company owned by Ricca's wife.[11]
Personal life[edit]
In June 2014, Ricca's daughter, Gabriella Ricca, won the USAIGC/IAIGC Gymnastics International World Championships as the 12-year-old division's All-Around Champion and Bar Champion in Orlando, Florida.[12][13]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Castone, Bill (18 June 1992). "'Brawl' brings furious action to St. Joe". The Hammonton News. Atlantic County Library. p. 15.
- ↑ Toner, Noreen (11 November 1990). "Wrestling with ways to help troops in gulf". The Press of Atlantic City. Atlantic County Library. p. B3.
- ↑ "WWF TV-Taping @ Worcester". Wrestlingdata.com. 21 July 1991. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ↑ "1991 results". The History of WWE. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ↑ DeCicco, Mickey (17 June 2017). "Powerslam area's only wrestling school". Hammonton Gazette. Atlantic County Library. p. 9.
- ↑ Meritt, Ben (31 August 2000). "Powerslam Ricca bringing 'caged' professional wrestling to downtown Hammonton". The Hammonton News. Atlantic County Library. p. 6.
- ↑ Fiocchi, Dennis R. (14 February 2002). "Spanky 123 retains AKW crown". The Hammonton News. Atlantic County Library.
- ↑ Fine, Melanie (31 December 2017). "10 Things You Might Not Know About Former WWE Pro Wrestler and Promoter Tony Ricca". Huffington Post contributor platform.
- ↑ Streahle, Jodi (28 October 2015). "Action Figure". The Hammonton News. Atlantic County Library. p. 3A.
- ↑ Ricca, Tony (11 December 2017). "This Pro Wrestler Turned Cannoli Baker Shows How Small Businesses Can Leverage Themselves Against the Competition". Entrepreneur.
- ↑ Lowe, Claire (21 February 2019). "Group working to identify Hammonton's Little Italy". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ↑ Steckler, Jared (28 July 2014). "Hammonton girl adjusts, wins gymnastics title". Courier-Post. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ↑ Brunetti, Michelle (13 July 2014). "Everyone Has a Story: Ex-wrestler dad helped young gymnast grapple with fear". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
External links[edit]
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