Tino Sabbatelli

Sabatino "Sabby" Piscitelli[3][4] (born August 24, 1983) is an American former professional wrestler and former American football player. He is known for his time in WWE, under the ring name Tino Sabbatelli. He also worked for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Sabby.

Tino Sabbatelli
Sabbatelli in April 2018
Born
Sabatino Piscitelli

(1983-08-24) August 24, 1983
Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.
Partner(s)Mandy Rose (2018-present; engaged)
Ring name(s)Anthony Sabbatelli
Sabatino Piscitelli
Sabby[1]
Tino Piscitelli
Tino Sabbatelli[2]
Billed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2]
Billed weight240 lb (110 kg)[2]
Billed fromBoca Raton, Florida[2]
Trained byWWE Performance Center
DebutApril 4, 2015
Football career
No. 21, 28, 42
Position:Safety
Personal information
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school:Boca Raton (FL)
College:Oregon State
NFL Draft:2007 / Round: 2 / Pick: 64
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • First Team All-Pac-10 (2006)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:190
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:15
Interceptions:5
Player stats at NFL.com

Prior to joining WWE, Piscitelli played six years in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round (64th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. He also played for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs. He played collegiately at Oregon State.

Early life

Sabatino Piscitelli was born on August 24, 1983, in Boca Raton, Florida.[3][4] Piscitelli began his football career at Boca Raton High School. He began playing as a junior in high school, playing both defensive back and wide receiver. He received second team all-state honors as a senior and received four letters as an outfielder for the school's baseball team.[5]

College football career
Season GP T AT TFL FF FR PD INTs TDs
2002° 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2003[6] 13 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
2004[7]† 12 42 12 3 1 1 9 5 0
2005[8]† 11 39 14 3 0 2 12 4 1
2006[9]‡ 14 54 21 3 0 0 16 5 0

GP – Games Played, T – Tackles, AT – Assisted Tackles, TFL – Tackles for Loss, FF – Forced Fumbles, FR – Fumbles Recovered, PD – Passes Defensed, INTs – Interceptions, TDs – Touchdowns
° Redshirted
† All-Pac 10 Honourable Mention[10]
‡ All-Pac 10 First Team[10]

Professional football career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Piscitelli received an invitation to attend the NFL Combine due to his outstanding performance in his last year at Oregon State University. He posted the fastest pro agility time of 2006, ran a 4.44 second 40-yard dash, and bench pressed 225 lbs for 19 reps.[11] He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft.[12] In his rookie season, he broke his right foot and was placed on the injured reserve.[13] On November 30, 2010, the Buccaneers released him.

Cleveland Browns

Piscitelli was signed by the Cleveland Browns on December 1, 2010. He became a free agent after the season.

Kansas City Chiefs

Piscitelli signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on August 4, 2011.

Career statistics

[14]

Season Team GP ST AT FF PD INTs TDs
2007 Tampa Bay 3 2 1 0 0 0 0
2008 Tampa Bay 15 40 8 1 8 2 0
2009 Tampa Bay 16 66 14 1 5 2 0
2010 Tampa Bay 11 19 0 0 1 1 0
2010 Cleveland 5 3 1 0 0 0 0
2011 Kansas City 16 28 6 1 1 0 0

GP – Games Played, ST – Solo Tackles, AT – Assisted Tackles, FF – Forced Fumbles, PD – Passes Defensed, INTs – Interceptions, TDs – Touchdowns

Professional wrestling career

WWE (2014–2020)
Sabbatelli (right) with regular tag team partner Riddick Moss in 2018

In October 2014, Piscitelli signed a developmental contract with WWE and began training to become a professional wrestler at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.[15]

He made his in-ring debut for WWE's developmental territory, NXT, at a live event on April 4, 2015, competing unsuccessfully in a battle royal.[16] After ten months of training, he suffered a concussion during an NXT live event.[17] In October 2015, he was given the ring name Anthony Sabbatelli, later tweaked to Tino Sabbatelli. He was featured on an exclusive TV show on the WWE Network called Breaking Ground, which featured his NXT training.

Sabbatelli made his televised debut on the October 12, 2016, episode of NXT, teaming with Riddick Moss in a loss to TM-61 in the first round of the 2016 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. He made a further appearance on the January 4, 2017, episode of NXT, again teaming with Moss in a defeat to The Revival. Sabbatelli appeared again on the May 10 episode of NXT, teaming with Moss in a loss to DIY. He had his first televised singles match on the September 20 episode of NXT, losing to Johnny Gargano.[18] Sabbatelli and Moss had their first televised victory on the October 25 episode of NXT, defeating the team of Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. In early 2018, Sabbatelli and Moss entered the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic losing to Sanity in the first round. Sabbatelli turned on Moss on April 25 after losing to Heavy Machinery. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle at the end of April and underwent surgery.[19] On April 17, 2020, it was announced that he was released from his WWE contract.[20]

All Elite Wrestling (2020)

Piscitelli made his All Elite Wrestling debut under the ring name Sabby on the July 21, 2020, episode of AEW Dark, teaming with Brady Pierce in a losing effort against Best Friends.[1]

Return to WWE (2020–2021)

On October 16, 2020, it was reported that Piscitelli had re-signed with WWE.[21][22] However on June 25, 2021, Piscitelli was once again released from his WWE contract.

Personal life

Piscitelli is of Italian descent.[23] He has a sister named Sabrina and a brother named Sean, an independent wrestler who performs under the ring name Sean Swag.[5][24] As of 2018, he is in a relationship with fellow professional wrestler Amanda Saccomanno, better known by the ring name Mandy Rose.[25][26] On September 17, 2022, they announced their engagement.[27]

Championships and accomplishments

References
  1. All Elite Wrestling [@AEWrestling] (July 20, 2020). "We have EIGHT Dark matches ready for tomorrow night! Watch #AEWDark every Tuesday at 7e/6c via our YouTube channel at youtube.com/allelitewrestling" (Tweet). Retrieved July 20, 2020 – via Twitter.
  2. "Tino Sabbatelli". WWE.
  3. "NFL owners won't run hurry-up offense vs. players". NBC News. March 2, 2011.
  4. "WWE Breaking Ground debut episode: behind the scenes at NXT". October 26, 2015.
  5. Hatch, Brooks (August 4, 2002). "A far-fetched recruiting tale for OSU". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  6. "Overall Defensive Statistics". www.osubeavers.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2015.
  7. "Overall Defensive Statistics". www.osubeavers.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
  8. "Overall Defensive Statistics". www.osubeavers.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015.
  9. "Overall Defensive Statistics". www.osubeavers.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
  10. "Sabby Piscitelli". www.osubeavers.com.
  11. "Sabby Piscitelli - Oregon State, SS : 2007 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". www.nfldraftscout.com.
  12. "2007 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  13. Dorsey, David (June 19, 2008). "Piscitelli ready to compete". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 15.
  14. "Sabby Piscitelli". NFL.com.
  15. Diaz, George (January 24, 2016). "Ready to rumble; At Orlando center, WWE preps future wrestling stars for big stage". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  16. WWE NXT Rookies Get Ring Time
  17. Breaking Ground S01 E01. WWE.
  18. "Johnny Gargano def. Tino Sabbatelli".
  19. Namako, Jason (May 8, 2018). "NXT star out for several months with torn pectoral, WWE to be featured on "Undercover Boss"". WrestleView. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  20. Johnson, Mike (April 17, 2020). "WWE RELEASES CONTINUE (UPDATED)". PW Insider. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  21. Johnson, Mike (October 16, 2020). "INTERESTING NAMES AT WWE TRYOUTS, PERFORMANCE CENTER COACH RETURNS TO WWE AND MORE NXT NEWS". PWInsider. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  22. Lambert, Jeremy (October 16, 2020). "Report: Ace Steel Returns From Furlough, Tino Sabbatelli Back With A New NXT Contract". Fightful. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  23. Mushnick, Phil (December 21, 2008). "ITALIAN-AMERICANS STILL FAIR GAME FOR CHEAP LAUGHS". New York Post. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  24. Middleton, Marc (June 29, 2016). "Brother Of WWE NXT Star Works TV Match, WWE Announcer Filming Movie This Summer, Attendance". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  25. "Lilian is Live from Wrestlemania 34!". PodcastOne. April 9, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  26. "MANDY ROSE DROPS RARE PHOTOS WITH HER BOYFRIEND TINO SABBATELLI ON VALENTINE'S DAY". ringsidenews.com. February 14, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  27. "WWE's Mandy Rose announces engagement to Tino Sabbatelli". Wrestling Observer. September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  28. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2017". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
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