Steve Rizzono

Steve Coombs[6] is a former professional wrestler best known for his stint in Xtreme Pro Wrestling.[7] Coombs competed primarily as "The Gigolo" Steve Rizzono.[8] At one time, Rizzono was also a bouncer[9] and a personal trainer.[1][7][10]

Steve Rizzono
Birth nameSteve Coombs
Born1970
Camden, New Jersey, US[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Steve Rizzono
Billed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Billed weight245 lb (111 kg)[1]
Billed fromCalifornia
Trained byAPW Boot Camp[2][3]
DebutMarch 29, 1995 [1]
RetiredOctober 18, 2003[4][5]

Professional wrestling career

Steve Rizzono trained alongside Spike Dudley at All Pro Wrestling's school,[2][3] and made his debut on March 29, 1995, teaming with Mike Modest against Robert Thompson and Mike Diamond.[1] While competing in APW, he captured the APW Tag Team titles with Mike Modest and Tony Jones.[1] He also won a famous three-way dance that featured Vic Grimes and Erin O' Grady.[11] On January 22, 1996 in Stockton, CA, Rizzono made his World Wrestling Federation debut[12] in a losing effort to Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw.[13] The following night in Oakland, Rizzono jobbed to Duke "The Dumpster" Droese in a match that was featured on the WWF Superstars TV program.[13][14][15]

On the weekend of ECW’s November to Remember 1997 pay-per-view, Rizzono had a match with Robert Thompson on an APW show. Wrestling Observer journalist Dave Meltzer attended both shows. A few weeks later, Meltzer wrote in the observer that Rizzono's match with Thompson was better than almost anything he saw on the ECW event.[16][17] In between his APW stint and his early 2000 entrance into XPW, Rizzono wrestled in the United States Wrestling Association[18][19] and for independent promotions based in the Portland area.[12][20][21] In Portland, Rizzono was managed by Jonny Fairplay.[22]

Upon joining XPW, Rizzono initially had a partnership with Kid Kaos, but it quickly escalated into a bitter rivalry.[23] At one point, Rizzono was managed by "Playboy" Buddy Rose, in an unsuccessful journey after the XPW World Heavyweight Championship. During his early tenure, he had matches against Public Enemy, John Kronus, and Juventud Guerrera.[24] He was a member of The Black Army, and (following his banishment from the Army) founded The Enterprise with manager and porn star Veronica Caine, in order to avenge the rejection from his former teammates.[25][26] Besides feuding with the Black Army, Rizzono feuded heavily with Pogo the Clown, as Rizzono was usually privy to receiving harsh beatings from Pogo.[24] Their feud was featured in two (2001 and 2002) of XPW's annual King of the Deathmatch Tournaments, as both matches began as singles matches, but soon turned into triple threat matches midway through. In both bouts, Rizzono fell victim to brutal and memorable beatings from his nemesis, which resulted in Rizzono savagely losing in both of his appearances. Rizzono departed from XPW in mid-2002 when XPW relocated its operations to the Pennsylvania area on the East Coast.[22]

Rizzono returned to APW on November 8, 2002[9][27] as a trainer,[3][7][28][29] a commentator, and a manager[30] before leaving the business.[7] He currently resides in California and he has health problems due to the severe injuries he incurred in XPW, including multiple concussions and broken noses as a result of death matches in which he participated.[7][22] On July 18, 2007, Steve received spinal surgery in which two ligaments were removed from his spine.

Championships and accomplishments

Media
  • Video and DVD appearances
  • XPW: After the Fall. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Big Vision Entertainment, 2006.
  • XPW: Retribution. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2003.
  • XPW: Best of XPW TV, Vol. 1. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2003.
  • XPW: Best of The Enterprise. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2002.
  • XPW Class-X Presents: XPW Baptized in Blood, Vol. 1 & 2. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Big Vision Entertainment, 2007.
  • XPW Class-X Presents: XPW TV The Complete First Season. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Big Vision Entertainment, 2007.
  • XPW: New Year's Revolution. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2002.
  • XPW: Blown To Hell. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2002.
  • XPW: Liberty or Death. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2002.
  • XPW: Baptized In Blood 2. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2002.
  • XPW: Baptized In Blood 3: Night of Champions. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2002.
  • XPW: Free Fall. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2002.
  • XPW: Genocide. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2002.[40]
  • XPW: Best of The Black Army. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2002.
  • XPW: Damage Inc.. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2001.
  • XPW: Redemption. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2001.
  • XPW: Go Funk Yourself. Perf. Steve Rizzono. DVD. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2001.
  • XPW: We Wrestle. Perf. Steve Rizzono. VHS. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 2001.
  • Film and television appearances

References
  1. "Steve Rizzono's first APW profile". All Pro Wrestling. May 7, 2007.
  2. Staniforth, Peter (2004). "XPW - "Baptized in Blood 2" Video Review". Wrestling Clothesline.
  3. Alexander, Roland (28 February 2007). "Carny Central". Carny Central. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  4. "APW-LA results". Forums.TheSmartMarks.com. 19 October 2003.
  5. "So Cal Uncensored". So Cal Uncensored. 20 October 2003.
  6. "Steve Rizzono's CageMatch.net profile". CageMatch.net. 17 May 2007.
  7. Goldsmith, Susan (14 January 2004). "Mortal Combat". The East Bay Express.
  8. "Steve Rizzono mentioned on AVN.com (misspelled as "Rosano")". Adult Video News. 30 June 1999. Archived from the original on 26 May 2007.
  9. Lano, Mike (2 December 2002). "No luck for Shamrock". The San Francisco Examiner.
  10. Meyers, Michelle (20 October 2003). "In Pursuit of a Dream". The Alameda Times-Star, The Oakland Tribune.
  11. "1997 APW Results". All Pro Wrestling. 7 May 2007.
  12. Hunt, Don (30 June 1999). "Wrestling: tights, fights, a ringside night". The Mail Tribune.
  13. Cawthon, Graham (1 May 2007). "WWF Ring Results 1996". History of WWE.
  14. "Hunter Hearst Helmsley (HHH)". Professional Wrestling Online Museum. 6 May 2007. Archived from the original on 17 March 2006.
  15. August, Johnny (26 January 1996). "WWF Superstars Tapings - San Jose". Google Groups.
  16. Meltzer, Dave (November 1997). "All Pro Wrestling coverage". Wrestling Observer.
  17. Meltzer, Dave (November 1997). "All Pro Wrestling coverage". Wrestling Observer.
  18. "USWA Memphis Tapes". ShiningWizard.com. 6 May 2007. Archived from the original on 14 March 2007.
  19. "APW Timeline". All Pro Wrestling. 7 May 2007.
  20. Hunt, Don (3 August 1999). "Racing will be a real drag tonight". The Mail Tribune.
  21. Hunt, Don (2 July 1999). "Pro show at Armory brings out the beast in fans". The Mail Tribune. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2007.
  22. Rodgers, Mike (2005). "Steve Rizzono interview". Ring Around the Northwest newsletter.
  23. Woods II, Wes (July 2000). "Insane entertainers take the sport in a bloody direction". California State University, Long Beach.
  24. "XPW results". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2007-05-22.
  25. "Independent Wrestling Stables". Wrestling Information Archive. 6 May 2007. Archived from the original on 10 July 2007.
  26. "The Furious Flashbacks - XPW Redemption". FuriousRage.com. 6 May 2007.
  27. Benson, J.R. (8 November 2002). "APW Gym Wars results - November 8, 2002". J.R. Benson's web site. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  28. Connelley, Sean (2 December 2003). "Photo: Steve Rizzono teaches Tiffany Schaefer how to throw a punch". ANG Newspapers & San Francisco Bay Area Press Photographers Association. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  29. "Spotlight on All Pro Wrestling". The Fremont Argus. 19 October 2003.
  30. Lano, Mike (31 October 2004). "Sugey tops ChickFight, Grimes reappears". Canadian Online Explorer.
  31. Gerweck, Steve (7 May 2007). "Mike Modest profile". Gerweck.net. Archived from the original on 10 June 2007.
  32. "APW Tag Team Title History". All Pro Wrestling. 5 May 2007.
  33. Jones, Tony (6 May 2007). ""The Shooter" Tony Jones Resume". Tony Jones' web site. Archived from the original on 16 May 2007.
  34. "All Pro Wrestling Title Histories". All Pro Wrestling. 6 May 2007. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2007.
  35. "National Wrestling Alliance - Encyclopedia". National Wrestling Alliance. 6 May 2007.
  36. "NWA-ECCW Tag Team Title History". Titlehistories.com. 6 May 2007.
  37. "Steve Rizzono's ECCW profile". Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling. 6 May 2007. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  38. "N.W.A. Vancouver Island Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. 6 May 2007.
  39. Rich, Brian (6 May 2007). "List of Pro Wrestlers that are Retired, Missing, or Independent". BrianRich.net.
  40. "Rizzono at Internet Movie Database". Internet Movie Database. 7 May 2007.

Further reading
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