Captain Lou Albano. What to say? Over forty years in the great sport. First, he was a grappler who achieved mid-card success, but to many a generation he embodied the now lost art of the manager. Extremely charismatic, despite his unusual appearance, he mastered the role of the antagonistic manager who could help elevate talent to levels they might not have reached otherwise. He was a monster heat magnet. Hated throughout the 60’s and 70’s Captain Lou changed the face of wrestling in 1971 when he led The Russian Bear Ivan Koloff to the WWWF Championship, ending the epic reign of Albano’s bitter rival, Bruno Sammartino. Not only did he have the balls to manage a Russian in the height of the Cold War, but also this crowning achievement took place in the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden in Albano’s hometown of New York. It should have been the pinnacle of his career, but Captain Lou was just getting started
While he would later guide men like Pat Patterson and The Magnificent Muraco to mid-card championships, Captain Lou’s true legacy as a wrestling manger was the dozen plus tag teams championships that were won under his command. Check out this list: The Moondogs, the Valiants, Fuji/Saito, The Wild Somoans, and of course ,The British Bulldogs. With his incredible track record it’s a fact that an entire generation of tag team champions was defined by the man with the rubber bands dangling off his face (what the hell was that about?)
However, in the 1980’s, his success reached new heights thanks to the new pioneering music video channel known as MTV. Thanks to his appearance in pop star Cyndi Lauper’s video for "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," Captain Lou became an integral part of the WWF’s ascension into the mainstream. Initially cast as a villain at odds with Lauper, he was embraced the entirely new generation of fans when he turned face on MTV’s The War To Settle It All. Albano became Lauper’s key ally in Rock N Wrestling Connection, the storyline that, along with the rise of Hulk Hogan, led to first ever Wrestlemania. Everyone talks about Hogan and Piper, but without Albano, the WWE might have gone the way of WCW or it’s other territorial rivals.
He was a WWF loyalist. He never left. And with that came the love of the fans who eventually cheered him and the McMahon’s who made him a part of their Hall of Fame. He reached that point that few legends do, where he was so well regarded, he couldn’t be booed no matter how hard he tried. In fact, he even became the obsession of the band NRBQ, which you can see here.
Captain Lou was an original. His long career is a testament to his ability to predict and understand the trends of an ever-changing business. He had the respect of the fans and his peers and his legacy in the world of professional wrestling will never be forgotten. And yes, I was Lou Albano for Halloween a few years ago.
