Dominic DeNucci reflections
Dominic DeNucci was laid to rest Tuesday, and several wrestling personalities from the area shared their personal experiences with him throughout the week.
Who better than to start with than Ken Jugan.
Known as the legendary Lord Zoltan, Jugan performed for over 43 years and faced countless legends, including Andre the Giant.
He shared his views of DeNucci, his longtime friend.
无毛视频淒ominic will be greatly missed,无毛视频� said Jugan with a somber tone of DeNucci, who was set to receive the Cauliflower Alley Club无毛视频檚 Trainer无毛视频檚 award in September. 无毛视频淗e was the ultimate old school wrestler.无毛视频�
Jugan shared just how close the two were.
无毛视频淚 spent more time with Dominic than I did my own father,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淲e were together for thousands and thousands of miles on the highways and spent many nights in hotels all over the United States and Canada.
无毛视频淒ominic had so much patience to stop and chat with anyone that approached him no matter what time of day it was.无毛视频�
Jugan feels that DeNucci无毛视频檚 passing has closed the door on that generation of pro wrestling history.
无毛视频淒ominic is the last of the dying breed in the Bruno Sammartino era,无毛视频� Jugan said, before discussing a bombshell that I had not heard before. 无毛视频淎 little-known fact is that Dominic was Vince McMahon Sr.无毛视频檚 first choice to be WWWF world champion before Bruno.
无毛视频淭hey don无毛视频檛 make them like Dominic anymore.无毛视频�
Longtime KSWA ring announcer 无毛视频淭rapper无毛视频� Tom Leturgey had such a close bond with DeNucci, whose final public appearance came at the Legends of Hamburg event on July 24, that he was almost granted an amazing honor several years ago.
无毛视频淒ominic told me that he was going to ask me to induct him into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Amsterdam, New York,无毛视频� Leturgey said, with an emotional tone. 无毛视频淗owever, Bruno Sammartino insisted on doing the honors.
无毛视频淚 still can无毛视频檛 believe that someone as beloved as Dominic thought enough of me to think about it. At the funeral home, I thanked his daughter for sharing her dad with us. He was my favorite legend.无毛视频�
Ken Downs runs the Imagine Dojo in Altoona, and DeNucci stopped to share his knowledge with students more than once.
无毛视频淒ominic passing was such a blow to our group,无毛视频� Downs said. 无毛视频淗e came to our school twice and was so giving of his time and knowledge.
无毛视频淗is hilarious stories about Jim Barnett, Shane Douglas and others will echo in the Imagine Dojo for years to come. Personally, I will always treasure the time I got to spend with him.无毛视频�
For Darryl Grandy, known in Pittsburgh wrestling circles as 无毛视频淥ld School无毛视频� Burt LeGrande, having the chance to reflect on DuNucci无毛视频檚 impact on him was cathartic.
无毛视频淪eeing all of the love for Dominic this past week, I realize my interactivity with him paled in comparison to a number of my contemporaries,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淏ut when I did interact with him, he made me feel like I was in his inner circle regardless and it was neat to have that interaction in HIS element, backstage at shows and in the locker room with the boys.
无毛视频淚t provided him the sanctuary where every one of those settings gave him one more chance to relive the thing he loved most, and given his fruitful learning tree, the thing he wanted others to love most as well.
无毛视频淚t was like hanging out with an MLB Hall of Famer in a dugout, where you无毛视频檙e both soaking in the same scene, but form two different perspectives along the same path.无毛视频�
Brian Knavish has portrayed several pro wrestling personalities over the years and got to know Dominic well.
无毛视频淏ecause Dominic was such an accomplished wrestler, and he was, that can almost overshadow the amazing person he was,无毛视频� Knavish said. 无毛视频淚 can honestly say that he is one of my favorite people I无毛视频檝e ever known.
无毛视频淗e was a kind, gentle man in every way and would go out of his way to check in on my family or give me a bottle of red wine.无毛视频�
Knavish would occasionally drive Dominic to shows.
无毛视频淚 had the pleasure of driving to many shows with Dominic, just the two of us, and the conversations we had on those trips are some of my most cherished moments,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淵es, we would talk about wrestling and his stories were fascinating.
无毛视频淏ut the conversations we had about other stuff, regular life stuff, were even more fascinating and funny beyond belief.
无毛视频淗e was such a special, interesting guy and I feel so blessed to have had the chance to know him.无毛视频�
Blessed, indeed. As are all of us who were lucky enough to get to know Dominic.
Email questions/comments to powerhousehughes@gmail.com or tweet them to @BillHughes_III.