‘The Italian Stalion’

He is no longer performing his signature move; a supplex from off the third rope in World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) matches, but Don “The Italian Stallion” Galiano is still in fine shape and continues to have very fond memories of his time in the sports/entertainment business of wrestling.

SEARCHLIGHT caught up with Galiano during one of his visits to St Vincent and the Grenadines and spoke to him about his time in the lime light, when he thrilled many from 1983 to 1994 all over the United States with his hard nosed, bruising style of wrestling.{{more}}

The obvious question about the authenticity of the sport was asked, and after contemplating for a short time, Galiano declared the odds to be 60% entertainment (staged) and 40% real. “I have had broken hands and feet during my career,” said Galiano as he painted the picture of two 200-pound-plus men crashing full speed into each other. Despite what many believe, Galiano said that their bodies take serious beatings in the sport. The blood that often flows from mouths and heads is also as real as you can get.

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, “The Italian Stallion” is married to his wife Patricia and has two children, their son Donald 30, and daughter Nicole who is 27 years old. While his son did not follow him into the sport, his grandson Donald Jr. is very much heading into that direction, exhibiting a growing passion for the sport.

Recalling his fighting days, the current managerial assistant told SEARCHLIGHT that his average day included a five hour stint at the gym. So rough was the training regimen that it makes his present day keep fit routine of 200 push ups and sit ups per day seem like kids play.

Galliano did traditional mat wrestling in high school and was introduced to the entertainment ring wrestling by world renowned wrestler Dusty Rhodes, with whom he had great battles during his career. “I really enjoyed my fights with Dusty (Rhodes) and Rick Flair.”

While admitting that during his days in the 1980’s wrestling made a pretty good lifestyle possible, Galliano told SEARCHLIGHT that as it is in most sports, the current crop of guys are really living it large, reaping massive financial rewards for their efforts.