| Tony Marino | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Tony Silipini |
| Born | (1931-04-20)April 20, 1931 Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 28, 2021(2021-05-28) (aged 90) |
| Family | Lady Frost (granddaughter) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Battman Caped Crusade Devil Blue Dino Lanza Tony Marino |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Debut | 1954 |
| Retired | 1987 |
Tony Silipini (April 20, 1931 – May 28, 2021) was an Americanprofessional wrestler better known by hisring nameTony Marino.
Tony Silipini was born in 1931. He started wrestling in 1954 near his hometown of Rochester, NY. He wrestled under a number of names over the years in different areas of the country. InAustralia he was calledDino Lanza.
Marino started wrestling in theWWWF in 1963 in preliminary matches. With theBatman craze sweeping the country in 1966, Marino created a wrestling version of the superhero. His custom outfits were created by Karl & Hildegarde's ofColumbus,Ohio. He debuted the persona in theBuffalo, NY area and had a smaller wrestler dressed as Robin.Bruno Sammartino, who had purchased the promotional office inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, brought Marino into Pittsburgh as "Battman" and installed him as a major wrestler in the territory. As The Battman, Marino became a fixture and very popular wrestler on Pittsburgh's very popularStudio Wrestling TV show. By 1970 the Batman gimmick was phased out.
He formed a tag team withWWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino. Marino wrestled with a mask as "The Battman" on the Pittsburgh circuit.
On December 9, 1969, Tony teamed withVictor Rivera inMadison Square Garden, where they defeatedWWWF International Tag Team ChampionsProfessor Toru Tanaka andMitsu Arakawa in 2 straight falls. Marino and Rivera were the tag champions for almost seven months. Along the way, they scored wins overKiller Kowalski andWaldo Von Erich at Madison Square Garden, and Kowalski and Krippler Karl Kovacs atSunnyside Gardens, Queens, NY. On June 15, 1970, at Madison Square Garden, they lost their titles 2 falls to 1 to The Mongols, the team ofBepo Mongol andGeto Mongol. Both tag teams were undefeated up to that point. After the Battman gimmick was obsolete, Marino returned to jobbing. In a 1971 match againstGeorge The Animal Steele, Marino broke his leg. In 1972, Marino left the WWWF.
In 1972, Marino started traveling inNational Wrestling Alliance territories. In December 1972, he defeatedKurt Von Hess andKarl Von Shotz along withFred Curry to win theDetroit version of NWA World Tag Team Championship. On January 5, 1973, they lost the titles to Kurt Von Hess and Karl Von Shotz. They received their second Detroit titles on February 2 and lost it to Kurt Von Hess and Karl Von Shotz on February 18.
Marino had then notablefeuds with The Stomper, Ben Justice andKiller Tim Brooks. In 1974, he formed a tag team withBobo Brazil. They defeated Kurt Von Hess and Karl Von Shotz to win the Detroit titles. Marino got his third Detroit Tag Team Championship. The titles were held up in June 1974 in match against Ben Justice and Killer Tim Brooks. They won rematch on June 15. They lost their titles toKiller Tim Brooks andAbdullah the Butcher. They defeated Killer Tim Brooks and Abdullah the Butcher and received the titles back. They lost the titles to The Mongols and this was Marino's final Detroit Tag Team Championship.
Marino retired from wrestling in 1987.
Marino's granddaughter, who wrestles asLady Frost, participated at theNWA 73rd Anniversary Show.
Marino died at the age of 90 on May 28, 2021.[1]
