Stetson was one of ECW's initial stars, appearing at the company's first event in 1992. He quickly rose to success as a tag team competitor, winning the promotion's Tag Team Championshiptwice while also achieving singles success by winning the Pennsylvania Heavyweight Championship during his career. He later joined Raven's Nest and adopted a character called The Broad Street Bully.
Early life
Matteo grew up on the corner of at South 11th Street and West Ritner Street in South Philadelphia. He attended Saint John Neumann High School.
Tony Stetson made a name for himself wrestling in Joel Goodhart's Tri-State Wrestling Alliance as well as other promotions in Pennsylvania and New Jersey from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s. He employed a hardcore wrestling style and was an early contributor to the Philadelphia wrestling scene, including his feud with Johnny Hotbody. Stetson and Hotbody traded wins in a variety of matches, including a Taped Fist First Blood match on March 31, 1990.[3] Several months later, Stetson defeated Hotbody in a Hair vs Hair match.[3] On March 2, 1991, the two resumed their feud when Stetson won a Barbed wire match.[3] When Stetson first started in the Business, he had a manager who went by the name of "The Godfather". The Godfather, was later known as "The Equalizer" and then ended his career as "Gianni Corleone" while working with Stetson toward the end of his career in the CWC.
Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling
Tag team competition and championship reigns (1992–1994)
Stetson moved on to singles competition, during which he defeated Tommy Cairo to win the Pennsylvania Heavyweight Championship on the September 14 episode of Eastern Championship Wrestling.[8] Stetson successfully defended the title against Cairo at UltraClash.[11] The title was neither defended nor mentioned on television again, thus being retired with Stetson as the final champion.[12] The following month, Stetson began teaming with Johnny Hotbody when duo were awarded the Tag Team Championship at NWA Bloodfest: Part 1 on October 1, after the title was vacated due to Eddie Gilbert and The Dark Patriot (Eddie's brother Doug Gilbert) quitting the company.[9] They made successful title defenses against Badd Company,[13] The Sandman and J.T. Smith[14] and The Bad Breed[15] before dropping them to the team of Tommy Dreamer and Johnny Gunn at November to Remember.[9][15]
In 1994, Stetson made only one televised appearance on the March 8 episode of Eastern Championship Wrestling, where he teamed with Johnny Hotbody against Bad Breed in a losing effort.[16] He went on a hiatus and returned to the renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling at a live event on September 30, where he was pinned by Tommy Dreamer.[17]
Matteo continued to perform as Tony Stetson and feuded with Raven's Nest following the events of Three Way Dance,[18] once challenging Raven and Stevie Richards for the ECW World Tag Team Championship alongside Don E. Allen at Heat Wave, where Matteo's team won by countout, meaning Raven and Richards retained the titles.[23] Stetson competed as a mid-card wrestler for the remainder of the year, suffering losses to Hack Myers,[24]Val Puccio,[25]Bull Pain[26] and JT Smith[27] before departing the company in 1996, ending his four year-run with ECW. His last match took place at the House Party event, where he teamed with JT Smith against The Bad Crew in a tag team match, which ended in a no contest.[28]
Later career
Going into semi-retirement by the mid-1990s, Stetson worked coordinating supply distribution for Methodist Hospital. In 1999, he joined promoter Lisa Constantino's Central Wrestling Coalition based in South Philadelphia. Teaming up with his old Manager Gianni Corleone (also known as "The Godfather" and The Equalizer early in his career), he feuded with Breaker Morant over the CWC Heavyweight Championship during the next two years in the promotion.[2]
Stetson retired in 2002 after accumulating a number of nagging injuries.[1] He returned to wrestling in 2009, facing Breaker Morant at a TWA reunion show. In the same year, he served as a consultant for the production "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity" by the InterAct Theatre Company.[1]
^ abRoyal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
References
Loverro, Thom. The Rise & Fall of ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2006. ISBN1-4165-1058-3
Williams, Scott E. Hardcore History: The Extremely Unauthorized Story of the ECW. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing L.L.C., 2006. ISBN1-59670-021-1
