by Stephen Von Slagle
In the nearly forty years that “Captain” Lou Albano was involved in professional wrestling, be it as a wrestler or manager, he created controversy, excitement, and in many cases, genuine hatred from the audiences he performed for. For a man who, by his own admission, was not a tremendous wrestler, Albano certainly made a huge impact in the business and was, for many years, one of the most well-known crossover celebrities that wrestling had to offer. His vaudevillian style approach to cutting interviews, combined with his over-the-top personality and boisterous ring persona made Albano (who once summed up his talents by stating, “I’m a good bullsh***er”) one of the most controversial managers of all time. Later in his career, Albano transformed that intense fan hatred into babyface popularity and he became one of the most beloved figures in wrestling. In either case, the rowdy Captain made the fans care about him, which, in the wrestling business, is all that really matters.
In 1991, he spent time in Herb Abrams’ short-lived UWF promotion, hosting an interview segment that, if nothing else, added some credibility to the program by featuring a star of Albano’s stature. Following his brief tenure in the UWF, he maintained contact with his large wrestling fanbase by occasionally making special guest appearances on various WWF programs and events, including managing The Headshrinkers to the WWF Tag Team championship in 1994.
On three different occasions, Lou Albano was voted Manager of the Year (1974, 1981, 1986) by the readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated and received the publication’s Editor’s Award in 1994. He is also a member of the WWE Hall of Fame (1996), the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum (2009), and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (2012).
“Captain” Lou Albano suffered a heart attack on October 14, 2009, and passed away at the age of 76