Tony Ricca
| Tony Ricca | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Thomas Ricca |
| Born | June 7, 1968 Hammonton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
|
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 253 lb (115 kg)[2] |
| Trained by | Larry Sharpe |
| Debut | November 9, 1990 |
Thomas Ricca (born June 7, 1968) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Tony Ricca and The Pharaoh.[1][2] He is also the promoter of the New Jersey-based promotion Arena Kaged Wrestling (AKW).[3][4] Tony Ricca is a founder of Cannoli World.[5][6][7][8] He is in the top 10 list of WWE superstars on Cameo.[9][10][11]
Early life & Career
[change | change source]Thomas Ricca was born and raised in Hammonton, New Jersey. He graduated from Hammonton High School in 1986. He trained as a professional wrestler underLarry Sharpe and debuted November 9, 1990, as one-half of the tag team "The Hammonton Hitmen".[12] His debut was at a charity event that benefited the troops that were serving in the Gulf War. After his debut, Ricca was asked to work independently as "The Hammonton Hitman".
On July 29, 1991, Ricca wrestled for WWE at a television taping for an episode of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)'s Superstars of Wrestling and wrestled Hacksaw Jim Duggan.[13] The episode aired on August 31, 1991.[14] In 1992, at "The Brawl at the Hall", Ricca debuted as The Pharaoh against Glen "Madman" Osbourne in the first main event. The Pharaoh pinned Osbourne after a flying back flip off the top rope. In June 1998, Ricca opened up Powerslam, a professional wrestling training center in Hammonton, New Jersey. Powerslam officially opened during the Red, White and Blueberry Festival. In 2000, Ricca unveiled his promotion, Arena Kaged Wrestling (AKW), at the same location as Powerslam. Matches aired on WMCN-TV. For a February 2002 AKW event, Ricca added headliners that included Disco Inferno, Vito LoGrasso, Daffney, Lou Albano, Dick Woehrle and Gary Wolfe. In 2015, a limited amount of Retro Action Figures of Ricca was made that brought attention to him in the media.[15][16]
Community
[change | change source]In 2019, Ricca brought together groups in Hammonton, New Jersey, to identify its Little Italy district that had been designated for over ten years without any identity. Hammonton is one of the towns in the United States with the highest percentage of residents who claim Italian ancestry. Ricca is working to include signs, banners, a website and an interactive map of the area. The first signage installed for Little Italy is located at one of the district's entrances near Cannoli World, a company owned by Ricca's wife.[17]
Personal life
[change | change source]
In June 2014, Ricca's daughter, Gabriella Ricca, won the USAIGC/IAIGC Gymnastics International World Championships as the 12-year-old division's All-Around Champion and Bar Champion in Orlando, Florida.[18][19]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Learn about Tony Ricca". Famous Birthdays. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ "10 Things You Might Not Know About Former WWE Pro Wrestler and Promoter Tony Ricca". HuffPost. 2017-12-31. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ "Shoutout Superstar Tony Ricca Tops All Talent In Personal Video Messages". EMEA TRIBUNE Breaking News, World News, Latest News, Top Headlines. 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ "Tony Ricca On The Hammonton News August 31, 2000 | PDF". Scribd. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ "What makes Thomas Ricca's Cannoli World LLC so good?". Daily Times. 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ "This Family's Tradition is in its Cannolis". TODAY.com. 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ Ricca, Tony (2017-12-11). "This Pro Wrestler Turned Cannoli Baker Shows How Small Businesses Can Leverage Themselves Against the Competition". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ Mustafa, DJ Kamal (2022-06-08). "Interesting facts about Italian pastry Cannoli". Global Village Space. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ Upton, Felix (2020-08-28). "Top 10 WWE Superstars & Legends Pulling In Big Money On Cameo". Ringside News. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ Ravens, Andrew (2020-08-28). "Here's How Much Money WWE Superstars Are Making on Cameo". eWrestlingNews.com. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ "Could Anything Be More Romantic Than a Valentine's Day Message from Sean Spicer? | Military.com". www.military.com. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ "Tony Ricca The Hammonton News November 8, 1990 | PDF". Scribd. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ "WWF TV-Taping @ Worcester". Wrestlingdata.com. 21 July 1991. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ↑ "1991 results". The History of WWE. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ↑ "The Daily Journal, 28 Oct 2015 Page1". The Daily Journal. 2015-10-28. pp. A1. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ "Tony Ricca On The Hammonton News by Dennis February 14, 2002 | PDF". Scribd. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ Lowe, Claire (21 February 2019). "Group working to identify Hammonton's Little Italy". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ↑ Brunetti, Michelle (13 July 2014). "Everyone Has a Story: Ex-wrestler dad helped young gymnast grapple with fear". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ↑ "Hammonton girl adjusts, wins gymnastics title". Courier-Post. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
Other websites
[change | change source]Tony Ricca on IMDB
Tony Ricca on CrunchBase