Alex Rizzo
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| Alex Rizzo | |
|---|---|
| Ring name(s) | Big Dick Dudley Alexander The Great |
| Billed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Billed weight | 320 lb (150 kg; 23 st) |
| Born | January 12, 1968 Suffolk, New Jersey |
| Died | May 16, 2002 (aged 34) Copiague, New York |
| Billed from | The Twisted Steel Section of Dudleyville |
| Trained by | Johnny Rodz |
| Debut | 1993 |
Alex Rizzo (12 January, 1968 – 16 May 2002) was a professional wrestler, best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling as Big Dick Dudley, the eldest of the Dudley Family.
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[edit] Career
Alex Rizzo grew up idolizing many different wrestlers in the 1980s, from Hulk Hogan to André the Giant. As he grew larger himself, Rizzo decided to go into the craft, going to train with Johnny Rodz in 1986. Creating the character of Alexander the Great, Rizzo tried out the independent scene for a few years, drifting through federations like the WXW. While being a monster wrestler with a great physique, Rizzo rarely became the star attraction. Still, he continued honing his skills, until coming to a Philadelphia-based organization, Eastern Championship Wrestling, in 1994. He entered just as the federation began to take off, breaking away from its NWA ties and becoming Extreme. This allowed Rizzo a chance to shine, and he took it, transforming into Big Dick Dudley, the man from Dudleyville.
With his partner, Dudley Dudley, the "brothers" became a strong group in ECW, with their strong-arm antics. Big Dick became known for his powerhouse finisher, the Total Penetration, a double arm chokeslam into a tigerbomb, as well as his dangerous habit of attacking fans at ringside. Soon, the Dudley Family grew, including Buh Buh Ray, D-Von, Snot, Spike, Psycho Sam & Dances With Dudley, creating a very dangerous family. Big Dick, being the eldest as well as the largest, formed the heart of the group, planning out attacks and leading the group. He also had to deal with brotherly problems, including feuds with D-Von and Spike.
Although Big Dick was the leader of the family, he rarely was given title shots, instead content to sit back and direct his brothers in their quests for gold. His aid to Buh Buh Ray and D-Von helped create the great tag team that was the Dudley Boyz, and his giant stature made Spike even more popular in their feud. As some of the Dudley family left, the remaining members, Buh Buh Ray and D-Von, became Tag Team Champions. They soon became top heels in the company. He also carried on an almost year-long feud with Spike Dudley, the biggest brother against the smallest, with the fans firmly on the side of the underdog. In 1999, though, Big Dick's time with ECW ended, as he left the company.
Big Dick would spend time in many different organizations over the next couple of years. He helped found the semi-popular XPW, known, like ECW, for its hardcore antics. At one point, Big Dick took home the XPW World Heavyweight Championship.. He would go on to earn belts in the NWA Jersey faction and the USPW federation. But things soon began to go downhill for the senior member of the Dudleyz. In only two years, Big Dick was involved in four auto accidents, including a serious motorcycle crash that left him with a broken neck. This kept Big Dick on the sidelines of wrestling for over a year, while his former partners Buh Buh Ray and D-Von went on to the WWF. There was some speculation that Big Dick, once he healed up, would soon join his "family" together for another three man run in the World Wrestling Federation.
On May 16, 2002, Rizzo was found dead in his apartment. It has been speculated, though not confirmed, that Rizzo died of kidney failure due to a small[citation needed] dependency on pain killers from his injuries.
[edit] Personal life
Outside of the ring, Rizzo was good friends with Buh Buh Ray Dudley and Nicole Bass. He also has one daughter born in 1990 with Donna Adamo and one son born in 1997 with a different spouse.
Rizzo also had a reputation of being a legitimate badass, as tough outside the ring as inside the ring. For example, in a shoot interview with The Dudley Boyz produced by RF Video Buh Buh Ray Dudley claims to have seen him beat up five people on his own in a nightclub on Long Island.
