Tony Mamaluke
| Tony Mamaluke | |
|---|---|
Tony Mamaluke in June 2006.
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| Birth name | Charles John Spencer |
| Born |
July 19, 1977 Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, US |
| Residence | Atlanta, Georgia, US |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Anthony LaGotto Casanova Jones C.G. Afi Tony Luke Tony Mamaluke Tony Marinara |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Billed weight | 219 lb (99 kg) |
| Billed from | Little Italy |
| Trained by | Dean Malenko |
| Debut | 1998 |
| Retired | 2012 |
Charles John Spencer (born July 19, 1977) is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Tony Marinara and with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Tony Mamaluke.
After being trained by Dean Malenko, Spencer began his wrestling career in 1998, working for independent promotions in Florida under the names C.G. Afi and Casanova Jones.
Spencer debuted in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1999 as an unnamed fan of wrestler Lodi, debuting in a Nitro Party clip then appearing in an outdoor segment when Lenny Lane and Lodi were arriving at a show in New York. He then appeared as a fan invader during many of Lodi and his brother Lenny's matches until the angle was dropped when Lenny and Lodi were removed from television in late 1999.
He returned shortly as "Tony Marinara", a New York mobster who managed the team of Big Vito and Johnny the Bull, who became known as The Mamalukes. His storyline included a feud with Disco Inferno, who kayfabe owed his "family" money. At one point, the feud also involved Lash LeRoux. His last appearance came at the 2000 Souled Out pay-per-view. In an interview with Gene Okerlund, he said he had to take care of some business and then left, never to appear in WCW again.
Not long after his release, he started working in Extreme Championship Wrestling. He took on the name "Tony Mamaluke", with the last name being a reference to the former tag team he managed in WCW, as well as a play on Philadelphia's famous Tony Luke's restaurant. He joined The Full Blooded Italians, which consisted of Little Guido and Big Sal E. Graziano. The reasoning for his alignment with this group was a combination of his previous gimmick in WCW being similar, as well as his resemblance to the character Christopher Moltisanti of the Italian-American mobster television series The Sopranos. As part of his gimmick, the ring announcer announced his weight in liquid ounces rather than pounds or kilograms, due to his unusually small stature. The two also began using the liquid ounce measurement as a reference to the size difference between the two smaller active wrestlers, and their large manager. His debut match was against Mikey Whipreck on ECW on TNN, in which Tony Mamaluke took a couple hardcore bumps. Spencer was initially a member in training, until he became a full-fledged member when the tandem captured the World Tag Team Championship from Yoshihiro Tajiri and Mikey Whipwreck on August 25, 2000, on Day Two of Ballroom Blitz, which was ECW's debut at The Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. The two teams feuded for several months, with their respective managers, Big Sal and The Sinister Minister creating further conflict. They lost the title, however, on December 3, 2000 at Massacre On 34th Street to Danny Doring and Roadkill. During this time, he also feuded with Super Crazy and Kid Kash. He stayed with ECW until the company was declared bankrupt in April 2001.
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