Michele Leone (June 8, 1909 – November 26, 1988), known by his ring name Baron Michele Leone, was an Italian professional wrestler. He was one of the biggest stars and most prominent heels of the early television era of wrestling[3][5] and, in May 1952, was a part of professional wrestling's first $100,000 gate, when he faced Lou Thesz in a title vs. title bout.[5][3][1]
Leone was born to parents Giovanni and Anna Leone[5] in Pettorano sul Gizio, in the Abruzzo region of Italy; the same home region as fellow professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.[6][2]
Though his parents disapproved, Michele began wrestling at a young age. According to Leone he was champion of his area by age 14.[3] Any money he earned in his initial wrestling endeavours were reinvested into wrestling lessons. Little is known of his early wrestling career. He reportedly became moderately well known on the European circuit and once visited South America to wrestle.[3]
After completing his training and gaining ring experience in Europe, Leone migrated to the United States, arriving in New York City in early 1938.[3] On May 2, 1938 he defeated Mike Kilonis at New York’s Hippodrome. On June 28, 1938 he wrestled his first known main event in the U.S. against Dr. John "Dropkick" Murphy.[3]
In June, 1940, Leone began wrestling in Joe Turner’s Washington DC territory.[3] It was whilst wrestling here that the United States entered World War II. The U.S. was now at war with Leone's native Italy, which made him an instant heel. As an Italian citizen, Leone was exempt from being drafted into the military and as more and more wrestlers were drafted, it opened up new spots on cards for Leone as a top heel. He would become a headliner in DC, notably feuding in headline bouts against “Gentleman” Lou Plummer. Attendance rose steadily with Leone in the main event.[3] Memorably, he headlined one such event against Hans Kampfer, a German, where he worked as the heel. It is said that this match illustrated his abilities as a 'bad guy', having gotten boos from the fans in a match against a German during World War II.[3][1] Leone left the D.C. territory at the end of the war in 1945 and began wrestling throughout the East Coast. He briefly returned to Europe in 1947 before returning to the U.S. East Coast in 1948.[3]
On January 19, 1949, Leone made his return to the D.C. territory, wrestling in a losing effort against Gorgeous George in the main event. The show also featured a young Stu Hart on the card.[3]
Michele made his debut in Johnny Doyle's Los Angeles/Southern California territory in October 1949, where he took up the mantle of "Baron" Michele Leone, an Italian aristocrat. It is here that he would find his greatest success.
With an abundance of wrestling television outlets in Southern California, and possessing the gift of the gab,[7] Leone - working for Doyle - became the biggest star in the L.A. territory.[3] The still relatively new medium of television helped transform him from journeyman to superstar.[5] Leone headlined several events at the Olympic Auditorium against opponents such as Leo Garibaldi, Jack Claybourne and Kimon Kudo. He would also tag with former opponent Gorgeous George.
On March 8, 1950, Leone wrestled future WWF Hall of Famer Antonino Rocca in front of a sold out 10,400 fans. 6,000 fans were also reportedly turned away at the gate.[7]
Leone faced Enrique Torres at the Olympic Auditorium on November 22, 1950, in front of a reported 10,400 fans in a two-out-of-three falls match for the Los Angeles version of the World Heavyweight Championship.[3] He captured the second and third falls of the match to win the world title.[7]
As world champion and with a growing television audience, Leone became one of the biggest sports stars in Southern California and the biggest draw in the territory.[7] Appearing on television shows such as Charlie Aldridge, Dennis Day and Horace Heidt's Family Night Show, Leone raised his profile, with few wrestlers throughout the United States getting the exposure he was.[7] An appearance at a store in the city of Oxnard drew over 1,000 fans, despite heavy rain. Leone gave female fans an orchard and gave every fan an autographed photo of himself.”[3]
Leone, with a combination of heel heat and broad appeal, carried the territory to new financial heights.[7] NWA World Heavyweight champion Lou Thesz came to the territory in July 1951 and, finding himself overshadowed by Leone, was reportedly unhappy with this status.[7] Thesz addressed these concerns at the annual NWA member's meeting in Tulsa, where the prospect of eliminating the California-version of the world title (held by Leone) was discussed. Doyle - a member of the championship committee - agreed to not book Michele Leone (or Enrique Torres) as champions outside of California. This did not assuage the NWA's concerns of a growing regional "world champion" and Doyle, who had been suspended briefly by the NWA, agreed to a unification bout.[7] On May 21, 1952, Leone lost the L.A. "Olympic" version of the world title to Lou Thesz at Hollywood's Gilmore Field in L.A. in a unification match.[8][9] The event drew 25,256 fans and took $103,277.75 at the gate, making it the first professional wrestling match to garner over $100,000 at the gate[7][3]
Though having lost the championship, the Baron remained the top draw in the Southern California territory. In December 1952, he defeated Rito Romero at the Olympic Auditorium to win the Pacific Coast heavyweight championship. Leone would go on to defeat Danny McShane for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship on August 16, 1953 at Hollywood's Legion Stadium in Hollywood.[3]
Leone's television popularity made him an in-demand talent and he was able to take bookings throughout the United States. He remained a regular performer in Los Angeles while working a semi-regular schedule in the Georgia territory. He left L.A. in 1954, and relocated to Texas. He would wrestle Lou Thesz in losing efforts three more times for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship; on February 16, 1954 in El Paso, Texas, October 13, 1954 in Tulsa, Oklahoma and February 25, 1955 in Miami, Florida.[3][7]
Shortly after his final bout with Thesz, Leone retired from professional wrestling, being independently wealthy from his career. He returned to Italy along with his wife, Billie, whom he married 1954. They returned to the United States and relocated back to Leone's apartment building in Santa Monica. Michele and Billie travelled frequency and Leone spent his later days partaking in various leisure activities by the Pacific Ocean.[3]
Whilst crossing the street near his home on November 14, 1988, Leone was struck by an automobile. He died at UCLA Medical Center on November 26, 1988.
Leone married his wife Billie in 1954, with whom he remained for the rest of his life. During his career, he became a star in Southern California, and outside of wrestling he was hired by ABC to host a television programme, "Advice to the Lovelorn", offering advise to couples.[10][6]
Michele Leone was one of the first wrestling stars of the television era. His colorful interviews, 'bad guy' characteristics and affable personality, endeared him to viewing audiences as an entertaining performer.[2][5] He was one of the first professional wrestlers, along with the likes of Gorgeous George, to be famed for his showmanship as well as his in-ring prowess.[5][2]
In the 2000's , his wife Billie donated $100,000 in Michele's memory to the Santa Monica Historical Society Museum.[11][12][4] Symbolically, this was the same amount which Leone drew with Lou Thesz during their May, 1952 bout for the NWA Heavyweight championship; the first $100,000 gate in wrestling. The amount was donated to help support construction of the museum's relocation. Billie Leone stated: “my husband moved to Santa Monica in 1949, and that began his lifelong love affair with Santa Monica. He loved everything about the city.”[4] The museum now houses a permanent exhibit featuring the highlights of The Baron’s career.[11]
Florence May Chadwick (November 9, 1918 – March 15, 1995)[1] was an American swimmer known for long-distance open water swimming. She was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions, setting a time record each time. She was also the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, the Straits of Gibraltar, the Bosporus (one way), and the Dardanelles (round trip).[2]
She was born in San Diego on November 8, 1918. Her parents were Richard Chadwick, a police officer, and Mary Lacko, a homemaker who later operated a San Diego restaurant. Chadwick grew up in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego and graduated from Point Loma Junior-Senior High School in 1936. She attended San Diego State College and studied at several law schools and a business college. She was married and divorced twice, and had no children.[3]
Chadwick entered swimming competitions from a young age, scoring her first win the age of ten, but she realized she preferred ocean events rather than pool swims. At the age of 10 she became the youngest person to swim across the mouth of San Diego Bay. Starting at age eleven she competed in rough water swims, winning an annual 2.5-mile race in the ocean off La Jolla 10 times in 18 years.[3] She swam in Southern California ocean races as an amateur for several decades, but had her heart set on swimming the English Channel. In 1950 she attempted to enter a 1950 Channel-swimming contest sponsored by the Daily Mail, but was refused for lack of a significant reputation. She determined to try at her own expense, failing in July after 14 hours in the water, but succeeding in August in her best-known contribution to swimming history.[2]
On October 12, 1950, at the age of 31, she crossed the English Channel from France to England in 13 hours and 20 minutes, breaking the then-current women's record held by American swimmer Gertrude Ederle. One year later, Chadwick crossed the English Channel again, from England to France this time, in 16 hours and 22 minutes, thus making her the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions, and setting a record for the England-France journey. She ultimately swam the Channel four times.[4]
In 1952, Florence attempted to swim the 26 miles between Catalina Island and the California coastline. As she began, she was flanked by small boats that watched for sharks and were prepared to help her if she got hurt or grew tired. After about 15 hours a thick fog set in. Florence began to doubt her ability, and she told her mother, who was in one of the boats, that she did not think she could make it. She swam for another hour before asking to be pulled out, unable to see the coastline due to the fog. As she sat in the boat, she found out she had stopped swimming just one mile away from her destination.[5] Two months later, she tried again. The same thick fog set in, but she succeeded in reaching Catalina. She said that she kept a mental image of the shoreline in her mind while she swam. She later swam the Catalina channel on two additional occasions.[4]
During the summer of 1953 she successfully swam the Channel again (setting a new women's record), as well as the Straits of Gibraltar (setting an all-time record of 5:06), the Bosporus, and the Dardanelles. In 1955 she swam the Channel again, breaking her own record time.[2]
Not all of her long-distance swim attempts were successful. In 1954, she tried to become the first person to swim across Lake Ontario, but gave up after becoming ill a few hours into her swim. Other unsuccessful attempts included the Strait of Juan de Fuca and two tries at the Irish Sea (her last major swim attempt in 1960).[2]
She gave product endorsements and served for many years as the spokesperson for Catalina Swimwear. She taught swimming at a number of venues and worked with Esther Williams to design movie swimming sequences. She also worked as a credit counselor and as a stockbroker. She died of leukemia in San Diego in 1995; her ashes were scattered into the ocean off Point Loma.[3]
In December 1951, Chadwick appeared as herself in Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town musical series on CBS television. The program highlighted Chadwick's hometown of San Diego.
On October 30, 1955, she appeared as a guest on "What's My Line?".[6]
In 1962, Chadwick was inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions into its Breitbard Hall of Fame.[7]
In 1970 she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.[2]
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