Italian-born Adolfo Bresciano began his professional wrestling career in Canada the 1970s. Using the name “Dino Bravo,” he joined up with various organized wrestling alliances, becoming one of Canada’s most popular wrestlers. With his flamboyant manner, his bleached blond hair, his trademark fleur-de-lis gauntlets and his “pro-Canada” bravado, he was a fan favorite. He worked with the mighty WWF (now WWE) group as part of a tag-team with Dominic DeNucci. In the early 1980s, Dino was scheduled for a title match against the renowned Hulk Hogan. The match was to be held in Montreal, Dino’s adopted hometown. But the match was soon canceled, as promoters didn’t want hometown fans to cheer for Dino.
Dino retired from the ring in 1992 and began working with a notorious Canadian crime syndicate. Dino confided to several colleagues that he believed his days were numbered. He was allegedly involved in a risky and dangerous racket of cigarette smuggling. On March 10, 1993, Dino was found dead in his Quebec home. He was hit with at least 17 bullets and the surrounding walls were riddled with additional evidence of gunfire. Dino was 44 years old. His murder remains unsolved.