Name	Paul Centopani
Names	Paul Roma
Height
Weight
Birth date	April 29, 1960
Birth place	Kensington, New York, U.S.
Resides	Bridgeport, Connecticut
Debut	1985

Paul Roma (born Paul Centopani April 29, 1960) is a professional wrestler who is known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling primarily as a tag team wrestler alongside such partners as Jim Powers, Hercules, Arn Anderson and Paul Orndorff.

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Federation (1985-1991)

Paul Roma entered professional bodybuilding at a young age, built himself up, and later entered the world of prowrestling, where his athletic ability and showmanship propelled him to the top of the profession, performing to sell out crowds around the world. Paul enjoyed a career with the WWE between 1985 to 1991.

Roma made his pro wrestling debut in 1985 and soon signed contracts with the WWF. His first big break came in 1987 when he was paired up with Jim Powers in a tag team called The Young Stallions. The team seemingly received their name by accident when play-by-play commentator Vince McMahon referred to them once as "a couple of young stallions", thus naming the team. "The Young Stallions", Paul Roma & Jimmy Powers, during the August 8, 1987 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling (taped July 15), scored an upset disqualification victory over WWF Tag Team Champions the Hart Foundation. The victory launched the team into a run as featured performers in the WWF. They were even one of only two surviving teams alongside The Killer Bees in the elimination tag team match at the first annual Survivor Series pay-per-view on November 26, 1987. Another notable feud Paul Roma & Jimmy Powers had was against The Conquistadors (1 & 2), many of those epic-length matches took place in the original Boston Garden.

It was not too long before WWF owner Vince McMahon seemed to lose interest in the idea of pushing the Young Stallions. This may have been due, in part, to the fact that Powers and Roma did not get along with each other. The team was placed in featured matches on television and at house shows. Following a loss, to Demolition on the March 19, 1989 episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge, the team began arguing after the match. Soon, they were split up off camera without an official announcement. The Young Stallions reunited briefly from June 1989 to August 1989. After that, Roma and Powers went their separate ways, competing in the singles division.

Paul Roma defeated Boris Zukhov in a dark match at the 1989 Survivor Series, and also pinned Steve Lombardi in dark matches at both 1990 Royal Rumble and WrestleMania VI. Televised victories over Buddy Rose and Boris Zukhov followed in the spring of 1990, although he sustained defeats to Rick Martel, Bad News Brown and Ted Dibiase. However it was in tag-team action once more that Roma's career would see a resurgence. In May on Prime Time wrestling Roma teamed with Hercules Hernandez for the first time, defeating Ken Johnson and Buddy Rose. At first this seemed like a one-time pairing, but played into a major storyline the following month.

In June 1990 Roma’s career shot up to the top level of WWE once again, as he turned heel alongside Hercules. After losing a WWF Superstars match to Dino Bravo, the Rockers came out to help Roma but ended up getting into a shoving match with him instead. Hercules came to ringside and then proceeded to attack Michaels and Jannetty. Roma & Hercules then became an official team, Power and Glory, managed by Slick. Paul Roma & Hercules, Power & Glory, had a high profile feud with the Rockers. Power and Glory clashed with the Rockers at Summer Slam 1990 with Marty Jannetty being forced to wrestle the match on his own after Power and Glory injured Shawn Michaels before the match (this was a storyline excuse to give Shawn some time off to heal a previously suffered injury). Once Shawn returned, the feud continued, with the two teams being on opposite sides at Survivor Series, with Power and Glory once again coming out as the victors.

Power & Glory challenged WWF Tag Team Champions The Hart Foundation but never won the gold. Their misfortune continued at WrestleMania VII where they lost to The Legion of Doom in under a minute.

Roma was featured in numerous televised singles matches in the summer of 1991, including against Davey Boy Smith, Virgil, Bret Hart, and Ricky Steamboat. Power and Glory teamed up with Slick’s other charge, The Warlord, for a series of 6 man tag-team matches. Their last pay per view outing came when they teamed with The Warlord to face Ricky Steamboat, Kerry Von Erich and Davey Boy Smith at SummerSlam 1991 in a losing effort. In one of their last recorded matches together as a team, they lost to the Legion of Doom at the Royal Albert Hall in England. Roma left the Federation soon after and later appeared as one of the Four Horsemen in World Championship Wrestling, while Hercules would remain with the company for a few months before departing as well.

Post WCW career

He attempted to make a WWF comeback in late 1997 alongside a student of Mr. Fuji called Alex Roma, calling themselves the Pretty Primos. However, they only made one appearance together at a WWF house show and no contract was ever offered to the two. After failing to make it into the WWF again Roma decided to retire in 1998 and focus on other business ventures in relation to bodybuilding and wrestling.

In 2006, Roma resurfaced on the wrestling scene as he was named the commissioner of the independent promotion, Connecticut Championship Wrestling, a federation which is currently closed down. He also had a "Pretty Wonderful" reunion with Paul Orndorff in Connecticut Championship Wrestling. Roma has since been competing in the IAW (Independent Association of Wrestling) wrestling promotion. Roma won the IAW Heavyweight Championship, after beating Brian Costello (aka The Crippler), on July 8, 2006 at IAW Clash at the Cove VIII, in South Bend, IN. He eventually lost the title to The Crippler on March 24, 2007 at IAW Clash at the CAVE II (held in the gym of Mishawaka High School in Mishawaka, IN) after receiving a piledriver onto a chair, behind the back of special referee Brandon Trtan, who was attacked and knocked out of the ring by Roma.

Boxing career

After leaving the World Wrestling Federation in 1991, Roma turned to pro boxing, competing under Paul Roma since it was the name that he thought had the most recognition factor. He had a sum total of three professional boxing matches. In his debut match on March 6, 1992 Roma lost via TKO in the fourth round to a fighter named Jerry Arentzen, when his trainer threw in the towel. The victory was one of Arentzen’s two wins in 22 matches. On April 1, 1992 he defeated Norman Fortini and then on May 5, 1992 he fought and defeated Norman Shrink, this was both Fortini’s and Shrink’s only professional boxing match ever. After the third fight Roma stopped boxing and returned to professional wrestling on the independent circuit at first, and then eventually WCW.

Personal life

Roma got married in September 2006, and he is running a wrestling training school in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

Diving elbow drop

Diving splash

Missile dropkick

Scoop powerslam

Sunset flip

With Hercules Hernandez

Power-Plex (Superplex by Hernandez followed by a diving splash by Roma)

Managers

*Slick

*Masked Assassin

*Mr. Ruby

Championships and accomplishments

Catch Wrestling Association

:*CWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time)

Independent Association of Wrestling

:*IAW Heavyweight Championship (3 times) :*IAW Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Repo Man (1), Hercules (1), and Alex Roma (1)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

:*PWI # 434 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003. :*PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year award in 1990

World Championship Wrestling

:*WCW World Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Arn Anderson (1) and Paul Orndorff (2)

See also

Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)

The Young Stallions

Power and Glory

Pretty Wonderful

References

External links

Paul Roma - Media Man Australia profile

Category:American professional wrestlers Category:1960 births Category:People from Kentucky Category:Living people Category:American professional wrestlers of Italian descent

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