10 Times Wrestling Shows Became Total Anarchy
3. From Cross-Dressing To Crossed Words (Nepal, 2010)
Big Vito is best remembered as the bald intimidating guy who had his mystique and threat stripped away from him by a low-effort cross-dressing gimmick. Sadly, even the ensuing story of anarchy cannot replace this brief period in Vito’s career from being his legacy among wrestling fans.
In 2010, Vito travelled to Kathmandu, Nepal, where he was set to be the first American professional wrestler to perform in the country. He was scheduled to compete against Bharat Bahadur Bishural, who wrestled as the Himalayan Tiger. Tiger was a national hero, notably billed as “Nepal’s first professional wrestler”.
The match got underway in front of a crowd of around 4,000 fans. However, the sight of Vito knocking Nepal’s hero out, ironically with a foreign object, sent the crowd into a frenzy. The resulting riot left many injured and 1600 of the venue’s chairs broken. Local law enforcement were thankfully attentive and managed to get Vito away from the mob.
Despite the chaos, Vito would later return to the country as an ambassador and guest of the Nepali government. He was unperturbed by the incident reflecting:
“They were just upset that the man representing their country was losing, and nobody wants to see their hero go down […] the police did an incredible job since they were outnumbered; they got everyone out of the arena and controlled the situation.”