Antonino Rocca Antonino Rocca ( born Antonino Biasetton , April 13 , 1927 – March 15 , 1977 ) was an Italian professional wrestler . Rocca was a popular face and in some cities with both Italian American and especially Hispanic audiences , his following was exceptionally large and loyal . He also possessed Argentine citizenship . He had a love for opera and was apparently described as having an excellent – if untrained – singing voice . Maestro Arturo Toscanini , a wrestling fan , was good friends with Rocca . Rocca was posthumously inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame the following year in 1996 . Wrestling career . As a soccer and rugby - player when he moved to Argentina , before World War II , and an overall athlete , Rocca was known for his unique , acrobatic , off - the - ground , flying wrestling style , which he probably invented , wowing audiences with his dazzling aerial maneuvers . He was responsible for the revival of the New York City Metropolitan - Area territory in the late 1940s , which would eventually become part of the modern day World Wrestling Entertainment . Rocca became one of the most well - known wrestlers in America during the golden age of television . He also had a successful tag team career , forming a popular tandem with Miguel Pérez . The two , along with their heel ( villain ) opponents , drew large crowds to Madison Square Garden on a regular basis . Rocca had an uninterrupted seven - year run of headlining or co - headlining every main - event at the Garden . Rocca started his American professional wrestling career in 1948 – 1949 in Texas , and his earliest days wrestling in the business are still not known . He had been trained by the legendary legitimate - wrestler and former world ' s heavyweight champion Stanislaus Zbyszko in Argentina . In the early 1950s , he held two regionally recognized versions of professional - wrestling ' s world heavyweight singles - championship while still headlining nationwide , frequently in territories where other wrestlers were the recognized champs . He was even described by then National Wrestling Alliance generally recognized champion Pat O ' Connor as the " uncrowned champion " in New York City , and it was O ' Connor who , on television , challenged Rocca to a match ( not held in New York City ) to determine who was better . In 1949 , Rocca started wrestling in the New York City - area territory for Joseph Raymond " Toots " Mondt , and the Johnston family of promoters , which controlled wrestling at Madison Square Garden and Mondt , who owned Rocca ' s exclusive contract . The territory had been one of the four largest - grossing areas up until the mid - 1930s New York , and would later be run by Capitol Wrestling Corporation ( now WWE ) . He is generally considered as the box - office draw that helped bring wrestling back to Madison Square Garden , on a regular basis , for the first time since 1938 . Rocca was so popular that he was being used as a main eventer by promoters throughout the U . S . and Canada , who booked him through Mondt , who was the co - founder of the booking office that provided the talent for the Garden and other venues . Rocca formed a tag team with Jose Miguel Pérez in 1957 and they were hugely successful as such . Together , they captured the NWA Capitol World Tag Team Championship , which was the top tag - team title used in CWC , and like so many other titles , was a regional one . They were never defeated after winning this title but the appellation was abandoned after about five years . Perez was videotaped with his original belt from that title in a 1987 30th anniversary tribute , after Rocca ' s death . In 1963 , the Capitol ( CWC ) promotion may have left the NWA when it was renamed the World Wide Wrestling Federation . WWE history lists a tournament final to crown the first WWWF World Heavyweight Champion as Buddy Rogers over Rocca on April 29 , 1963 in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , but this tournament is fictitious . Rogers had legitimately held the NWA world ' s title but lost that title to Lou Thesz in Toronto earlier in 1963 in a match — and rematch — ignored by the New York City and Chicago promoters . In 1959 and into 1960 , Rocca worked briefly with veteran Kola Kwariani and under the controversial promoter , impresario and genuine manager of wrestlers , Jack Pfefer , who took effective control of the Garden ' s wrestling office . Kwariani had just broken away from his partnership with Vince McMahon , Sr . Rocca then set the post - World War II record for wrestling - attendance at Madison Square Garden ' s 49th – 50th Street location , drawing 21 , 950 fans in a singles - match against an obscure wrestler named " the Amazing Zuma , " a / k / a " Argentina Zuma , " on January 2 , 1960 , as was reported by the New York Times . This was part of a series of three matches between the two held during a four - month period , when the pair earlier drew , on another night , almost as many fans to the Garden . The Times called the largest turnout of these three matches the all - time record for wrestling attendance at Madison Square Garden , although there is some question whether a Jim Londos - led event in the 1930s drew a few hundred more fans . Rocca had also been provided with new wrestler , Bruno Sammartino as a partner and second - banana in tag - team matches . But when this team failed to sell - out the Garden , the pair was split up to wrestle each other in the hopes that business would pick up , however it did not . Eventually McMahon Sr . took the New York territory back and built it by first featuring " Nature Boy " Buddy Rogers and then , a few years later , the by - then charismatic Sammartino as its champion . After a demotion , and with the arrival of Buddy Rogers as the featured star at MSG in 1961 , within a few years Rocca left the WWWF and briefly set up a competing promotion ( supported by Jim Crockett , Sr . and others ) based at the Sunnyside arena in Queens , NY . It is believed to have failed and it ceased operations . In the mid - 1970s , he teamed up with Vince McMahon to handle the color commentary on the WWWF ' s weekly television show . Appearances in Japan ( late 1960s - early 1970s ) . Rocca was involved as a wrestler , but also as a referee in Japan during these years . He refereed a number of matches for the Japan Prowrestling Association ( JPA ) , and later followed Antonio Inoki to New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1972 . Antonio ( born Kanji ) Inoki was said to take his stage name from him . World Wrestling Council ( 1973 – 1976 ) . There is not much information on where Rocca worked in the following ten years , but it is known that in 1973 , he joined the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico with partner Miguel Pérez . They captured the defunct WWC North American Tag Team Championship on September 11 , 1976 by defeating Los Infernos . They lost the titles to Higo Hamaguchi and Gordon Nelson on October 16 . Gorilla Monsoon vs . André the Giant . On February 25 , 1977 , in his last days , Rocca appeared with World Wide Wrestling Federation , officiating a boxing match between Gorilla Monsoon and André the Giant at the famed Madison Square Garden . Death . Rocca died on March 15 , 1977 , at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City after complications following an infection . His funeral was attended by thousands and made the front page of all NYC newspapers . He was later inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame Class of 1995 .