Gino Garuso might give off the impression that he’s a macho wrestling figure. After all, he spent 14 years touring with the Worldwide Wrestling Federation and World Class Wrestling, before starting his own local professional wrestling program and school called East Coast Professional Wrestling, located in Lake Hiawatha, N.J.
The Lyndhurst resident was known as “Mr. Italy” during his wrestling heyday. Back in the 1980s, before he got into professional wrestling, Caruso was a professional football player with the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League. So he has a right to display a macho, tough guy persona that most professional wrestlers possess.
Except when he’s around little kids. Then, tough guy Caruso transforms into Mister Softie.
“I just love being around kids,” Caruso said. “It’s always a good day when you’re around kids.”
Last Friday, Caruso brought many of the wrestlers he trains and works with to Robert Fulton School in North Bergen to participate in the annual “Read Across America” festivities. It’s a day set aside for adults to read passages from Dr. Seuss books to the youngsters, to give them a sense of identity with the adults and to encourage reading throughout the grades.
And who better to command attention than a bunch of wrestlers with names like “The Metal Maniac,” dressed in complete face paint; “Johnny Thunder” and his manager, the ever-so-beautiful “Angel;” and the menacing “Harry Acropolis,” who is only 18 years old, but stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 450 pounds?
Needless to say, these wrestlers had the full attention of Fulton’s kindergarten through second graders, who were overjoyed to see some of their wrestling heroes in their own classrooms.
Fun with wrestlers
According to Fulton School Principal Patrick Capotorto, the kids had a lot of fun with the wrestlers.
“Of course, a lot of the youngsters follow wrestling, so they were very excited when the wrestlers came to read,” Capotorto said. “And the wrestlers were excellent with the kids. They stayed later than what I anticipated. The kids enjoyed them and I think the wrestlers enjoyed the kids.”
Caruso appeared at Fulton as a favor to school aide Mary Ann Russell, whose son attends Caruso’s wrestling school with the hope of becoming a professional wrestler some day.
Caruso, who was born in Italy but came to the United States when he was an infant, said that Dr. Seuss books were an important part of his life growing up in Bergen County.
“I vividly remember ‘Green Eggs and Ham,’ as a kid,” Caruso said of one of Dr. Seuss’ more famous books. “It was a fun way to learn and still is, after all these years.”
Caruso said that he had a lot of fun dealing with the youngsters.
“We love to work with kids and try to do as much as we can with kids,” Caruso said. “We’re willing to do anything that helps them with their education. A lot of times, athletes tend to not put enough back into the community. Reading is such an important thing, a basic tool that they all need. It’s an everyday task. They all need to read. As long as we’re available, we’ll fit it in. If they listen to us and it helps them read more, then we’ve done our job.”
Caruso, who said that he was never a villain during his wrestling career, said that the wrestlers’ characters and ring personalities were tossed aside for the special day. There were no bad guys.
“We tend to have their attention because they see us on television,” Caruso said. “I’ve seen the way kids react around us. We got a great response from them. We had a message to relay and it helped to relay the message because we have their attention as wrestlers. They were all focused on what we had to say.”
Capotorto was impressed with the wrestlers’ demeanor and approach.
“They came in and were very softspoken,” Capotorto said. “Because of that, the kids were very receptive. They weren’t afraid of them. I think it helped to get the message across to the kids, who then, in turn, brought it home to their parents, because that’s where it begins. The message is that we encourage reading and the wrestlers encourage reading, so the parents should as well.”
Added Capotorto, “But the message has to be every day, not just one single day. We will have the community get involved in reading to the students during National Library Week next month.”
Capotorto was asked if he was apprehensive about having wrestlers, who have the physical, violent image, presenting a message to the students.
“They weren’t here to promote wrestling,” Capotorto said. “They were here to promote reading. That was the message to convey and they did it. Plus, these wrestlers promote more of a safety message, that they’re a family-oriented group. There is no violence and don’t promote violence, so I was all for it. I’m glad they came. It was a great day. The kids were excited and they got the message.”
Caruso, who helps to coordinate his wrestling school, first for juniors (ages 14 to 17), which is geared toward conditioning and the fundamental aspects of professional wrestling, then for adults as well, said that all the wrestlers thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
“It was a great day,” Caruso said. “We were glad to do it.”