Former WWE wrestler Giovanni Roselli's pro wrestling career took him worldwide. He performed on live international TV at Madison Square Garden in 2005. One venue he always dreamed of wrestling in was his hometown Westchester County Center.
Roselli, who grew up in Harrison, gets that chance at 7 p.m. May 10. He'll perform in what's promoted as his retirement match at Northeast Wrestling's WrestleFest XXVIII at the County Center. His opponent has not yet been announced.
Roselli wrestled from 2000 to 2017, mostly under the name Romeo Roselli. He wrestled for industry leader WWE from 2004 to 2007. He attended matches as a child at the County Center and looks forward to wrestling in front of his daughter for the first time.
"I've always had my eyes on working the County Center before I was done," said Roselli, who lives in Del Ray Beach, Florida, and works in the health and fitness industry. "I want her to see me perform in the ring. It's a building that has a lot of history that means a lot to a lot of people."
Roselli's daughter Juliet is 7 years old.
"I don't want to make it seem like Daddy is really going into the ring and fighting for his life," Roselli said. "She doesn't know if I am going to win or if I'm going to lose. She knows Daddy is going to keep himself safe in his last match."
Northeast Wrestling debuts at the County Center
WrestleFest is a huge event on Northeast Wrestling's calendar. New Windsor-based NEW is in its 30th year of operation. The event at the County Center begins with a 3 p.m. meet and greet. Bell time for the wrestling card is 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the County Center box office or via Ticketmaster and start at $40.
Appearing at WrestleFest will be The Hardy Boyz, Kane, Mick Foley, Shelton Benjamin, MVP, Mickie James, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Lex Luger, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Boogeyman and Tito Santana. The event is basically a combination of a fan fest and a wrestling card.
Northeast Wrestling president Michael Lombardi has worked with Roselli, on and off, for 25 years. Roselli wrestled for NEW before he entered WWE in 2004 and after he left in 2007. Lombardi said Roselli first started attending NEW cards as a fan and later as a photographer before he became a wrestler.
"There's a lot of history here," Lombardi said. "Everybody who's anybody has wrestled in the County Center from Bruno Sammartino to Hulk Hogan to Andre The Giant, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Cody Rhodes. Romeo's wrestled in all the major arenas, but not this one. The County Center is the premier facility in the Hudson Valley and north of New York City. We couldn't ask for better partners than we have at the Westchester County Center."
Why Romeo Roselli is returning to the ring
Why come back to the ring? Why now?
"It was something me and Michael Lombardi talked about quite a bit," ...
