Tino Sabbatelli

Sabatino "Sabby" Piscitelli[4][5] (born August 24, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and former American football player. He is currently signed to WWE, performing for NXT, under the ring name Tino Sabbatelli. He also worked for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Sabby.

Tino Sabbatelli
Sabbatelli in April 2018
Born
Sabatino Piscitelli

(1983-08-24) August 24, 1983
Boca Raton, Florida, United States
ResidenceOrlando, Florida, United States[1]
Ring name(s)Anthony Sabbatelli
Sabatino Piscitelli
Sabby[2]
Tino Piscitelli
Tino Sabbatelli[3]
Billed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[3]
Billed weight240 lb (110 kg)[3]
Billed fromBoca Raton, Florida[3]
Trained byWWE Performance Center
DebutApril 4, 2015
Football career
Piscitelli with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2011
No. 21, 28, 48, 42
Position:Safety
Personal information
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Boca Raton (FL)
College:Oregon State
NFL Draft:2007 / Round: 2 / Pick: 64
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× Honorable mention All-Pac-10 (2004, 2005)
  • First Team All-Pac-10 (2006)
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:188
Interceptions:5
Pass deflections:15
Player stats at NFL.com

Prior to joining WWE, Piscitelli played six years in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round (64th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. He also played for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs. He played collegiately at Oregon State.

Early life

Sabatino Piscitelli was born on August 24, 1983 in Boca Raton, Florida.[4][5] Piscitelli began his football career at Boca Raton High School. He began playing as a junior in high school, playing both defensive back and wide receiver. He received second team all-state honors as a senior, and received four letters as an outfielder for the school's baseball team.[6]

College football career
Season GP T AT TFL FF FR PD INTs TDs
2002° 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2003[7] 13 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
2004[8]† 12 42 12 3 1 1 9 5 0
2005[9]† 11 39 14 3 0 2 12 4 1
2006[10]‡ 14 54 21 3 0 0 16 5 0

GP – Games Played, T – Tackles, AT – Assisted Tackles, TFL – Tackles for Loss, FF – Forced Fumbles, FR – Fumbles Recovered, PD – Passes Defensed, INTs – Interceptions, TDs – Touchdowns
° Redshirted
† All-Pac 10 Honourable Mention [11]
‡ All-Pac 10 First Team [11]

Professional football career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Piscitelli received an invitation to attend the NFL Combine due to his outstanding performance in his last year at Oregon State University. He posted the fastest pro agility time of 2006, ran a 4.44 second 40-yard dash, and bench pressed 225 lbs for 19 reps.[12] He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, he broke his right foot and was placed on the injured reserve.[13] On November 30, 2010 the Buccaneers released him.

Cleveland Browns

Piscitelli was signed by the Cleveland Browns on December 1, 2010. He became a free agent after the season.

Kansas City Chiefs

Piscitelli signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on August 4, 2011.

Career statistics

[14]

Season Team GP ST AT FF PD INTs TDs
2007 Tampa Bay 3 2 1 0 0 0 0
2008 Tampa Bay 15 40 8 1 8 2 0
2009 Tampa Bay 16 66 14 1 5 2 0
2010 Tampa Bay 11 19 0 0 1 1 0
2010 Cleveland 5 3 1 0 0 0 0
2011 Kansas City 16 28 6 1 1 0 0

GP – Games Played, ST – Solo Tackles, AT – Assisted Tackles, FF – Forced Fumbles, PD – Passes Defensed, INTs – Interceptions, TDs – Touchdowns

Professional wrestling career

WWE (2014–2020)
Sabbatelli (right) with regular tag team partner Riddick Moss in 2018

In October 2014, Piscitelli signed a developmental contract with WWE and began training to become a professional wrestler at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.[15]

He made his in-ring debut for WWE's developmental territory, NXT, at a live event on April 4, 2015, competing unsuccessfully in a battle royal.[16] After ten months of training, he suffered a concussion during an NXT live event.[17] In October 2015, he was given the ring name Anthony Sabbatelli, later tweaked to Tino Sabbatelli. He was featured on an exclusive TV show on the WWE Network called Breaking Ground, which featured his NXT training.

Sabbatelli made his televised debut on the October 12, 2016, episode of NXT, teaming with Riddick Moss in a loss to TM-61 in the first round of the 2016 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. He made a further appearance on the January 4, 2017, episode of NXT, again teaming with Moss in a defeat to The Revival. Sabbatelli appeared again on the May 10 episode of NXT, teaming with Moss in a loss to DIY. He had his first televised singles match on the September 20 episode of NXT, losing to Johnny Gargano.[18] Sabbatelli and Moss had their first televised victory on the October 25 episode of NXT, defeating the team of Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. In early 2018, Sabbatelli and Moss entered the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic losing to Sanity in the first round. Sabbatelli turned on Moss on April 25 after losing to Heavy Machinery. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle at the end of April and underwent surgery.[19] On April 17, 2020, it was announced that he was released from his WWE contract.[20]

All Elite Wrestling (2020)

Piscitelli made his All Elite Wrestling debut under the ring name Sabby on the July 21, 2020, episode of AEW Dark, teaming with Brady Pierce in a losing effort against Best Friends.[2] After this loss, AEW quietly parted ways with Sabby due to reasons unknown. On a Talk is Jericho podcast, former AEW Champion Chris Jericho, hinted that AEW had recently fired a potential spy on behalf of the WWE to sabotage them in the Wednesday night ratings against AEW Dynamite. Fans have speculated that Piscitelli was the spy, as he soon rejoined WWE NXT after his brief stint for AEW.

Return to WWE (2020–present)

On October 16, 2020, it was reported that Piscitelli had re-signed with WWE.[21][22]

Personal life

Piscitelli is of Italian descent.[23] He has a sister named Sabrina and a brother named Sean, an independent wrestler who performs under the ring name Sean Swag.[6][24]

Sabbatelli is in a relationship with fellow professional wrestler Amanda Saccomanno, better known by the ring name Mandy Rose.[25]

Championships and accomplishments

References
  1. "Tino Sabbatelli on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  2. All Elite Wrestling [@AEWrestling] (July 20, 2020). "We have EIGHT Dark matches ready for tomorrow night! Watch #AEWDark every Tuesday at 7e/6c via our YouTube channel at youtube.com/allelitewrestling" (Tweet). Retrieved July 20, 2020 – via Twitter.
  3. "Tino Sabbatelli". WWE.
  4. "NFL owners won't run hurry-up offense vs. players". March 2, 2011.
  5. "WWE Breaking Ground debut episode: behind the scenes at NXT". October 26, 2015.
  6. Hatch, Brooks (August 4, 2002). "A far-fetched recruiting tale for OSU". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  7. http://www.osubeavers.com/fls/30800/Football/FB%20Stats/2003/teamcume.htm?DB_OEM_ID=30800#TEAM.DEF Archived September 11, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  8. http://www.osubeavers.com/fls/30800/Football/FB%20Stats/2004/teamcume.htm?DB_OEM_ID=30800#TEAM.DEF Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  9. http://www.osubeavers.com/fls/30800/Football/FB%20Stats/2005/teamcume.htm?DB_OEM_ID=30800#TEAM.DEF Archived September 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  10. http://www.osubeavers.com/fls/30800/Football/FB%20Stats/2006/teamcume.htm?DB_OEM_ID=30800#TEAM.DEF Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  11. "Sabby Piscitelli". www.osubeavers.com.
  12. "Sabby Piscitelli - Oregon State, SS : 2007 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". www.nfldraftscout.com.
  13. "Piscitelli ready to compete". Retrieved August 20, 2008.
  14. "Sabby Piscitelli". NFL.com.
  15. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. WWE NXT Rookies Get Ring Time
  17. Breaking Ground S01 E01. WWE.
  18. "Johnny Gargano def. Tino Sabbatelli".
  19. Namako, Jason (May 8, 2018). "NXT star out for several months with torn pectoral, WWE to be featured on "Undercover Boss"". WrestleView. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  20. Johnson, Mike (April 17, 2020). "WWE RELEASES CONTINUE (UPDATED)". PW Insider. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  21. Johnson, Mike (October 16, 2020). "INTERESTING NAMES AT WWE TRYOUTS, PERFORMANCE CENTER COACH RETURNS TO WWE AND MORE NXT NEWS". PWInsider. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  22. Lambert, Jeremy (October 16, 2020). "Report: Ace Steel Returns From Furlough, Tino Sabbatelli Back With A New NXT Contract". Fightful. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  23. Mushnick, Phil (December 21, 2008). "ITALIAN-AMERICANS STILL FAIR GAME FOR CHEAP LAUGHS". New York Post. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  24. Middleton, Marc (June 29, 2016). "Brother Of WWE NXT Star Works TV Match, WWE Announcer Filming Movie This Summer, Attendance". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  25. "Lilian is Live from Wrestlemania 34!". PodcastOne. April 9, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  26. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2017". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
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