Two Pittsburgh Wrestling Legends Died Within Weeks Of Each Other

Wrestlezone reports that Pittsburgh wrestling legends Frank Durso and Bobby ‘Hurricane’ Hunt passed away this month. Both men also worked for WWE as enhancement talent. Durso died at the age of 81 on December 7 due to an ongoing illness, while Hunt passed away yesterday.

Pittsburgh wrestling promoter Hank Hudson wrote on Facebook about Hunt: “High-flying BOBBY “HURRICANE” HUNT, always introduced on live WIIC-TV11 “Studio Wrestling” as 218 pounds from the Beltzhoover section of Pittsburgh, passed away on Thursday, December 27, 2018!!! In addition to scores upon scores of weekly bouts televised on early Saturday evenings from the Channel 11 studios over the years as well as many more at the various regular and infrequent stops around the Greater Pittsburgh Tri-State Area, Hunt appeared on no less than sixty-four major wrestling events at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena and at Forbes Field over an eight-and-one-half year period between March 19, 1963 and September 17, 1971!!! My most vivid memory of Hunt was his breath-taking ability (second-to-none locally) to launch a series of flying-dropkicks with seconds!!! After 1971 Hunt disappeared for over eleven years from the local wrestling scene until suddenly appearing on at least two W.W.F. “spot shows” that I know of in late 1982!!!”

Hudson also wrote about Durso, saying that in “a nearly fourteen-year period between January 31, 1964 (a draw with Frank Holtz) and October 7, 1977 (pinned by longtime rival Jumpin’ Johnny DeFazio) Durso appeared on no less than fifty-three major pro wrestling events at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena as well as Forbes Field! This is in addition to what has to number in the hundreds of bouts on live “Studio Wrestling” and all of the regular towns and small “spot show” stops within the Channel 11 Greater Pittsburgh Tri-State viewing area!”

Pittsburgh wrestling historian Tom Leturgey added in a piece for Slam Wrestling: “Frank Scuillo was one of a kind. Born on January 30, 1937, in Pittsburgh, Frank was tough as nails. A Marine in his youth, Scuillo cemented his place in Pittsburgh lore as one of the mainstays of the city’s popular Saturday night “Studio Wrestling” show.”

The late Frank Durso. pic.twitter.com/xvXRCnibfo

— Dominic DeAngelo | Rumor & Innuendoist (@DominicDeAngelo) December 28, 2018