Life is nothing but a walk in shadow for a professional wrestler as the industry cuts no corners in picking only the prime talent with either high octane, aerial in-ring skills or for sheer brute force; those who hone their skills through the edges remain immortal in their kayfabe and beyond, and those who don’t, well they end up jobbing and eventually fading out.
Rico Constantino was a wrestler who, for the lack of a better word, shimmied in and out of our sight serving a brief period as a low card to mid-card wrestler in the transition days of the WWE from the Attitude Era to the inception of the PG Era. However, after decades of entertaining in the ring and serving as an officer of the law after his retirement from the former, Rico Constantino was reported to be diagnosed with serious health issues this year.
According to Wrestlingnewssource, the wrestler who made up for the lack of gold to his name in mainstream professional wrestling with an impressive, flamboyant character and in-ring arsenal, has not been keeping well as the concussions sustained over the years and a weak heart has caught up with him. Early news of his condition did not reach the press or the fans as the wrestler has been apparently out of touch with his community of friends for months.
In the words of his close friend, former WWE manager Kenny ‘Starmaker’ Bolin, Rico’s conditioned had worsened since January as a collapsed lung was suspected to be among Constantino’s physical woes. The Starmaker appealed on his social media for empathizers to come forward as his former WWE superstar friend is allegedly suffering without proper funding for his medical needs, in anonymity.
Here is the message he posted on Facebook:
"it saddens me to inform you that I have just found out that a Former WWE star and very dear friend of mine named Rico Costantino (Rico the Stylist) is very, very sick and has been since at least early January. He has no help financially at all, no disability help and none in sight. He has not spoke a word to hardly any one in like 9 months. he desperately needs our help. he also has severe diagnosed concussions, a collapsed lung and sever heart problems way to detailed to get in to here.
“I spoke to his X-wife and length last night and she is trying to take care of him as best she can. i am hoping we can set up a go fund me account to assist him as soon as his X can get me the banking info to have it sent too. i also hope the WWE and Vince Mcmahon, Stephanie McMahon or Hunter will chime in and help this great and very nice man who gave his life to helping others till here recently.
“Lets get the word out about Rico's illness to those who may be able to help him in this extreme time of need. as i get more info from his X Linda i will pass it on. i will be contacting a few of my former and current WWE stars to rattle some cages in hope of getting rico some financial help. his illness was not caused by drug abuse as in the case of many others who got help. and his severe concussions were acquired entertaining all of us over the years.
“Linda says he can say something in one hour, and totally forgot he said it 2 hours later. i do hope we can all band together and give just a little that may up in the end being a lot and a life saver for Rico. he needs our help. he deserves our help. those of us who loved him and were entertained by him. he is one year younger than me and looked 20 years younger. Linda says we would not recognize him now. please help me help him and rattle a few cages. thank you all very much. KB"
Rico’s ex-wife Linda confessed that the wrestler is in a state where he cannot maintain coherence between speech and thoughts, and Bolin hoped the wrestler’s former employers would be remiss to not come to his aid in this peril.
Rico retired from wrestling briefly to resume a career in law enforcement, before making another publicized stint on Future Stars of Wrestling. Rico had worked with children’s charities in the nascent days of his career and had also managed the likes of Chuck Palumbo and Billy Gun before capturing the title with partner Charlie Haas, while going over with the crowd briefly in his over-the-top, exuberant and homoerotic persona as ‘Rico the Stylist’.
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