Ray Fabiani (1890-1973)

Real Name - Aurelio Fabiani

Lifespan - 4/28/1890 - 4/19/1973

Philadelphia, PA

Occupational Background - Concert Violinist, "Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company" General Manager

Mentor(s) - Renato Gardini

Promotional Background - Philadephia(20s-60s), Los Angeles(30s), Chicago(50s), Washington DC(50s)

Peak Years - 1930s

Place in History - The current WWE corporation can be traced back to a Northeastern cartel that was built by a collection of promoters almost a century ago.  After fallout between members of the successful “Gold Dust Trio,” Toots Mondt realigned with Philadephia promoter Ray Fabiani.  The cultured Fabiani had left a career in classical music to promote pro-wrestling.  The two soon enlisted Jim Londos as their champion and established themselves in several cities, but New York City remained the goal.  The established wrestling promoter, Jack Curley, passed away and the Mondt-Fabiani group formed an alliance that included Rudy Dusek, Jack Pfefer, Jess McMahon and the Johnson Brothers and they brought pro-wrestling back to Madison Square Garden.  This combination continued to successfully expand, including into Los Angeles.  This affiliation of promoters was soon challenged by the National Wrestling Alliance in the Midwest.  They backed Chicago promoter Leonard Schwartz when he ran opposition to the NWA’s Fred Kohler until that was smoothed over.  Fabiani had earned a reputation as a level-headed businessman, while Mondt had a reputation as a megalomaniac.  Mondt and Jess McMahon’s son, Vincent J. McMahon, developed a complex relationship.  McMahon was ambitious, but worked with Mondt and ultimately formed Capitol Sports with him.  Fabiani was blocked from an NWA membership, but the Alliance could never unseat him in Philadelphia.  He retaliated by running opposition in Washington for a time with some stacked monthly cards.  Fabiani and McMahon smoothed things over and developed a cordial business arrangement.  The Northeastern scene came alive with Antonino Rocca as a star attraction.  Fabiani continued to run Philadelphia, but turned his attention to the Opera and built a notable career in that area of entertainment before his death in 1972.  Ray Fabiani is one of the most notable promoters because he was so pivotal in several power struggles and shifts.  Due to being entrenched in Philly, he was always able to maintain a level of influence, but it was probably his talent for bringing different sides to mutual agreements that makes him most important.  In addition to Philadelphia, he had promotional influence in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles and Washington DC at one time or another.  While he was not the central character in the formation of Capitol Wrestling, which would become the WWWF, its story cannot be told without him.  Ray Fabiani, the violinist turned pro-wrestling promoter, is one of the real movers-and-shakers of mid-nineteenth century pro-wrestling.