As one-half of The Goodfellows (or Goodfellas) with Dino Casanova and as a member of Menace 2 Society with Adam Flash and Quinn Nash, he twice held the MEWF Tag Team Championship.
Valentino was put in contact with his future trainer Duane Gill after calling the show and began working out at the facility.
[1][4] After a few years wrestling on the local independent circuit, Valentino began teaming with Dino Casanova as The Goodfellas (or The Goodfellows) in the summer of 1993.
In the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, they defeated The Outrageous Ones (Quinn Nash and Ricki Lane) for the MEWF Tag Team Championship.
WCW World Heavyweight Champion Big Van Vader, after an on-air argument with Eric Bischoff, interjected himself in the match attacking all four men.
The group defeated Axl Rotten and Corporal Punishment for the MEWF Tag Team Championship in Baltimore on September 13, 1996, however, they lost the belts to The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher) in College Park, Maryland a day later.
[25][26][27][28][29] After a two-month reign, Valentino finally lost the heavyweight title to King Kong Bundy in Denton, Maryland on December 4, 1998.
An alliance of sorts was made with Tom Brandi and manager Royce C. Profit during the show and they helped Valentino win his match against Cpl.
[33] On March 12, he scored an impressive yet controversial victory over Stevie Richards[2] at Stephen Decatur High School in Berlin, Maryland; Richards initially appeared to have won the title, however, Dino Devine put Valentino's leg on the ropes while the referee was distracted and the match was restarted ending with Valentino pinning his opponent.
He was scheduled to have a rematch against Headbanger Mosh the following night at North Harford High School in Pylesville, however, the champion was unable to make the show due to a WWE appearance in St. Louis.
[37] Valentino tried to regain the MCW Heavyweight title in a 3-Way Dance with Mosh and Tom Brandi on June 17, but he was unable to win it back.
On February 5, 2000, he took part in a three-way steel cage and ladder match with Adam Flash and Danny Rose at the Fairmount Arena for the NCW Heavyweight Championship.
Valentino and Dino Casanova, with midget wrestler Dink as special guest referee, lost to Morgus the Maniac and The Clown at the Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick, Maryland on July 17, 2000.
The following night at the Summer Sizzler supercard, he and Valentino wrestled The Tokyo Terrors for the MEWF Tag Team Championship but were disqualified when Thrasher attempted to interfere.
On November 17, 2000, Valentino and Zukko wrestled Orlando and Marcus Jordan, The Ghetto Mafia, and TQM in a four-way match in Odenton, Maryland.
[47] On February 21, 2001, Valentino and Ronnie Zukko defeated Dino Divine and Christopher Carmichael for the MCW Tag Team titles.
[52] The two received another shot at the champions in Bel Air, Maryland a week later, this time in a 3-Way match with Christian York and Joey Matthews, but failed to win the titles.
On November 3, he interfered in a match between Zukko and then MCW Television Champion Marcus Jordan in Paw Paw, West Virginia, distracting Zukko by grabbing Candi's hair, and allowing Jordan to pin his opponent with his "Snap Shot" finisher; later that night he was challenged by 2Dope of The Ghetto Mafia, due to his attack on Candi, but defeated his one-time rival.
[32] The Valentino-Zukko feud came to a head on January 30, 2002, at special "RAGE TV" tribute show for Russ Haas,[61] when a match between the two men would win the contract of Zukko's valet Candie.
[62] In the next few weeks, Valentino taunted Zukko by treating Candie as his personal servant and publicly embarrassing her (e.g. forcing the pin-up girl to come to the ring dressed in full-length pajamas).
[52] Candie managed to gain a small measure of revenge by costing him his match against Amazing Red[63] Upset that he had lost to the rookie cruiserweight, Valentino challenged The S.A.T.
[53][55] On July 17, 2002, Valentino and Zukko faced each other at the 4th annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup in a match which would end the eight-month feud between the two.
Prior to the event, Valentino had MCW Commissioner Michael Black sanction a mixed tag team match between him and Candi against Ronnie Zukko and Tara.
[82] On the May 9th edition of Hardway Wrestling TV in Coplay, Pennsylvania, Valentino and Adam Flash faced Mongoose and Mike Preston.
He won his last title in the promotion, the MEWF Maryland Unified Mid-Atlantic Championship, after defeating "Hollywood" Bob Starr on January 11, 2004.
That summer, he took part in a fundraiser for Dover Area Senior High School teaming with Danny Doring against "Dirty Deeds" Darren Wyse and The Hungarian Barbarian.
[87] Nearly two years after the close of MCW, Valentino started his own promotion, Independent Championship Wrestling,[88] and held a tournament to determine the first ICW Heavyweight Champion in June 2005; the participants included Andrew Ryker, Derek Frazier, Qenaan Creed, and himself.
Prior to the match, Valentino announced to the crowd that he had a brother in serving in Iraq and decided not to wrestle out of respect for the service members in attendance.