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ISPW promoter Tommy Fierro remembers the late, great Metal Maniac:
"Over the past month or so, I was in regular contact with Metal Maniac. He informed me of his health situation. During that time, he had let me know how important all of his videos were to him of his matches and asked me if I would take care of them and help keep his memory alive. I am not sure if there are plans made for me to receive them but I know that was his wishes. If and when I receive them, I will work on sharing them with everyone.
Jeff was such a HUGE reason why I was able to break into the wrestling business at such a young age. Back in the early 90s, there was no social media. Unless you knew someone that knew someone, you weren’t getting any wrestler’s phone numbers. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka was living with Jeff at the time. For some reason, Jeff really took a liking to me. He would take me to a bunch of his shows and we would hang out a few nights a week. With that being said, I found myself at 16 years old traveling around the East Coast with someone I grew up idolizing. Jimmy accepted me because Jeff accepted me.
I’ll never forget the surprise when Jeff brought Jimmy Snuka to my high school graduation party. They would come to my parents house and hang out with us, came to my birthday parties, and even watched WrestleMania 11 at my house. It was incredible and it was all because of Jeff.
Through my relationship with Jeff and Jimmy taking a liking to me as well, it was able to open so many doors into the wrestling business that no 16 year old had the business opening back then. I can’t even begin to tell you how many connections Jeff made for me.
I have so many countless stories I can share about him. Many I wouldn’t be able to tell on here. But I will tell you a funny one and this is probably my favorite memory of him…..
I went to Hawaii for two weeks to hang with him back in the early 2000s. Jeff never informed me that he didn’t have a car. His friend lent him his car to pick me up from the airport because I had luggage. He told me for the remainder of the trip we would have to ride his “motorcycle” around the Island.
Now first of all, I was never on a motorcycle and was scared shitless. Second, this wasn’t a motorcycle! It was a motorized SCOOTER! This thing wasn’t big enough to get Jeff on it, nevermind me. Anyone that knows Maniac remembers the makeshift jean shorts that he would cut himself. Talk about short shorts. Things would hang out of them!
So he’s wearing those shorts with a tank and we are driving up and down these hills. I thought I was going to die. I was holding onto his waist for dear life. The wind is blowing and his hair is blowing all in my mouth.
Finally, we get to a red light. It felt like it was hours for us to get to one so I can readjust myself. I look to the right of me and there’s two beautiful blond girls in a red corvette and they are hysterically laughing at us. I remember being so upset I demanded to get off the “motorcycle” and took a cab back to his place. I was HOT!
Back then I was 100 pounds less. When I wanted to, I could look A LOT like Fred Durst, who was the lead singer of the red hot band at the time Limp Bizkit. So when we went out every night in Hawaii, I was “him” and Jeff was my bodyguard. He got such a kick out of it.
Now anyone that knows his voice, he would sing to me “Tommmmmmmmyyyyyy T…..he’s soooooooooooooooo overrrrrrrrrrrrrr” any time his plan worked, which it often did.
To today’s generation of Independent Wrestlers, THIS MAN helped pave the way for all of you. This is an OG.
He was in the Main Event of my first ever promoted show against Jimmy.
There will NEVER be another like THE HEAVY METAL MANIAC, he’s got shoulders in separate zip codes….CHUMMY DUMMIES! He’s seen better heads on lettuce.
I will miss you very much, Jeff.
Thank you for all the amazing memories.
ALOHA
Tommy Fierro
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