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00:03Dino Bravo was an icon in Quebec.
00:05He was an idol.
00:07I am proud of my heritage.
00:10He was big.
00:11He was strong.
00:12He could bench press 500 pounds.
00:15He had the size and he had the weight.
00:17He was really like the old Kogan of Montreal.
00:21Dino appears to be in great physical condition.
00:25I mean, he could do no wrong.
00:26I feel at my best when I answer that square circle.
00:30You can't turn your back on Dino Bravo.
00:32Dino Bravo combined relentless ambition with a fiery intensity that made him a superstar in Montreal, Quebec, and saw him
00:40wrestle the biggest names in the WWF.
00:44He did work with Ogun.
00:46He did work with Ultimate Warrior.
00:50Did you see that power move by Dino Bravo?
00:53With Dino Bravo, either he liked you or he doesn't like you.
00:57He loved it.
00:58Lived dangerously.
01:00He thought nothing could touch him.
01:03For me, mafia always scared me.
01:04The word mafia scared me.
01:06I said, listen, I don't know if you're doing the right thing, but it's not for me to judge what
01:11he did.
01:12His world was the wrestling world.
01:14It wasn't the organized crime world.
01:16He screwed up.
01:24On this episode, we'll examine the tragic consequences when a wrestling enforcer is pushed out of the spotlight and into
01:31a life of crime.
01:44On March 10th, 1993, the family of Dino Bravo came home and discovered his dead body.
01:51Police said he had been struck by 11 bullets.
01:54Within days, rumors began to surface that it was a mafia-style execution.
01:59Thirty years later, Dino's unsolved murder remains one of wrestling's darkest mysteries.
02:04Those closest to him have never spoken openly about what led him down such a dangerous path until now.
02:15Mon père, c'était le bout en train de la famille, c'était le rassembleur.
02:18Quand je le regarde sur les photos, je me rappelle sa voix.
02:22Ça fait que je le regarde souvent.
02:25Je suis Claudia Bresciano, la fille de Dino Bravo, qui m'en venait dans le vestiaire des lutteurs, avec toutes
02:34les lutteurs.
02:35Moi, j'étais petite.
02:36C'était vraiment impressionnant pour moi parce qu'il était très grand.
02:39Il avait des costumes assez spectaculaires, avec des brillants, d'autres avec des masques.
02:46It's my favorite.
02:48I never want to give him a kiss.
02:51And when he gave me a kiss, I was always, like, swiping.
02:55So, he said, OK, give me a kiss with your nose.
02:58Dino Bravo, sous son nom de lutteur, parce que son nom, c'est Adolfo Bresciano.
03:05Je suis Diane Rivet, je suis née à Montréal.
03:08Je l'ai connue où je travaillais dans un bar, et le gérant de la place, qui connaissait aussi beaucoup
03:16la boxe et la lutte,
03:17est en amour avec Dino, et il me disait toujours, quand j'arrivais là , Dino arrive, Dino arrive,
03:23puis je disais, c'est qui, Dino?
03:25Oui, tu m'as rentré en 30 pounds.
03:27Dino Bravo!
03:29J'avais à peine 19 ans, et donc, il m'offrait de venir me reconduire à la maison.
03:37Alors, c'est comme ça, un petit peu, que l'histoire a débuté.
03:40My name is Patrick Leprade, I'm a wrestling historian.
03:45I first started watching wrestling when I was six years old, and Dino was just that super hero to me.
03:52He was big, he was strong, full of muscle, he was really like an action figure coming to life.
03:58In the early 80s, Montreal's international wrestling is the leading promotion in Quebec,
04:04and Dino Bravo is its premier star.
04:08We had almost 2 million people watching the TV on Sunday morning.
04:13It was very, very big.
04:15My name is Tony Mioli, I was a wrestling promoter from 1971 to 1986.
04:22During international wrestling, we had Rick Martel, King Tonga,
04:28we had Raymond Rojo, Jacques Rojo, and the Giant.
04:33But listen, Dino Bravo, he was the biggest star here in the 80s.
04:38Dino Bravo was very hard to get to be friends with,
04:42but once you were, he stood by you, he had your back.
04:46That's what I liked about Dino.
04:47My name is Gino Brito.
04:50I'm not wrestling now, but I started wrestling in 1961,
04:54so I think I know a bit about wrestling.
04:57Well, Dino Bravo was more than a friend.
05:00He was almost family.
05:02The wrestlers were seeing us getting into the arena.
05:04I mean, Gino and Dino, oh, here is the Italian connection.
05:08With his two business partners by his side,
05:11Dino isn't just international wrestling's top draw,
05:14he's also co-owner and matchmaker.
05:17Dino was the boss here of the company in Quebec,
05:20and we were like superstars in our own home, in our own province,
05:24and Dino created all that.
05:26Maybe if you could just give us a brief introduction to who you are.
05:29Do you know who I am?
05:31I'm the Mountie!
05:34The Mountie!
05:36My name is Jacques Rougeau.
05:38I've been wrestling for 41 years,
05:41but Dino Bravo, I've known him since I was 18 years old.
05:45Dino was the booker.
05:46It's like when you watch a sitcom on TV every week, they have storylines.
05:51Well, the booker is the one who creates the storylines.
05:54Dino, how was it to have that full packed house right behind you during that main event?
05:58And he created himself.
06:00He beat everybody when they came in,
06:01and he worked around his image and his future.
06:05The fans here are obviously solidly behind Dino Bravo.
06:09I think he was so passionate and he ate so much of the fight that he wanted to become more
06:18famous.
06:20Over my shoulder, the belt emblematic of the International Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.
06:26This belt worn so proudly for four of the last five years by, of course, the great Dino Bravo.
06:33Casting himself as the main attraction doesn't always sit well with the other wrestlers,
06:38especially those looking to make a name for themselves.
06:42He'd book himself in main event,
06:44and he'd put my brother and I like a third or fourth match before intermission.
06:48But for me, in my head, I was a main eventer.
06:51There wasn't always sunshine between me and Dino.
06:54I wanted his spot.
06:56He was the boss.
06:57And me being unhappy, Pat Patterson and Vince were calling him.
07:00They said, Jacques, would you like to join the WWF?
07:03And I said, well, I don't know.
07:05It's a jungle out there.
07:06You know, I want to go there out there alone in that jungle.
07:09As part of its plan for global dominance,
07:11the emerging World Wrestling Federation set its sights on Montreal
07:16and is intent on poaching the town's top stars.
07:19It was unheard of to have wrestlers make the kind of money that Vince McMahon could make these people.
07:25In the 90s, it was a new wave.
07:27It was something new.
07:28It was fun to see a hacksaw Jim Duggan.
07:31Whoa!
07:32And a Coco Beware with his birds.
07:34And it was a, ooh, yeah, with Miss Elizabeth.
07:37It was an era that came and just, it was fun to watch.
07:40Welcome to Wrestlemania 3!
07:43Vince is a very intelligent individual,
07:46and he knew that he needed Dino Bravo on board
07:49if he really wanted to draw good crowds in Montreal.
07:53And in 1985, early 1986,
07:56there was a big match that was teased here in Montreal.
08:01It was a dream match.
08:03Hulk Hogan against Dino Bravo.
08:05As a matter of fact, that would have been a match you could have put in the Olympic Stadium
08:09and draw at least 40,000 people, and it never materialized.
08:14They got scared that Dino Bravo would actually be more popular than Hulk Hogan in Montreal,
08:20and at the last minute, just decided to cancel the match.
08:24So Dino was not happy with WWF
08:26and decided to actually try to bring international wrestling
08:30to a level of popularity where they could actually compete with WWF.
08:34He was in a mood where,
08:36ah, I'm not gonna let him ruin my business.
08:39He was fooling himself,
08:41and there's nothing that he could have done
08:43to match what WWF was coming with.
08:46Despite Dino's blind ambition,
08:48international wrestling is no match for the WWF showmanship.
08:52He's outclassed in almost every single way.
08:56Now, either you get out of the way,
08:57or you compete against an elephant.
09:00When I left to go to WWF,
09:02I did what I had to do,
09:03and my dad and Dino, they both begged me.
09:06I swear to God, begged me.
09:08Don't go, don't go,
09:09because if you go,
09:11the WWF's gonna come in here,
09:13and they're gonna kill everybody.
09:14But it was too late, the damage was done.
09:16The talent, they all went for Vince.
09:18The Ruggios went for Vince,
09:20Martel, Tanga, everybody went there.
09:23Once your talent's gone, you can't eat.
09:25And that was it.
09:27It was a downfall that was,
09:29I think, that you couldn't avoid.
09:30There was a certain moment of frustration
09:32with the WWF.
09:35And, of course, he was asked.
09:37He didn't know where to go.
09:39He didn't know what he wanted to do.
09:42By the end of 1986,
09:44Dino Bravo's once thriving company
09:46is on life support.
09:48Now, he must decide
09:49whether to continue to fight for his independence
09:52or to side with the enemy.
10:00This photo, c'est quand il a eu le titre
10:03de champion international.
10:05Je pense qu'il était très fier.
10:07On peut le voir, là , dans son visage.
10:09Je peux faire la même pose avec la remue
10:11comme si c'était une ceinture.
10:12Non.
10:15C'est une joke.
10:16Mettez pas ça, hein?
10:16Off record, please.
10:19In order to support his family,
10:22Dino Bravo must decide
10:23if he can let go of his pride
10:25and join the opposition,
10:27Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation.
10:29Comme tous les Isaliens,
10:32le chef de la famille doit représenter la famille,
10:34doit supporter la famille,
10:36doit protéger la famille.
10:38So, of course,
10:39he was looking to take care of his family,
10:41and Vince McMahon offered Dino money
10:44that Dino couldn't refuse.
10:45It was something like $300,000 guaranteed,
10:49and with everything else,
10:51he could have made over a million.
10:53Something that he could have not dreamed of doing
10:56if he would have stayed in Montreal.
10:58I think Dino came to his senses,
11:00and he came to WWF,
11:02and that was funny,
11:02because when he walked into the room,
11:05hey, how you doing, Dino?
11:07See, you know, you did the same move we did,
11:09but there was never animosity.
11:11It was almost like when Dino came,
11:13he put that behind him,
11:14and he says, okay, let's move.
11:16Moi, je me rappelle quand il était dans la WWF.
11:19J'ai rencontré Jake Destiny,
11:20qui était venu à la maison,
11:21et sur mon perron,
11:22il avait amené son sac
11:23avec son immense serpent
11:26qui a sorti.
11:28Puis, non, je pense que je me suis mis à pleurer,
11:32parce que j'avais vraiment peur.
11:35Il partait à rire,
11:36mon père,
11:37mon père, quand il avait des émotions,
11:39tout ce qui avait rapport
11:39avec l'émotion, l'intensité,
11:42ça le faisait réager.
11:43C'était comme une nouvelle vie de lutteur,
11:48complètement une nouvelle étape de sa carrière.
11:51To make a French-Canadian strongman
11:54fit within the cartoon world of the WWF,
11:57Dino was paired with one of American wrestling's
12:00most iconic personalities.
12:02Can you tell us who Jimmy Hart is?
12:03Oh, my God.
12:04The best man in the business.
12:06Some managers took the credibility
12:08away from their boys.
12:09Jimmy Hart was the guy
12:10who knew how to give credibility
12:12to his wrestler.
12:14Look at him, man.
12:15Look how strong he is.
12:16Woo!
12:17I went to the ring,
12:18I was a baritone.
12:18When I came out,
12:19I was a soprano.
12:20He's the world's strongest man,
12:21I guarantee you that.
12:22Look at me.
12:23The wrestler was always the Cadillac.
12:25We were kind of the hood on a Cadillac.
12:27He was in great shape.
12:28He could go 30-minute matches
12:30if he had to.
12:31He could go against Hogan,
12:32he could go against Andre the Giant
12:34or any of them.
12:34It was a big man's territory
12:36and he had the size
12:37and he had the weight.
12:38By being with me,
12:39it kind of put a rocket on his career.
12:41And all of a sudden,
12:41he started moving up the cart
12:43a little bit more.
12:44And of course,
12:45when you make a lot of money,
12:46your lifestyle goes up
12:48and he had the Mercedes,
12:50that big million-dollar house,
12:52he had this, he had that.
12:53We had our houses built
12:55at the same time.
12:56That's how we got
12:58to be next to each other.
13:00Moi, je lui ai demandé
13:02pourquoi une maison,
13:04une grande maison à Laval?
13:05Il y avait un garage
13:06avec une auto rouge.
13:08Il m'a mené à ce garage-lÃ
13:10puis il me disait,
13:10ça, c'est ton auto.
13:12Puis ça, je m'en souviendrai
13:14toute ma vie.
13:15J'avais quatre ans.
13:17Je pense, c'était de montrer
13:19qu'il réussissait au niveau,
13:22au niveau carrière et, tu sais.
13:24Pas pour le public, là ,
13:25mais dans le fond,
13:26je pense, c'est une satisfaction
13:27Ã lui, personnel,
13:29de vouloir avoir plus.
13:31Dino's lavish new lifestyle
13:33comes at a cost.
13:34As Vince McMahon
13:36makes radical changes
13:37to his character,
13:39from all-round Canadian hero
13:41to an anti-American
13:42bleach blonde villain.
13:44So, for someone
13:45who's not familiar,
13:46how would you describe
13:47who Vince McMahon is?
13:48Wow!
13:51That's a question
13:52I didn't expect.
13:53Vince likes to test
13:55the boys who stick up to him.
13:57You don't see an Italian
13:58with blonde hair.
14:00You know,
14:00not in Quebec.
14:02Mais moi, je suis pas coiffeuse.
14:04Mais on a essayé
14:05et puis on a fait un bleach
14:07dans les cheveux
14:07puis même, on a même brûlé
14:09sa peau tellement
14:10que le bleach était fort.
14:12Et là , il est devenu
14:13méchant et blond.
14:15Donc, c'était vraiment pas beau,
14:17c'était comme une moppe
14:18sur la tête.
14:19Everybody thought it was funny
14:21when he came in
14:21with the blonde hair.
14:23And then Dino was pissed
14:24because Dino's
14:26a very proud guy.
14:27He was so embarrassed
14:29but he had to do it
14:31because that's what they wanted.
14:32That's the difference
14:33in when you're in a small-time league
14:34like International Wrestling.
14:36You believe in yourself,
14:37you build,
14:37you create yourself.
14:38When you go to WWF,
14:39you're a number,
14:40you're a character,
14:41you're just part of a show.
14:43Competing with the WWF's
14:45all-star roster,
14:47the French-Canadian flair
14:48that worked for Dino back home
14:50gets lost in translation.
14:52I think everybody
14:53looks at merchandise
14:54and looks at sales
14:55and looks at what
14:56they can do with you.
14:58Let's just say Dino Bravo,
14:59he had that broken English.
15:01Never said it right
15:02under button, brother love.
15:04Man, you wonder why
15:05I hate this country.
15:07It was hard for people
15:08to understand
15:09what he might be saying
15:10and so that held him
15:11back a little bit.
15:12And I'm gonna keep you elected!
15:15Dino had his routine.
15:17He had his punches,
15:18he had his boots,
15:19he had his routine.
15:20But he was never the kind of guy
15:22to discover something new.
15:23I think the hardest thing
15:24for Dino was doing jobs
15:26for guys that weren't on top.
15:28Well, I'm talking
15:29of getting beat.
15:30The most important thing
15:32in wrestling
15:33is your valoir marchande,
15:36which means
15:36what you are worth
15:38on the market.
15:39And if you were a guy
15:41that we see the fans
15:42see on TV week after week
15:43getting beat,
15:44getting beat,
15:46even if it's a show
15:47and it's fake
15:48and it's organized,
15:49people don't believe
15:50in you anymore.
15:50He was getting older.
15:52Gotta remember
15:53that when he was
15:54like at his peak
15:55of his career
15:56back in international wrestling,
15:58he was like
15:59in the early
16:00to the mid-30s.
16:01Now he was late 30s,
16:03early 40s.
16:04He still saw himself
16:06as a tough guy.
16:08When you go to WWF,
16:10if there's one thing
16:11you don't bring there
16:11is an ego.
16:12All the shames
16:13and all the things
16:13you're afraid of,
16:14it's gonna happen.
16:16Unfortunately,
16:16Dino had bigger plans
16:17for himself
16:18than Vince had for him.
16:20Vince figured,
16:22you know,
16:22bring in new talent,
16:23new face,
16:24new blood
16:25and you're out.
16:27By the end of 1992,
16:30Dino's days
16:30with the WWF
16:31are over
16:32when his contract expires
16:34and is not renewed.
16:37No, he just came
16:38and told me,
16:38hey, I'm leaving.
16:39He said, look,
16:39I'm burnt out.
16:40I've done everything I can.
16:41I want to spend time
16:42with my family.
16:43We hugged
16:43and everything else
16:44and that was basically it.
16:46Now all of a sudden
16:47it stops.
16:48There's no more income
16:49and you don't have
16:50a pension.
16:50in wrestling
16:51or nothing like that.
16:52That's where
16:52the trouble starts.
16:54With his career over,
16:56Dino has lost
16:57his life's passion
16:58and his livelihood
16:59and is left staring
17:01into an abyss.
17:07After six years
17:09on wrestling's biggest stage,
17:11Dino Bravo's career
17:12is over.
17:13He must look
17:14for other ways
17:14to support his family
17:16and decadent lifestyle.
17:18I think that once
17:19you get with the WWF
17:21and you leave,
17:22where could you go?
17:23You know,
17:23it's like playing
17:24professional baseball
17:24and then dropping down
17:25to our model league contract.
17:27You know,
17:28as soon as you drop down,
17:29it's like,
17:29oh, his career is over.
17:30If everybody has
17:31good times in life,
17:33makes money
17:34and everybody has
17:35bad times in life
17:37where they will
17:37need money.
17:39I've been there,
17:40done that,
17:40many times.
17:41He was a little
17:44anxious about his future.
17:46The house was huge.
17:48We had accounts
17:49that were coming
17:50at the door,
17:51as we can say,
17:52and he had to survive.
17:56He was someone
17:57who had been
17:58in the world
17:59of the fight
17:59all his life.
18:00And he was like,
18:02OK,
18:02what am I going to
18:03become tomorrow
18:03or what am I going to become?
18:05What am I going to do
18:06of my gang-pain,
18:08of my life
18:08and of my career?
18:10He's in my life
18:11and wants to make money.
18:12So, it's...
18:13With no professional
18:15experience outside
18:16of wrestling,
18:17Dino has very few options.
18:19What he does have
18:21is connections.
18:23Montreal,
18:23it's not far
18:24from the United States
18:25and the corruption
18:28is widespread
18:29for the police
18:30and the government
18:31in Quebec.
18:32That's why
18:33the Mafiosi
18:34like Montreal.
18:35I am a journalist
18:37with interest
18:38in Mafia
18:39and organized crime.
18:41The Cotroni family
18:42was very active
18:43under the authority
18:45of the Sicilian family
18:47Risotto.
18:48Vic Cotroni
18:48was the leader
18:49of the first
18:50Mafia family
18:51in the history
18:53of Quebec.
18:53Everybody knew
18:54who Vic Cotroni was.
18:56He was like
18:57the so-called
18:58father of the mob
18:59here in Montreal.
19:00Vic Cotroni
19:01was also
19:01a former wrestler.
19:02He wrestled
19:03back in the 1930s
19:05under the name
19:06of Vic Vincent.
19:07Dino Bravo
19:08was actually
19:08related to the Cotronis
19:10because Vic
19:11was Dino's uncle.
19:16That's who?
19:17That's not Cotroni
19:18that's?
19:18That's Cotroni
19:19if I'm not mistaken.
19:21We have a family.
19:22For me,
19:23it's the family
19:24Cotroni.
19:25He was in our family
19:26in fact.
19:27It's got to say,
19:28it's not a guy
19:29who had a dossier
19:30judiciaire.
19:31It's a guy
19:31who had contacts
19:33and there are
19:34people who say
19:35it's not because
19:35you're seen
19:36with people
19:36that you're part of it.
19:37It depends.
19:38The Cotroni
19:40group Cotroni
19:40was very powerful
19:41in this period
19:44in the context
19:46of the cigarette
19:47and in the boisson.
19:50It's a guy
19:51imposing.
19:52It's a guy
19:53who had a beautiful
19:53personality.
19:55And I think
19:55that the people
19:57of the Italian mafia
19:59wanted to approach
20:00an approach.
20:01I think
20:02that he was maybe
20:03naive.
20:04and often
20:06the money
20:07does things.
20:08What was it?
20:09It was imposing.
20:11To collect
20:11it was
20:14very worrying.
20:15Bravo had
20:16a very imposing
20:16stature.
20:18When you get
20:18two guys
20:19in the door,
20:20you get money
20:20and you receive
20:22them gently.
20:23It was the big
20:24arms that were
20:25not afraid of anything
20:25and they were strong
20:26and they put it
20:27in this role.
20:28It was like
20:29a $6 million
20:30man.
20:31He had no fear
20:32of anything
20:33and no consequences.
20:35There's nothing
20:35that could happen
20:36to him.
20:37Dino's past life
20:38as a wrestling
20:39powerhouse
20:39means he has
20:40all the brute force
20:41a debt collector
20:42requires.
20:44We've kind of
20:44heard stories
20:45about Dino
20:45kind of had
20:45a little bit
20:46of a temper.
20:47Is that true?
20:47Yeah.
20:48Oh, temper.
20:49Oh, no.
20:49He had a hot temper.
20:52Very, very hot temper.
20:53Dino Bravo
20:54was a big
20:55Montreal Canadiens fan.
20:56And if you're
20:57a Montreal Canadiens fan,
20:59you hated everything
21:00about the Quebec Nordiques.
21:02I'm not going to name
21:03you the player,
21:04but one time
21:05in a bar
21:05in Quebec City,
21:07there's a player
21:08that said something.
21:09I'm 18 years old.
21:10I'm drinking,
21:11drinking, drinking,
21:11and I'm coming
21:12down the stairs
21:12and then Dino says,
21:14hey, that's a hockey
21:15player from the Nordiques.
21:16And me,
21:17with my loud mouth,
21:18I'm drunk,
21:19half drunk,
21:19I go,
21:20ah, the Nordiques.
21:22That's all bullshit.
21:26So he backs up
21:27against the wall
21:28and he puts himself
21:28in position like that.
21:30And I start running
21:30with my fist
21:31but I'm running
21:32towards the wall
21:32and he ducks
21:33and I hit the wall
21:35and he grabs me
21:36by the shirt
21:37and I swear
21:38I would have probably
21:39had the beating
21:40of my life.
21:41And Dino took him
21:42and he sidestepped
21:43and he says,
21:43hey, let him go.
21:44And then he made
21:44something to Dino.
21:46He said something
21:46about phony
21:47and the guy
21:48had a nice Corvette.
21:49Dino picked him up
21:50like you'd pick up
21:51a rag doll
21:52and ran his head
21:53right into the Corvette
21:55just out of nowhere.
21:56where, you know,
21:57the guy just went
21:58down like a sack
21:59of potatoes.
22:00I said,
22:00you think I'm a phony?
22:01Come and try me out.
22:02Believe me,
22:03you didn't want
22:04to be around him
22:05when he got mad.
22:06You would have
22:06put a gun
22:07to his head
22:08and he says,
22:09don't point a gun
22:10at me,
22:10shoot me right away
22:11because I'm coming
22:12for you.
22:13As Dino heads
22:14down his new
22:15career path,
22:16his wife,
22:17Diane,
22:18senses trouble.
22:20And he started
22:21to have new friends
22:22that we never knew
22:26in our life.
22:28I didn't feel
22:29that the vibe
22:30was necessarily
22:31good.
22:32It's not really
22:34friends,
22:34it was with whom
22:36they wanted to do
22:36and it was not
22:38a good environment.
22:40He entered
22:40in a world
22:41inconnu.
22:42I started
22:43to be very
22:44inquiet
22:44about him,
22:46about his life
22:47and about our
22:48life too.
22:49It was
22:50very dangerous
22:51because if you
22:52don't know
22:53the rules,
22:55you're in trouble.
22:57One night,
22:58Dino calls me,
22:59hey Jacques,
23:00can you come
23:00and see me?
23:02I'm like,
23:02Dino's calling
23:03me to go see him?
23:04We're not that
23:05close of friends.
23:06We respect each other,
23:07but we're not
23:08that close of friends.
23:09And I said,
23:10okay, I said,
23:11I can't go today,
23:11but I'll go tomorrow.
23:12He says,
23:13come and see me
23:13as soon as you can.
23:15That was his
23:15last words to me.
23:17That night,
23:18there was a hockey
23:19game.
23:20I called him,
23:21I said,
23:22Dino,
23:22what are you doing?
23:23He says,
23:25I'm going to watch
23:25the hockey game.
23:26And the next morning,
23:27I'm at the gas station.
23:28Now I'm going to see him.
23:30The gas at the pump,
23:31the guy says,
23:32yeah,
23:33your friend,
23:34your buddy there,
23:34he got it, huh?
23:36I looked at the paper,
23:37the front page
23:37of the Montreal paper.
23:38He got 11 bullets
23:39in the body
23:40and seven bullets
23:41in the head.
23:42That's a rough way
23:43to go.
23:50Are there any details
23:52that you wish to share
23:53on that final day?
24:09Close to midnight
24:10on March 10th, 1993,
24:13Dino Bravo's wife,
24:14Deanne,
24:15pulls into the driveway
24:16with six-year-old Claudia
24:18sleeping in the back seat.
24:42Almost the first one to know
24:44because his wife got back home
24:46and we had the house
24:47one beside the other one.
24:50She rings up the bell
24:52and I see her crying
24:53with Claudia in her hand.
24:56They come in the house.
24:57I said,
24:58what are you crying?
24:58Dino is dead.
25:01I said,
25:02what did you say?
25:04It's like the biggest shock
25:06I ever had in my life.
25:08If you would have
25:09taken a two-by-four
25:11and you hit me
25:12in the back of my head,
25:12you wouldn't have hurt me
25:13more than that.
25:14I said,
25:14are you crazy?
25:15Yeah, he was shot.
25:17I went to the house.
25:20He was sitting in his chair
25:22and was watching the television.
25:26It wasn't no scuffle.
25:27His wife and family
25:28were sent away
25:29and he was just sitting there
25:30like he was waiting
25:31for it to happen,
25:32you know.
25:33Then you hear
25:34all kind of different stories,
25:35you know,
25:35about what happened.
25:36Well,
25:37was it a robbery?
25:38Was it a break-in?
25:39Nobody,
25:39it was so sketchy
25:40on everything.
25:42Dino had been shot
25:4311 times,
25:44seven bullets to the head
25:46and four to his body.
25:47A pistol and a machine gun
25:49are found at the scene,
25:51but strangely,
25:52there is no sign
25:53of forced entry
25:54and the door is unlocked.
25:57Les circonstances
25:58entourant la mort
25:59de Dino Bravo
25:59sont encore nébuleuses.
26:02Il semble d'abord
26:03qu'il connaissait
26:03son ou ses agresseurs
26:05puisqu'il n'y a aucune
26:06trace d'infraction
26:07et rien indique
26:08qu'il était sur ses gardes.
26:10Il semble également
26:11que le travail a été fait
26:12par des professionnels.
26:13Seule cette vitre
26:14brisée par une balle
26:16indique qu'il s'est passé
26:17quelque chose
26:17à l'intérieur.
26:19The mysterious
26:20and brutal circumstances
26:22of his death
26:22leaves Dino's family
26:24and friends
26:25in a state of shock.
26:27I waited
26:28and the funeral
26:30went to the funeral.
26:31I don't know
26:32what to tell you.
26:33It was the worst
26:34time of my life.
26:35C'était pas facile
26:37parce que aussi
26:39j'ai réalisé
26:40c'était qui vraiment
26:40ses amis,
26:42ceux qui étaient là .
26:43Et évidemment,
26:45j'ai eu des déceptions
26:46et c'est sûr
26:47d'autres hypothèses
26:48et d'autres pistes
26:49qui arrivent dans le toit.
26:50C'est-Ã -dire
26:50c'est-tu lui,
26:51c'est-tu ça,
26:52c'est-tu ça.
26:52J'ai fait un dessin
26:54de ma famille.
26:55J'ai dessiné ma mère,
26:56mon père et moi.
27:00Et puis je lui ai apporté
27:01ça dans sa tombe.
27:04Toutes les gens
27:05derrière moi
27:06se sont levées
27:08parce qu'il se trouvait
27:09tellement
27:11peur
27:13qu'un enfant,
27:16mais je ne l'ai pas
27:17reconnu sur le coup.
27:20Mais j'ai reconnu
27:21ses doigts,
27:22ses mains.
27:24Il avait les mains
27:25croisées
27:26et mon père
27:26avait tellement
27:27des gros doigts,
27:29des grosses mains
27:29et les ongles
27:31rongées jusqu'au sang
27:32que j'ai dit ça,
27:35c'est papa.
27:40To see his daughter
27:41there,
27:42so young
27:43that she didn't
27:44understand exactly
27:45you know how sad it is.
27:48On m'expliquait
27:49que mon père
27:50était parti au ciel
27:52rejoindre les étoiles,
27:53que j'allais plus le voir.
27:56C'était dur pour moi
27:57de réaliser
27:58qu'il était vraiment
28:00plus là , en fait.
28:02Je pense qu'elle
28:03l'a réalisé plus
28:03quand elle a commencé
28:05à aller à l'école
28:05par des amis
28:06puis que les gens
28:08savaient qu'il était
28:09son père,
28:09des choses comme ça.
28:10Donc c'est lÃ
28:11qu'on s'est assé avec
28:12et on lui a expliqué
28:13un petit peu plus
28:14de détails,
28:15mais encore là ,
28:17dans la tête
28:18d'un enfant,
28:18il y a une certaine
28:20limite de choses
28:21qu'on peut dire,
28:23la compréhension est...
28:25Les détails
28:26de Dino's murder
28:27dominent
28:28les headlines
28:29de Montréal.
28:31Mais,
28:31despite toute
28:32la coverage
28:32pointing Ã
28:33une exécution de mafia,
28:34les questions
28:35surrounding
28:36qui l'a fait
28:36et pourquoi
28:37restentent.
28:39C'est un gars
28:40qui a fait
28:41une belle carrière
28:42dans le domaine
28:42de la lutte,
28:43qui a représenté
28:44les gens du Québec
28:45pour finir
28:46de cette façon-là .
28:49Le monsieur Bravo
28:50l'aurait confié
28:51Ã un proche
28:52avec qui nous avons
28:52parlé ce soir,
28:53qu'il craignait
28:54pour sa vie.
28:55C'est lÃ
28:56où on en est rendu.
28:57Ah, mon Dieu,
28:58mon père,
28:59il n'y avait pas d'ennemis.
29:00Tout le monde l'aimait.
29:01Il aimait le monde.
29:03Je ne sais pas
29:04comment il aurait pu
29:05se faire des ennemis
29:06Ã part que si quelqu'un
29:07a mal tourné,
29:09il n'y a pas d'ennemis.
29:10Je pense que
29:11quand Dino
29:11était à la fin de ses jours
29:13que il peut y avoir
29:14fait quelque chose
29:14qu'il n'était pas
29:15censé.
29:15Il y a beaucoup
29:15de rumors ront.
29:16Il doit y avoir
29:17réalisé
29:18Ã un point
29:19que vous avez
29:20cru.
29:21Mais la vraie
29:22de Dino's
29:23involvement
29:24dans le crime
29:25va démarquer
29:26le monde
29:27et plus.
29:33Le porte
29:34devait être
29:34un lock
29:35parce qu'il n'y a pas
29:35de force
29:36d'entrée.
29:36Ou il a
29:38let somebody
29:38in.
29:40Je ne voudrais
29:40que la porte
29:42a barré.
29:45On me dit
29:45que dans cette résidence
29:47la porte n'était jamais
29:48barré.
29:50Ils ont peut-être entendu
29:50que sa femme parte,
29:53que sa fille s'en aille
29:54pour aller faire
29:55le travail.
29:56le travail.
29:58Alors ça,
29:58c'est une des hypothèses
29:59que quelqu'un
30:00a reçu la visite
30:01de quelqu'un
30:02qui le connaissait.
30:03Les policiers
30:04examinent
30:05la scène de
30:06Dino Bravo's
30:07murder
30:07découvrent 17
30:08bullet casings
30:09de deux
30:10different
30:10firearms
30:11sur le
30:12couloir.
30:13Cela fait
30:14les autorités
30:14Ã croire
30:15que deux
30:16assassins
30:16sont involuées
30:17et soutiennent
30:18la théorie
30:19de la mort
30:19qui est
30:20liée
30:20à un crime organisé.
30:24The neighbourhood
30:25he was living
30:26in,
30:26in Laval,
30:27was in Vimont,
30:28which is like
30:29a very upscale
30:30neighbourhood.
30:31A lot of
30:33mafiosi
30:34from the
30:34new generation,
30:35they moved
30:36there.
30:37At least
30:37two people
30:38who were living
30:40near Dino Bravo
30:41were killed
30:42at the same time.
30:44Nine months
30:45earlier,
30:46Mafia accountant
30:47Robert Caverson
30:48was shot
30:49in his home
30:49just down the street
30:50from Bravo's house.
30:52Four months
30:53later,
30:54and two streets
30:54away,
30:55a cigarette
30:56smuggler,
30:57Gislan Renzo,
30:58was also killed.
30:59The police,
31:00aware of Bravo's
31:01ties to the
31:02Catroni family,
31:03looked for
31:04connections.
31:17Three days
31:18after his death,
31:19a crucial piece
31:20of evidence
31:21is uncovered.
31:23We also heard
31:24that there was
31:25a considerable
31:25amount of money
31:26inside the house.
31:27A amount of
31:28about 55,000 dollars
31:30which contained
31:31a cargaison
31:32of cigarettes
31:34of a cargäts
31:34and a cargäts
31:35and a cargäts
31:37and a cargäts
31:39and a cargäts
31:40and a cargäts
31:40and we couldn't
31:40know where
31:41to go.
31:43And there was
31:44someone who said
31:45we have a loss of $50,000.
31:47For the investigators,
31:50the death of Dido Bravo
31:51is linked to a deal of $50,000
31:54concerning the contraband of the CIA.
31:57Is that a value of $50,000
31:59on the CIA is a sufficient reason
32:02to kill the CIA?
32:03There are people who have passed
32:04for less than that,
32:06and especially in this area.
32:09By the early 1990s,
32:11organized crime is flourishing in Montreal.
32:15Alongside the Mafia
32:17are warring biker gangs
32:18and smugglers operating out of First Nation reserves.
32:22What connects them all
32:24is the lucrative business of contraband cigarettes.
32:28The natives were suppliers
32:30for the smugglers, you know?
32:33And all the cigarettes
32:35came from the reserves.
32:37He brought me anywhere.
32:39I was like his friend.
32:41When we were together,
32:42when my mother was not present,
32:44they were sitting in front of me.
32:46They brought me mostly to the Indians.
32:49I had no idea
32:50what the Indians represented for my father.
32:52It was their friends.
32:54I don't know how
32:56they had necessarily met
32:57these people.
32:58It was certainly someone
32:59who presented.
33:01And at a moment,
33:03it was official.
33:05I was working with my friends
33:08from the contraband of cigarettes.
33:10Here are the cigarettes
33:12that come from his reserves.
33:15How did it get detailed
33:16at the time?
33:17At the time?
33:18At the time?
33:18At the time?
33:19At the time?
33:19At the time?
33:19At the time?
33:20It was about $5.
33:22At the time?
33:23A lot of people smoked him
33:24because he paid half price
33:26for a pack.
33:27Thousands and thousands
33:28of cases of cigarettes
33:30I hear were sold.
33:31Thousands.
33:33Did you know
33:34that he was involved
33:35in cigarette smuggling?
33:36Yeah.
33:37Well, of course I knew.
33:38Yeah.
33:39He told me.
33:40I said, well, everybody
33:41at that time,
33:42a lot of people
33:43were into that business
33:45because everybody smoked
33:46and everybody wanted
33:47to pay less money.
33:48So, is it from that?
33:50I don't know.
33:51Is it for something else?
33:53I don't know.
33:54Because if I knew,
33:56believe me,
33:56I was so close to him,
33:58I would like to have
33:58that revenge for him.
34:00The only wrestler
34:02that I know of
34:03that Dino talked to
34:05about his organized crime life
34:09prior to leaving wrestling
34:11was Rick Martell.
34:13Martell declined to be involved
34:14in this documentary.
34:16But in 2007,
34:17he gave a rare interview
34:19revealing conversations
34:20he had with Dino
34:21about his life
34:23in organized crime.
34:24You know, when to see
34:25the Indians,
34:26and the Indians were
34:27big wrestling fans,
34:28you know,
34:29so when they saw Dino,
34:30oh man, you know,
34:31so they started dealing
34:32strictly with Dino.
34:34So Dino had the monopoly
34:36with the Indians
34:37because the Indians,
34:38you know,
34:39they have the river there.
34:41You know,
34:42they can pass cigarettes
34:43like crazy or whatever.
34:44You know,
34:49you know,
34:49you know,
34:49you know,
34:50control over the narcotics
34:51trade is in a constant
34:53state of flux.
34:54Each criminal group
34:55is looking for an edge,
34:57even if that means
34:57crossing into somebody
34:59else's turf.
34:59The cigarettes business
35:01was doing so great
35:03that the cocaine people,
35:05you know,
35:06saying, hey,
35:06maybe there's some money
35:07for us in there too,
35:08you know.
35:09So the big cocaine guy
35:10apparently went to see Dino
35:12and said, look,
35:13you let me in on your
35:14cigarette deals
35:15and I'll let you in
35:16on some cocaine deal.
35:17So what apparently happened,
35:19they did some kind of agreement
35:21and Dino had a $400,000 shipment
35:25in some warehouse somewhere
35:27and it stayed there for like three days.
35:29A few days before the murder,
35:33the police seized a large quantity
35:36of cigarettes in a warehouse.
35:40They made surveillance of the warehouse
35:42and they saw Dino Bravo
35:44with peoples who were on investigation.
35:48And on the third day
35:49when the cocaine guy
35:51went to pick it up,
35:53the RCMP and all the police were there.
35:56So they were blaming each other.
35:57Dino said,
35:58oh, you should have picked it up
35:58the first day,
35:59it never happened
36:00and you shouldn't let it sit there.
36:02So there was a lot of heat.
36:04Dino screwed up
36:05and would have made the organization
36:09lose tons of money.
36:11It was a big seizure,
36:14$400,000.
36:16It's enough to be killed.
36:19They did surveys,
36:21they had barricaded the house,
36:24they had searched everywhere,
36:25everywhere, everywhere,
36:26everywhere in the house.
36:27They had to come back
36:28and we didn't have any news
36:31and we didn't have any news.
36:34We didn't have any news.
36:36they couldn't continue their research.
36:38It wasn't clear.
36:40It was,
36:40what was clear,
36:41who,
36:42when,
36:42how,
36:45It was so violent
36:47and the way they did it,
36:50the mafia,
36:51they are more classy
36:52when they shoot somebody.
36:54I did hear,
36:56the thinking was that
36:57the killer wanted police
36:59to believe there were two shooters.
37:01uh,
37:02shooters.
37:03The person who killed them
37:04was a friend.
37:06That's what I think.
37:07Sitting in the couch
37:08with your remote control,
37:09when there's someone
37:10in front of you,
37:11it can't be a stranger.
37:13It has to be someone you like
37:14and you trust.
37:16That, for me,
37:17is the definition of mafia,
37:19for me.
37:19I would rather think
37:21that it would be a 13M.
37:25In 35 years,
37:26I've never heard
37:27that natives
37:28killed people
37:30off the reserve.
37:33The motorcycle gangs,
37:35maybe,
37:35it's their style.
37:37They are more violent.
37:40That's why,
37:40maybe,
37:41the bikers
37:42execute a contract.
37:44Are the natives
37:45behind that contract?
37:46We don't know.
37:48It's a mystery for everybody.
37:56This is a beautiful picture.
37:58Dino Brower in blonde.
38:00And Claudia,
38:01his little girl.
38:01Of course,
38:02the little girl
38:03was always around him.
38:05And here is me and Dino,
38:07well,
38:08walking here at the arena.
38:10We were getting ready to work.
38:12So these are the best memories
38:15of my life.
38:17I miss him every day.
38:19What could have been?
38:21What could have been?
38:22Questions with no answers.
38:25Decades after Dino Bravo's
38:27brutal murder,
38:28friends and family still don't know
38:30if they'll ever find out the truth
38:31of what happened
38:32and why.
38:35It was difficult to know.
38:38Even if we were asked for thousands of questions
38:41for a few years,
38:43we were asked for what was going on.
38:46So we just continued to live the day.
38:49And with my mother,
38:50obviously,
38:50she had the strength
38:51to just live without her son.
38:55And I followed a little bit
38:56that force
38:58to also raise my daughter.
39:01And having a normal mother,
39:04with her child,
39:06who is a 28-year-old.
39:09Nothing.
39:09The object was kept.
39:11It was my mother
39:12who had that in her possession.
39:14And at the moment of the drama,
39:17she was apart from everything
39:19because it was too difficult for her.
39:22So,
39:23for her,
39:23for her,
39:24it was clear
39:25she wanted to give her
39:27and give her everything.
39:28She gave her everything
39:29to her family,
39:30to her friends.
39:31And it was correct.
39:33It was correct
39:34that she did.
39:35He started wrestling in 1970,
39:38ended up in 1992.
39:39That's a 22-year career.
39:42So,
39:42that's the only thing
39:44he knew.
39:44That's the only thing
39:45he could do.
39:47And there's not a lot of jobs
39:50you can do
39:51which will give you
39:52several hundreds of thousands
39:54of dollars
39:55aside from
39:57an organized crime.
39:58Dino Bravo
39:59always made sure
40:01that there was
40:02harmony
40:03between the boys.
40:04Dino knew
40:06how to create a team.
40:08If I had to start
40:09my life again,
40:11that would be one part
40:12I'd never change.
40:13The time that I had
40:14a business in Quebec
40:15working for Dino Bravo.
40:18My father left as a heritage
40:22of my passion.
40:24The people who talk about
40:25my father,
40:26the fans,
40:26the real fans of Lutte
40:28who talk about Dino Bravo.
40:31My father was a volcano,
40:33an explosion.
40:34He was a...
40:35He was a...
40:36He was a great
40:37hero in his role
40:38as when he was a bad guy.
40:41He was a bad guy.
40:42He was a bad guy.
40:43So,
40:44I think the most beautiful
40:45heritage that he left
40:46to people
40:47is to be passionate.
40:50Then there's some people
40:52who will talk to them
40:53Hey, I remember his wrestling thing.
40:55But then that generation
40:56is going to go away.
40:58But believe me,
40:59the way things are,
41:00people will always keep reminding
41:02because there will always be stories
41:04that will come out
41:05about Dino,
41:06how he died
41:07and did he die
41:08from the bikers?
41:10Did he die?
41:10That will stay with me.
41:12And that's too bad.
41:13But that's the way it is.
41:15You know,
41:16you gotta take the punch.
41:18My father was the person
41:20resource.
41:21Everyone gave to him.
41:23Everyone wanted to be there.
41:24It created an immense pain,
41:28an immense void,
41:29more than immense.
41:31It's not even the word.
41:32Even today,
41:34after 25 years,
41:35everyone is still triste
41:36about this loss
41:38of my father.
41:39My family was scared
41:40of not finding
41:42the victim.
41:43I was extremely scared
41:44of this.
41:45But also,
41:46I think it's better
41:47that we don't know
41:49because we know
41:50it's just
41:50to be even more
41:52in the negation,
41:53to be even more
41:53scared of the person
41:54who committed
41:55this decision.
41:57I tell myself
41:58that in my life,
41:59we collect what
41:59we love.
42:00So,
42:01no matter where she is,
42:03I hope
42:03that the person
42:04who she had,
42:04what she deserves.
42:10I remember
42:11beautiful memories
42:12of the man who was.
42:14who gave me
42:15a beautiful woman
42:17whom I am very proud.
42:20I would like
42:21to remind people
42:21of him
42:22being a proud
42:24of him
42:25to represent
42:26the Quebec
42:28in the fight,
42:29in his profession.
42:32He's the strongest
42:32man in the world.
42:34And,
42:34especially,
42:35a good team
42:36for friends,
42:38a good father
42:39of family
42:40and a good wife.
42:44and I'm sorry.
42:45I'm sorry,
42:47I'm sorry,
42:48to have made
42:48the wrong decisions
42:50because he did
42:51for us,
42:52but that I love
42:55and that I love
42:56that he's there.
42:58and that I love
42:59and that I love
42:59that he's there.
43:00And that he would be
43:01great father today
43:02of two beautiful children.
43:05And,
43:07my son,
43:07he looks so good.
43:09It's his copy.
43:12I would have even
43:13that he would play
43:14with him
43:15in the bed
43:16on Sunday morning.
43:18and,
43:19I'm like,
43:20I just want
43:21that he's there.
43:23The Quebec police
43:24were contacted
43:25for this documentary,
43:26but they declined
43:27to participate
43:28as this case
43:29still remains open.
43:35You know,
43:36the old saying,
43:38Shakespeare,
43:39somebody said,
43:40the evil that men do
43:41lives after them,
43:42but the good
43:43gets entered
43:44with their bones.
43:45It should be the other
43:46way around.
43:46Think about the good
43:48and,
43:48you know,
43:49the rest.
43:50Try to forget it.
43:51And try not
43:53to repeat it.
43:54That's it.
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