Latest news with #Vito
Newsweek
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Former Star Accuses WWE Of Stealing His Gimmick
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former WWE, WCW, and ECW star Big Vito has publicly accused WWE and Paul "Triple H" Levesque of "ripping off" his established Italian street tough/gangster persona for the NXT character of Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo. Vito, who made a name for himself with this gimmick long before his more widely remembered WWE run as a cross-dresser, released a strong statement on X. In his social media post, Big Vito, referring to himself as "THE Don," directly addressed Triple H. "I've got an honest question for Triple H. I've lived this lifestyle my whole life. I've been doing this gimmick since 1999," Vito stated. "I'm still the Don in the squared circle, but this kid—who has publicly disrespected me—has stolen everything but the shoes on my feet." Vito further claimed that WWE had previously sought his input for similar concepts. "Your own people have reached out to me, asking for help with "family" storylines. Those ideas? Mine," he asserted. "Talent relations even called me, said I'd be "brought in" down in Florida. More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation Yet here I am—a 35-year veteran—watching WWE bury me while they rip off my gimmick wholesale." He emphasized he has proof for his claims: "And yes, I've got the receipts to back up everything I'm saying here." HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 11: A general stadium view during WWE Monday Night RAW at Toyota Center on March 11, 2024 in Houston, Texas. HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 11: A general stadium view during WWE Monday Night RAW at Toyota Center on March 11, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Big Vito's "Italian street guy" persona was prominent during his time in ECW as part of Da Baldies and in WCW with The Mamalukes, where he held the WCW Hardcore and World Tag Team Championships. This was before his later WWE stint where he was controversially booked in a dress. I've got an honest question for @TripleH . I've lived this lifestyle my whole life. I've been doing this gimmick since 1999. I'm still the Don in the squared circle, but this kid—who has publicly disrespected me—has stolen everything but the shoes on my feet. Your own people have… — Big Vito LoGrasso (@TheBigVitoBrand) June 2, 2025 Lorenzo currently portrays a character in NXT aligned with Tony D'Angelo's mob-themed "family," which Vito evidently sees as a direct imitation. Vito questioned the integrity of using his established character. "So tell me: are we really going to keep doing this? Keep embarrassing Italians with this nonsense? Keep disrespecting my 35 years in this business?" he asked. He then addressed Stacks directly: "Stacks — I get it. Imitation is supposed to be the sincerest form of flattery. I've got a few old leather jackets if you need them, but I doubt you can pull off the bald look. Just remember: no matter who you put in the "costume," they'll always be living in my shadow until I give my stamp of approval." More WWE News: For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Our obsession with spoiling pets has gone too far: your dog doesn't care if its collar is from Burberry
A delightfully fluffy expenses controversy emerged in Queensland in the past week. The ABC reported that the chair of a Queensland government-owned company 'faced questions' after billing the taxpayer for a hotel stay with a luxury accommodation package for his dog. The energy company chair, his 'fur-baby Vito' and his wife (unnamed) allegedly enjoyed a $500-a-night stay at the Ovolo hotel in Fortitude Valley when a board meeting obliged his attendance in Brisbane, 100km away from his Sunshine Coast home. The 'luxury pet-friendly accommodation' offered at the five-star Ovolo includes a 'super comfy' dog bed, treats, premium dog food, mealtime mat and water bowl, as well as a take-home dog toy 'because who doesn't love a present?' According to the report, although the stay last year was approved, the cost was queried by the company's operations director who feared it was 'above the state's recommended rate of $181 a night for stays in Brisbane'. The story provokes two immediate responses. The first is: should the people of Queensland really be subsidising some suit's puppycation when the state's youth justice system cries out for reform? The second response is, alas: 'Honey, grab the dog. Ovolo are doing a puppy package. We're going to Brisbane.' If the suit wants to move on from the story, I'd suggest they merely outline to the Queensland government the efficiency dividends delivered by choosing dogcommodation over the alternatives. The productivity impact on leaving one's dog behind for a business trip is considerable. The phone costs of being told by a partner on solitary dog duty at home that 'he keeps sniffing the door, waiting for you to come back' may be negligible, but consider the data costs of watching breed-specific Instagram videos from your lonely hotel room to make moony, sooky faces over. Forty-eight percent of Australian households own dogs; to those of us on the outlay for food, treats, toys, grooming, kennels, vets and puppy school, $500 seems like a rare bargain. While the suit declined to comment to the ABC, a company spokesperson said his travel with his dog involved extenuating circumstances related to 'personal family circumstances, which are private'. They said the trip complied with the corporation's policies and that he 'strongly rejected the assertions made against him'. The 'VIPooch' story isn't this nation's only political dog-indulgence expenses controversy. In 2016, it came out that the Victorian corrections minister, Steve Herbert, had used his taxpayer-funded ministerial car to chauffeur his dogs, Patch and Ted, the 97km between his Melbourne residence and his Trentham country home – notably, without him. Herbert insisted he'd done this only 'once, possibly twice', but the backlash at the time was enough for him to resign his ministry and, soon after, leave parliament. One wonders if he'd be obliged into such a dramatic apology now. In the almost 10 years since the 'dog chauffeur scandal', the century-long shift of pets from household roles of utility to those of companionship has ratcheted up rapidly. Australians have always been pet people, but we are now living in the wake of a post-pandemic pet proliferation that between 2019 and 2021 raised the proportion of Australian households with pets from 61% to a goggling 69%, marking the largest increase in decades. Australians are now – officially – more pets than people, with 28.7 million fluffy, furry, scaly and feathery pals spread across the population. (Notably, households own over 11 million fish. Someone really should tell the Ovolo marketing department.) Other western countries are similar; 94 million Americans owned a pet in 2024, which is more people than voted for Donald Trump. Half of European households are now pet owners. The existence of Petfood Industry magazine itself suggests an expanding 'pet economy' that's estimated to be worth $157bn in the US alone – yet the figures this august journal supplies are also a revelation: gen Z are building a pet empire. In 2024, 18.8 millions American households from this cohort were pet owners – a staggering 43.5% increase from only the previous year. It has long been observed that the size of every market spawns a proportional online influencer community to grift from it; the word 'petfluencer' has entered the dictionary. Those horrified by the concept of a dog-positive hotel stay should block their eyes here. Harrods will sell you a designer diamond dog collar for £500,000; 'pet-focused fashion' is a real term invented by real human beings to describe brands that hawk pet accessories from raincoats to jewellery made of precious gems and leather. 'Barkitecture' is now also a word, used in the 'designer dog house' biz; you can DIY or invest in 'doggy mansions' – even a dog castle – with a build that costs more than a human house. You can charter a private plane for your pet. Send them off to a spa. There's dog yoga, custom cakes and an 'aesthetic cat furniture solution' for those whose problems obliging it are truly beyond my imagination. The problem with late-stage capitalism is its indulgences are so extreme that fancier pet food, a BarkBox delivery or the odd commonwealth-sponsored dog chauffeur seem positively humble in comparison. As the birth rate continues to decline, 'pet parenting' has emerged as a household-building alternative, expanding the content of family, if not the definition, as a place of mutual love and togetherness. Problem is, we are making our pets the new projection surface for all the fucked-up materialistic status performance infecting us elsewhere – this time, in the most clownish of ways – because your dog does not care if its collar's from Burberry or its hotel really deserves its five-star accreditation. What makes it most like a human child, my friends, is that it just needs to be fed, needs to be safe – and to spend time with you. Van Badham is a Guardian Australia columnist
Scottish Sun
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Strictly star Ellie Leach unveils new tattoo after ex-Coronation Street star got matching inking with Vito Coppola
The star's new body art has been revealed in new pictures fresh ink Strictly star Ellie Leach unveils new tattoo after ex-Coronation Street star got matching inking with Vito Coppola Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) STRICTLY Come Dancing champ Ellie Leach has revealed her brand new tattoo after her matching inking with her co-star. The actress, 24, was seen having the fresh "teenie" designs applied to her forearm and wrist as she headed to a parlour in Manchester. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 Ellie Leach has revealed her latest body art on Instagram Credit: Instagram / @ellielouiseleach 6 The actress was seen looking cool and collected at a parlour in Manchester Credit: Instagram/@talbooker 6 She then showed off the two 'teenie' designs on her forearm Credit: Instagram/@talbooker It comes after the Coronation Street alum had a matching tatt with former Strictly co-star and professional partner Vito Coppola, 32, last year, as rumours of her romance with fellow show star Bobby Brazier, 21, swirled. Last year, Italian Vito showed off the design which featured a bee and aubergine logo on his upper arm, with the word "resilience" inked underneath. He explained: "It is going to be a bee with an aubergine body." Now ITV actress Ellie has added to her collection, with a square with a cross inside and a lightening bolt. The Faye Windass star donned a black top and denim shorts for her appointment, and kept her cool as she was tattooed in the chair. Ellie re-posted the images to her Instagram Stories with a cheeky laughing Emoji. In the Instagram gallery comments, tattooist Tal Booker told how the tatts were "teenie." Ellie is clearly no stranger to body art, and even had a matching inking with her best mate back in 2022. VITO TATT Yet it was her close bond with Italian Vito which sparked her body art a year later. After their joint appointment, Ellie proudly also showed off her arm and said: "Guys, we're just done! We are so, so happy. Ellie Leach gets matching tattoo with Strictly partner amid Bobby Brazier romance rumours "The best is Nicola Oprey. There she is, look at her. She's just the best. It's beautiful." The dancer and the soap star had referred to themselves as the "aubergine team" because Vito loves parmigiana, but decided to add a bee to the design because of its resilience. The couple previously said on ITV's This Morning that they were planning on getting tattoos to mark their incredible journey on the BBC One dance competition. Speaking about his relationship with Ellie, Vito said: "We have a great relationship and we are going to have a tattoo - as a joke - before we got to the final we promised ourselves we would get one of an Aubergine." Ellie shared: "We said if we made it to the final we would get a tattoo, but it was just a joke, we didn't expect to get there." Vito added: "At the end we decided to do a B with the body of an Aubergine because a B is a Brazilian insect. But that is a symbol of our bond." It came after The Sun revealed that Ellie and Strictly co-star Bobby had been growing close. 6 Ellie scooped the Strictly Glitter Ball trophy in 2023 Credit: PA 6 She then went on to have matching tatts with pto Vito Coppola Credit: Instagram / @vitocoppola
The Irish Sun
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Strictly star Ellie Leach unveils new tattoo after ex-Coronation Street star got matching inking with Vito Coppola
STRICTLY Come Dancing champ Ellie Leach has revealed her brand new tattoo after her matching inking with her co-star. The actress, 24, was seen having the fresh "teenie" designs applied to her forearm and wrist as she headed to a parlour in Manchester. 6 Ellie Leach has revealed her latest body art on Instagram Credit: Instagram / @ellielouiseleach 6 The actress was seen looking cool and collected at a parlour in Manchester Credit: Instagram/@talbooker 6 She then showed off the two 'teenie' designs on her forearm Credit: Instagram/@talbooker It comes after the Coronation Street alum Last year, Italian Vito showed off the design which featured a bee and aubergine logo on his upper arm, with the word "resilience" inked underneath. He explained: "It is going to be a bee with an aubergine body." Now ITV actress Ellie has added to her collection, with a square with a cross inside and a lightening bolt. read more ellie leach The Faye Windass star donned a black top and denim shorts for her appointment, and kept her cool as she was tattooed in the chair. Ellie re-posted the images to her Instagram Stories with a cheeky laughing Emoji. In the Instagram gallery comments, tattooist Tal Booker told how the tatts were "teenie." Ellie is clearly no stranger to body art, and even had Most read in Reality VITO TATT Yet it was her close bond with Italian Vito which sparked her body art a year later. After their joint appointment, Ellie proudly also showed off her arm and said: "Guys, we're just done! We are so, so happy. Ellie Leach gets matching tattoo with Strictly partner amid Bobby Brazier romance rumours "The best is Nicola Oprey. There she is, look at her. She's just the best. It's beautiful." The dancer and the soap star had referred to themselves as the "aubergine team" because Vito loves parmigiana, but decided to add a bee to the design because of its resilience. The couple previously said on ITV's This Morning that they were planning on getting tattoos to mark their incredible journey on the BBC One dance competition. Speaking about his relationship with Ellie, Vito said: "We have a great relationship and we are going to have a tattoo - as a joke - before we got to the final we promised ourselves we would get one of an Aubergine." All your Strictly Come Dancing winners Strictly first kicked off back in 2004, and over the years has crowned 21 winners. Here is a full list of who has been lucky enough to 2004 - 2004 - Jill Halfpenny 2005 - Darren Gough 2006 - Mark Ramprakash 2007 - Alesha Dixon 2008 - Tom Chambers 2009 - Chris Hollins 2010 - 2011 - 2012 - Louis Smith 2013 - Abbey Clancy 2014 - Caroline Flack 2015 - 2016 - Ore Oduba 2017 - 2018 - 2019 - Kelvin Fletcher 2020 - 2021 - 2022 - 2023 - 2024 - Ellie shared: "We said if we made it to the final we would get a tattoo, but it was just a joke, we didn't expect to get there." Vito added: "At the end we decided to do a B with the body of an Aubergine because a B is a Brazilian insect. But that is a symbol of our bond." It came after The Sun revealed that 6 Ellie scooped the Strictly Glitter Ball trophy in 2023 Credit: PA 6 She then went on to have matching tatts with pto Vito Coppola Credit: Instagram / @vitocoppola 6 During her time on the BBC series, she was linked with Bobby Brazier Credit: Instagram / @ellielouiseleach
Daily Mirror
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Strictly professional discusses Giovanni Pernice possible return to BBC series
Vito Coppola appeared on the red carpet of this year's BAFTA Awards and opened up about the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing, which will see a number of new dancers Vito Coppola has revealed his excitement for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing. The 32-year-old Italian dancer has been a popular contestant on the hit BBC dance show since he joined in 2023, winning the competition alongside Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach. Now, with the show readying itself for a new batch of hopefuls, Vito has told the Mirror how much he is looking forward to the show. Speaking on the red carpet of the BAFTA Awards, Vito told the Mirror the show's bosses have been keeping any changes to the format very close to their chest. Vito was speaking ahead of the 78th edition of the ceremony at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall in London, where Strictly failed to be entered into the Entertainment category following the scandal the rocked the show. There were a number of incidents involving Go Compare star Wynne Evans, which had followed the case involving Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington. After Giovanni left the show to join an Italian version of the show, Vito opened up on a potential return. When asked if there could be a returning professional, he told us: "I mean, in Strictly everything is so unpredictable that you never can predict anything. It could be a new pro, it could be someone from the past, it could be someone I haven't worked with before. "There are many pros that when I arrived I hadn't worked with on the show. So I'm very, very curious. The first thing that I'll do for sure, if I know or don't know them, is hug them strong and give them a big kiss on the cheek." Specifically in Giovanni, he added: "I don't know [if we will see him back]. Because, he is now, from what I know, he is now in Italy. "But I don't know because with Strictly they are so secret. They are so cryptic and they want to keep it as a surprise for us as well. So I mean, whoever it's going to be, I'm going to be super excited. I'm like a little puppy you know, always around. I cannot wait." Giovanni was caught up in scandal following his 2023 stint with the actress, who made a series of claims about bullying behaviour. Giovanni decided to take a break from the public eye following the scandal. The actress, known for her roles in Mr Selfridge and Sherlock, said the dancer had created a "toxic environment" and levelled "inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying" charges at him. While Giovanni brushed off any hints of abusive or menacing behaviour and embraced the results of a BBC investigation that upheld "some, but not all" complaints made by the actress. Speaking of his "dream partner" for the upcoming series, Vito said he'd love to dance with his "crush". "Jessica Alba. I mean, I don't know if Jessica's listening to me, but please, feel free to join me. I promise I will give you the best time ever." He also admitted he always thinks the show gets better every year. He also revealed how excited he for his upcoming tour with last year's winner, Dianne Buswell. He said it's going "very good" and confirmed rehearsals with all the cast are about to begin. "We are waiting because we got all the dancers [from across the world ]. We are reuniting all of them and after we are starting all together."
