Height: 6 foot 7
From: San Diego
Signature Move: Full Throttle
Career Highlights: World Tag Team Champion,WCW Tag Team Champion
WWE Debut: Summer 2001
Entrance Video: WATCH
During his career, he’s been a Natural Born Thriller, a controversial icon and a Full-Blooded Italian. Now that Chuck Palumbo has returned to WWE, however, he’s getting to be something else: Himself.
Just by looking at him, you’d never guess that the seemingly laid-back Californian’s biggest passion outside the ring has to do with speed and two wheels. But even before his in-ring days began, Palumbo was fascinated with building and riding motorcycles.
“My week consists of working on bikes for two or three days, going on the road, then coming back and starting again,” Palumbo says. “In the meantime, I’m riding on trips to Sturgis, to Vegas and so on.”
When the native of San Diego (by way of New England) needs to get his mind off his “day job,” his motorcycles are the first thing he turns to.
“Sure, sports-entertainment has been my life-long passion. I love wrestling,” Palumbo said. “But motorcycles are something else. When I need to get my mind off the business, I’ll grab a wrench or light a torch and get a weld going.”
Palumbo, who owns and has built several choppers, has even been featured in American Iron Magazine. Now, he combines his two biggest passions by bringing his motorcycle enthusiasm to the squared circle. Before his matches, Palumbo rides down to ringside on one of his bikes, and he exits the arenas the same way. For him, it’s more than a hobby; it’s a way to get revved up for the heat of battle.
“People say I’m really reserved. But when I get on the bike, it kicks in an adrenaline rush and then I become a different person,” Palumbo reveals. “I always tell people I’m doing two of the greatest things I can do; I get to wrestle and ride my bike in the same night.”
Don’t let that reserved look fool you, and don’t think for a second that Palumbo’s mind is elsewhere when he’s in the squared circle. Chuck is a master inside the ring as well, something many current and former WWE Superstars have found out the hard way.
First coming to prominence in WCW in 2000, Palumbo teamed with his fellow Natural Born Thrillers to capture the WCW Tag Team Championship four times in the promotion’s final year of existence. Having moved to WWE following the acquisition of WCW, Palumbo is also a multiple-time World Tag Team Champion.
Palumbo left WWE in 2005, moving on to wrestle in Japan and Italy (as well as spend more time working on his motorcycle craft) before finally returning in 2007. And with both of his passions merged, Palumbo sees even clearer the similarities between the two.
“Wrestling is an art form, as is building motorcycles,” he says. “You have to have a vision of what the end product is going to look like, then craft it with your hands.”
Hopefully, Palumbo’s biggest masterpiece in both fields is still ahead of him.
When the 6-foot-7 grappler isn’t traveling the world with WWE, riding to the ring on his own custom-built chopper, he’s hard at work in his San Diego, Calif., home building bikes for clients – including fellow WWE Superstars.
Palumbo’s most recent creations were commissioned by two former World Champions – Rey Mysterio and Batista – who saw Chuck’s work in American Iron Magazine.
“That first bike I built in 2006, it made the cover of American Iron,” Palumbo explained. “Once I started to get that exposure, guys that knew me, but didn’t know what I did in my off time, said, ‘Geez, Chuck, you build bikes? Can you do one for me?’”
After four months of spending his off days working in his home garage, which is now a makeshift fabrication shop for chopper creation, Palumbo showed the almost-finished bikes to Mysterio and Batista when they were in town for a SmackDown event.
“They were both in awe, which made me feel great,” Palumbo recalled. See the photos of Rey's bike. Photos of Batista's bike
Both bikes had to reflect their future owners’ character and intensity. “When I build a bike for these two guys, it has to be an extension of their personalities,” Palumbo said. “So, when it came down to it, when you look at Rey’s bike, you think Rey Mysterio. When you look at The Animal’s bike, you think Batista.”
Palumbo’s creations are stylish, yet simple. “I keep the bikes clean … When you start to add too much to the bike, it looks too busy,” he said. “My bikes aren’t just show bikes. They look like show bikes, but you can ride them everyday. You can beat on them, burn ‘em up … that’s what they’re made for, they’re durable. A lot of these show bikes you see wouldn’t make it a minute down the road, but they look great.”
Mysterio’s custom bike was scaled specifically for his smaller stature, and included a lower seat, so he could reach the ground flat-footed when the bike is stopped. The candy-apple red bike also features a 96-cubic-inch S&S engine, a 23-inch front wheel, a 6-speed transmission, 24-karat-gold springer front-end, chain and crown-shaped gas cap, lots of twisted steel and chrome accents, and gold-leaf engraving and airbrushed art iconic of the extreme luchador.
“[Rey] loves the bike; we’re really happy with it,” Palumbo said.
The Animal’s bike was – pardon the pun – a whole different animal. The bike was designed to be large, menacing and intimidating, just like the former World Champion is to opponents who face him in the ring.
Soon to be tearing up the roads in Tampa, Fla., Batista's bike features a white paint job with a black motor, large 18-inch “apehanger” handlebars, a large springer front end and a “very loud exhaust.”
“When Batista goes down the road, he’s going to scare people,” Palumbo said.
The revved-up Superstar also took Batista’s signature tattoos and incorporated them into the bike’s artwork in silver leafing. “It’s really sweet to look at. It’s a lot different than [Mysterio’s bike], but you can tell the same artist worked on it,” he explained.
The Animal is very impressed with Palumbo’s custom creation. “When I actually saw the bike, I was blown away,” he recalled. “It came out a million times better than what I expected. It’s my dream bike. I’m going to try to get this bike as much publicity as possible, so the world can see how artistic and creative Chuck is.”
Next up for Palumbo is a bike for former ECW Champion, Chavo Guerrero. Chicago White Sox first baseman Nick Swisher has also requested a custom-built chopper from the in-demand bike master.
However, Palumbo said his first love will always be the WWE ring. “Wrestling is my No. 1 passion, but [building bikes] is an art that I can express myself with, which is relaxing to me,” he said.
“The satisfying thing about both of them … when you finish a match and you know you’ve entertained the people and told them a story, there’s no better feeling in the world. When you finish a bike like you had pictured it in your mind and the customer sees it and is happy with it, that’s your payoff … same thing, it feels great.”
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