Happy Birthday Larry Zbyszko: The First Broken Role Model
Happy 74th Birthday Larry Z
Today marks 74 trips around the sun for Lawrence “Larry Zbyszko” Whistler—the man who turned betrayal into an art form, stalling into a science, and “Living Legend” into a moniker that still echoes through arenas and commentary booths.
From that infamous 1980 cage match heel turn on mentor Bruno Sammartino at Shea Stadium (drawing 36,295 rabid fans who wanted Bruno’s revenge), to hoisting AWA gold and calling spots for WCW’s wildest wars, Zbyszko’s resume is etched in wrestling stone.
Hell, he even got the nod from Bruno himself for WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2015!
At an age when most legends are cashing royalty checks and dodging stairs, Larry’s still out there—spotting lifts, cutting promos, and keeping the fire lit for the next generation.
But on this birthday, let’s talk about the one chapter in that legacy that’s harder to celebrate: his deep, documented bond with Chasyn Rance.
The guy Zbyszko didn’t just train or book—he championed, partnered with, and publicly praised, even as Rance’s off-ring skeletons piled up like folding chairs after a bloodbath.
And talk about timing! TKO’s faux role model, Bayley decided to hold a seminar in a city where Rance’s dojo is just 10-15 miles from most central spots—closer than the PC’s 18-20 miles southeast.”
Bayley’s Women’s Camp is Happening Right Now, in the Same City!
It’s important to note, this is just months after Bayley cheered on her 18-year-old protégé Izzy Moreno, at Wrestling Atomic, a Chasyn Rance spinoff, founded by a child pornographer/rapist, currently in prison.
She never even made a BS statement like Booker. So either they’re both clueless humans, who don’t do homework on where they train and wrestler. Or they’re clearly friends with a pedophile.
No good answer there for two so-called “legends”, which is why they hide from it, “cower”, even.
Think she’s going to pop into TVD to wish Larry a happy birthday with her new group of women? Do you really think any of them know about that whole disgusting mess? I highly doubt it.
Booker T, Meltzer and the Silence That Protects Them
The Performance Center is 18–20 miles the other direction! And if this sounds familiar, you’re thinking of Rance’s pal Booker T.
The WWE Hall of Famer who was pictured with the pedophile trainer at least five different times, faced no consequences. That’s what happened, it comes with the perks of being friends with Dave Meltzer. CrimeWatch Orlando has the receipts.
Back to the birthday man and his creepy little boy, they weren’t casual gym bros; this was mentorship with muscle. Rance called Zbyszko one of his “many stars” who’d shaped him, right down to sharing the ring and the spotlight.
Larry reciprocated in spades, name-dropping Rance (and stablemate Mister Saint Laurent) in the acknowledgments of his 2008 autobiography Adventures in Larryland!, crediting them with “keep[ing] my enthusiasm high” and ensuring “the wrestling business they will keep it alive for the next generation.”
High praise from a guy who’d feuded with the best—imagine Bruno reading that and raising an eyebrow.
The "Protégé" Larry Trained, Trained With, and Thanked in His Book
By 2010, Rance was still name-dropping Larry as his ride-or-die in shoot interviews: “He’s next to me right now. I’ve been working with Larry for over 3 years. He’s a great guy.” It was the full torch-passing package: gym time, gold belts, glowing endorsements.
The partnership went pro fast. In the revived AWA Superstars of Wrestling, Zbyszko, Rance, and Seth Springer teamed up to snag the World Six-Man Tag Team Championships in 2006, defending them through a string of indy loops that kept the old AWA flame flickering.
They cut promos together (check the 2007 YouTube clip of Larry hyping the trio like it’s 1985 all over again), shared rings in IWA Mid-South and Brew City Wrestling, and even hung with Scott Hall for downtime vibes—watching Bruno tapes, no less.
Then came 2011. Rance was convicted in Florida on charges of lewd and lascivious battery—sex with a minor aged 12-15—stemming from incidents in 2008. Sentenced to probation (completed by 2014), he’s been on the state’s Sex Offender Registry ever since, with recent arrests in 2025 for registry violations like unreported vehicle changes and false info.
2011: The Conviction Everyone Pretended to Forget
The wrestling world recoiled: blackballed from majors, whispers in indy locker rooms, even Reddit threads calling out his post-probation return to training kids at Team Vision Dojo (where Larry was still listed as a trainer). Rance’s camp insists full disclosure to parents and “business purposes” keep it legal under Florida law, but the optics? Nuclear.
And Zbyszko? Crickets. No public disavowals, no “I had no idea” interviews, no distance. Even as Rance kept booking shows and spotting talent into the 2020s—sometimes with Larry’s fingerprints still on the promo graphics—the silence held.
Florida indy vets still murmur about it in group chats: the guy who betrayed Bruno never betrayed this association. In a business built on kayfabe cracks and real talk, that’s the heel heat that lingers.
Raise a Glass to Larry…Just don’t look too close.
Look, Larry Zbyszko’s 74 years include more icons felled than most wrestlers ever touch. He earned the Legend tag the hard way—chair shots, cage escapes, and commentary gold. But legacies aren’t just highlight reels; they’re the full match tape, including the spots that make you wince.
On his birthday, raise a glass to the technician who redefined “heel.” Just maybe spare a thought for the one decision that proves even legends have blind spots.
What do you think—forgivable old-school blind spot, or a stain that won’t fade?
Hit the comments. Sources and timestamps below for the dirt-diggers.
Bruno heel turn details: Pro Wrestling Stories (2023)
Gym training routine: ChasynRance.com archive (ca. 2007)
Autobiography shoutout: Adventures in Larryland! (2008), Scribd excerpt
AWA Six-Man reign: WrestlingData.com / Oklafan bios
Rance conviction & registry: Florida DOC records / RapSheetz (2011-2025)
Post-conviction silence: Aggregated indy reports / Reddit SquaredCircle threads (2018-2025)
