Early Wrestling Career
He was born in Brooklyn, New York City in 1926 of Italian American heritage. He was fluent in both the English and Italian languages. His wrestling career began in neighboring New Jersey in 1953. He wrestled under the Zebra Kid gimmick. He was billed at the height of 6 foot 6 inches. It wasn't long before Montana found success. Along with Golden Terror, they won the New Jersey Tag Team titles on April 4, 1953. Lenny began to travel on the road, wrestling in the Midwest. He soon won the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship, defeating Dave Sims on October 1, 1953 in Kansas City. However he lost the title on December 11, 1953 to Sonny Myers, who had held the title a previous three times before defeating the Zebra Kid. His final success of the 1950s came in 1956, winning the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship with Gene Kiniski, defeating Herb Freeman and Ray Gunkel on September 18 in Dallas under the alias Len Crosby. He also worked as a bouncer during this time to earn extra money, refusing patrons and removing drunken customers at several bars and clubs.
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