Phil Pantos grew up in Boston Massachusetts, before leaving home to join the Air Force.  While still serving in the Air Force, Pantos attended  a wrestling show in California, where he met Chris Adams. Adams introduced Pantos to Tom Renesto, who helped Pantos get his training started. After returning to Boston, Pantos met Pat Patterson, who got him in touch with Killer Kowalski, who finished Pantos training.

After making his official debut, Pantos began wrestling as Phil Apollo. Phil Apollo started wrestling  for independents all over New England, including  for Killer Kowalski’s  IWF.  In early 1986 Apollo started wrestling on television for the first time, when he joined Mario Savoldi’s ICW wrestling.

Apollo entered  ICW as a jobber, teaming with Robert Van Winkle and Larry Winters. In Apollos first ICW TV matches, he faced veterans Kevin Sullivan, Marc Lewin and The Hollywood Blondes, in tag team matches. After wrestling Tony Rumble to a draw on an house show opening match, Apollo got his first push on TV.  Apollo teamed with veteran Terry Daniels. After feuding with the Hollywood Blondes, Apollo turned on Daniels, and became a bad guy. After the Daniels feud, Apollo won the ICW Championship from Joe Savoldi in February of 1987, before leaving the promotion in the middle of that year

During the summer of 1987 Apollo joined Gino Brito’s Gran Prix wrestling in Montreal. Apollo got a push as a good in Montreal, winning all of his matches on television, before wrestling on road shows. Despite Apollo’s television push in Montreal, Apollo felt that he wasn’t getting over in Canada. He left Montreal and debuted for WCCW in  Dallas , during August of that year,

Debuting as Mr. Miami Vice Vince Apollo, when he entered WCCW, Apollo scored wins over Al Madril and Matt Borne, as well as wrestling Steve Simpson to some time limit draws before debuting on WCCW TV.  When Apollo first appeared on WCCW television, he was managed by Tony Faulk, forming a stable with Eric Embry and Frankie Lancaster. 

Apollo debuted on WCCW TV as playboy Vince Apollo losing to the Spoiler by DQ, after Tony Faulk interfered. Faulks interference also caused Apollo and Lancaster to get disqualified against Al Madril and Manny Villalobos on WCCW TV. Madril and Villalobos brought in Mil Mascaras to level the playing field, and the trio beat Apollo, Lancaster and Faulk at the 4th Cotton Bowl Extravaganza.

Following the Cotton Bowl Extravaganza, Apollo became a manager and partnered with Gary Hart to form New Age Management. Together Apollo and Heart managed Al Perez, The Iron Sheik, Brian Adias, The Thing and Rip Morgan.  During Apollo’s stint as  manager, Apollo continued to get a pushed as a wrestler, defeating Steve Casey, Vic Steamboat, Jeff Raitz, Percy Pringle and Tom Fowler on house shows.  After Hart and Perez left the company, Apollo beat Bob Bradley on WCCW TV and  announced , that he became the manager of the Angel of Death. Shortly after this episode, Apollo started spending most of his time wrestling for Bob Geigel’s WWA, as part of a talent exchange with WCCW. 

Apollo made his WWA debut teaming with Kerry Von Erich to beat Mike George and Kamala. While in WWA Apollo also teamed with Dave Peterson to beat John Tatum and Jack Victory, as well as teaming with Jason Sterling to beat The Grim Reaper and The Blue Demon. During his time as a singles wrestler in WWA, Apollo beat Bobby Martin and unsuccessfully challenged Mike George for the WWA heavyweight title. 

When Apollo returned to WCCW, he asked for his release. CWA Memphis owner Jerry Jarrett Purchased the Dallas based promotion, creating the USWA and setting Up different crews for Dallas and Memphis. After Hart left the promotion, learning that the roster were going to take pay cuts, and being told that he would be part of the Memphis crew, Apollo didn’t feel good about the situation. Booker Eric Embry offered to make calls. Apollo had offers to get pushes for Continental wrestling, The PWF in Florida, Pacific Northwest wrestling and for the WWC in Puerto Rico. Apollo turned down these four promotions and decided to go home. 

After doing jobs on WCCW TV for the black ninja(great muta)Black Bart and Eric Embry, Apollo made his return to ICW, beating Pez Whatley in his return match. Apollo was again using the name Phil.In Apollo’s second stint with the company, he teamed with Eric Sbracia  as the Dynamic Duo. The team won the companies tag team titles from the S @ S Express in early 1989. Apollo again left the ICW that summer, defending the Can-Am championship against David Samartino for various northeast independent promotions.

Apollo and Sbracia also had a brief run in WCW. Apollo lost to Tommy Rich and Norman the Lunatic on WCW house shows. After debuting as a single, Apollo and Sbracia were given a four match tryout matches for the company. The dynamic duo went to center stage and beat three underneath teams, before losing to the Steiner brothers in their fourth match. Despite getting three wins at center stage the team was not signed by WCW.

Apollo came back to ICW for a third time, when Paul E Dangerously turned Apollo into the first  American anti-hero on wrestling television. Apollo first returned as a manager, guiding the tag team of The Chetah Kid and Leopard Mask. Apollo eventually reunited with Eric Sbracia to win the companies tag team titles for a second time ,when they beat the undertakers. Apollo made history in his third stint for ICW.  In 1990 Apollo was on ICW TV swearing and cursing so much, that what he said, often had to be edited out on TV. Apollo was also didn’t abandon his heal attitude or aggression. Apollo was not a role model for the kids, he was the guy who gave the bad guys a taste of their own medicine!  Five years later ECW would have Sandman, WCW would have Crow Sting, and the WWF would have Stone Cold Steve Austin, all following the concept created by Dangerously and Apollo for ICW in 1990.

Apollo received one more push for a major company when he wrestled for CMLL in Mexico during August and September of 1990. In August of that year Apollo teamed Solomon Grundy and El Rayo de Jalisco to beat Chen Cara’s, Mascara and 2000 and Pirata  Morgan.  Phil Apollo would also go on to feud with Bill Wilcox for Universal Championship wrestling and serve as booker for Yankee wrestling.

From 1991-1995 Apollo wrestled for the WWF putting over their stars on TV. During his four year WWF stint, Apollo wrestled Adam Bomb, on Bomb’s WWF television debut. Apollo also wrestled triple H in the last wrestling event ever held at the old Boston Garden. During his four year run for the WWF, Apollo was rewarded for his hard work when he beat Iron Mike  Sharpe on a house show.  After leaving the WWF Apollo and Dangerously talked about a role as a manager and part-time wrestler for ECW,  but the plans never came to fruition.

Today Apollo lives a quiet live in Arkansas, enjoying time with his kids and grandkids. Apollo has shied away from the spotlight since his retirement, resurfacing only to do one interview with our very own Rick Del Santo. The humble Apollo would never take great for being America’s first wrestlings anti-hero, and wrestlings first good guy of the 90’s. Apollo was full of piss vinegar and attitude.Those of us who  have seen 1990 ICW on  Rokus’s Ultimate Classic Wrestling , have been fortunate enough to see Apollo and Dangerously create the role of the wrestling anti-hero, that was in many ways responsible for the 90’s wrestling boom.