In my opinion, Montagna just didn't have the muscle or the brains to pull this off on his own. The Rizzuto's where very powerful until Vito went away and things seemed to crumble. I would look more towards a power struggle between Sicilians and Calabrians, with some Violi venom in the mix.
This isn't about Sicilians and Calabrians anymore. And it actually never was. It's about business and Montanga did have the brains and muscle to pull this off. Afterall, becoming acing boss at 35 of a New York crime family says enough, unless Jerry Capeci had it all wrong. It's obvious that Montagna wasn't acting on his own and he needed support. But he definitely had the sway to pull it off. If you have read Mafia Inc. you know would know what I mean. If you have only seen a documentary about the Rizzutos and Paolo Violi it's easy to assume the "Calabrians" are stricking back.
"It was between the brothers Kay -- I had nothing to do with it."
