would they still have killed him????

Yes, IMO Gotti didn't like or respected Paul.

Gotta didn't want to be underboss. He had one title in mind. If he was underboss he would have done the same thing IMO

"I could be John's underboss but he could never be my underboss."

- Frank DeCicco

Gotti was "just a guy" the last guy on Big Pauls radar IMHO...

i always thought he should of promoted john to under boss. i don't think it would of done anything though. john gotti had a hatred for paul at this time. i doudt anything except for killing gotti would of done helped paul stay alive.

Senseless debate (no offense intended). It NEVER would have happened. Gotti was a greaseball highjacker in Paul's eyes. Right or wrong, who was more CN or not, isn't the question. It never would have happened.

As a matter of fact, had Paul named Jimmy Brown or Frankie DeCicco underboss, Gotti never could have pulled it off. Anyone but Bilotti, and Gotti's lucky if he still has two stripes in '86. Assuming he's not dead or in the can for something stupid.

But, to his credit, everything fell into place for him. He did pull it off, so he does deserve credit. But he got lucky, if you consider a five year run, then life in a cage lucky.

Wasn't Bilotti also a greaseball street thug? Gotti didn't like or respect Castellano, but I don't think he would have killed him unless he had to do it. He felt cornered by the Ruggiero tapes and his brother and best friend were on those tapes dealing junk. They would have both been killed and Gotti was facing death or demotion too. At that point it was kill or be killed and Gotti struck first.

Sums it up.


Good to see you back Mr. Pizza

You both are 100% right. However I don't think Gotti tries to kill Castellano if Castellano names a guy like DeCicco underboss. Gotti would of never gotten the support to kill Castellano and would of ended up dead if he carried out the plot. His only options would of been cut a deal with Feds, go on the run or accept his death sentence.

Didn't Paul make Biloti, Tommy Gambino and gotti a 3 man panel to run the family while he was going to trial?

That's pretty much what I meant, Teddy. If Castellano named Frankie his UB, Gotti never gets the support he needed. DeCicco was well liked and respected by BOTH wings of the family. Same can be said for Jimmy Brown. As a matter of fact, if it wasn't for the boneheaded Frank Piccolo hit, I doubt he would have gotten the support anyway. That was the straw that broke the camel's back and brought Piney into the fold.

Gotti would have done anything to be boss, IMO. He was a greedy, egotistical psychopath.

Billoti carried himself with class, judging by his photos. Whenever Gotti opened his mouth, he always seemed to be using gutter language. Stuff like that would matter to Big Paul.

If Gotti had been made Underboss, it wouldn't change the fact that blood is thicker than water and he would have been thinking more about his loyality to the drug dealing Bergin Crew than to Paul. He still would've tried to whack Paul if only to save his brothers from getting whacked for selling babania. Both Peter and Gene Gotti were in the Bergin Crew. Basically, Paul was sacrificed to save Peter and Gene.

John was going down with that ship too.

Maybe not hit, prob shelved. And you shelve a guy like John, you may as well hit him. Because you're taking away his identity and effectively killing him.

And then you've got a problem on your hands. As Paul found out.

It's funny, like Gotti was terrible at business, terrible at hits, (the bar hit, the 3 capos burial, ect..) cocky, vain all that, but just looking at how he handled the hit on Paul, the reaching out to the families back door like, the moves to control the commission, how he was able to read Chin, (actually he seemed really good at reading people in general) and indeed shamelessly lie to his face, And just how he handled himself in sit downs, I think he would have made a good consigliere, a politician, someone you send to deal with other families.
A tough negotiator, shrewd, great understanding of Cosa NOstra treachery, only thing is he still would be too damn visible...

his screw ups got a lot a good guys killed, got caught on tape several times, plunged the whole family into factions ,plots by gas and chin on his son, he made the worst move by killing paul.

Not for him he didnt.


In fact for him he made the best move by killing Paul. 5 years at the top. And he only had another 20. Whats the alternative, shelved, killed? A nobody. Instead he got the reigns, his son, his brother.

So all in all, popping Paul worked out pretty well, considering.

i always thought gotti had more support. i thought if any difference gotti would of ended up spliting the family up and cause a war as joey gallo did in the colombo crime family. i guess i just watched the movie "gotti" to much. great information though ty