But see Ivey that's what I mean, MAsseria was seen as the strongest boss, UNTIL they went to war, then it became clear he was actually no match for MAranzano, esp after Morello was killed.
What makes you number one, having the biggest family, making the most money, or having the better army? History has shown force beats money, Gotti- CAstellano, Casso/Amuso vs the Harlem Bronx guys, Corleonesi vs BOntade families, there are other examples but you get my point.
To me power is water, not stone.
Like MAssino was considered top boss in the late 90s, but it was a prestige thing, not based on family size or wealth, for me the question of power is where it gets interesting...
Massino was considered the top boss in the late 1990s and early 2000s basically by default. The others were in prison by then and he had seniority. But that certainly didn't make the Bonannos the strongest family.
As for Masseria, most historians seem to think he was the top boss before and during the war. In his case, that was probably due to the fact he headed the strongest family.
