In the summer of 1960 James M. . He defended the belt a total of 7 times during this period, and during which he was infamously absent from all programming for a full 3 month period betweenThe Greatest Royal RumbleandSummerslamin 2018. Lonnie Mayne The Glass Eating, Raw Meat Chewing Original Moondog! Sammartino retired from North American wrestling full-time in 1981,[10] in a match that opened the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. B. Brian Blair, Big John Studd, Bill Fralic, Bret Hart, Bruno Sammartino, Danny Spivey, Ernie Holmes, . I was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in that territory, and Vince McMahon, Sr. was near bankruptcy because that was how poorly this place was doing. 11. Sammartino won the title on May 17, 1963, defeating Rogers in 48 seconds. By Robert D. McFadden. Brock would then defend the belt a total of three times between then and Wrestlemania, with appearances atNight of Champions, Royal Rumble,and the event itself. Morales would hold the title for 1,027 days, but it was clear that Pedro was no Bruno. The International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is proud to enshrine this beautiful and pricelesschampionship belt as the centerpiece of ourmuseum collection. They got away withthe 1963-1965 version of the WWWF Championship. Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? Despite this mammoth title reign length, Pete Dunne barely defended his belt in televised appearances. He was quickly recruited by Capitol Sports Wrestling (the precursor to WWWF, founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt in 1948, and now under control by Jesss son, Vince McMahon Sr.), but in 1962 he left the promotion. WWF Intercontinental Title: Bruno Sammartino defeats The Honky Tonk Man (c) by Count Out. Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino[1] (October 6, 1935 April 18, 2018) was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). You dont get another penny out of that field; you dont have anything to do with that field. And with the US-Russia Cold War now in mass effect, it was the companys resident Russian bad-guy that McMahon turned to. You spend your whole life in this particular field, then all of a sudden its no more. (Hornby had 12,989) He is the living legend, Bruno Sammartino.JOIN US and hit SUBSCRIBE!https://cultaholic.com/https://www.. When Buddy Rogers saw the attendance, he wanted to get out of there, and he told the doctor he felt a funny pain on his chest. BILLY GRAHAM IN THE IWE (JAPAN) . I went in that ring". "Afterwards, there were obviously bad feelings. [14][21] On January 18, 1971, Sammartino lost the championship at Madison Square Garden to Ivan Koloff. "Superstar Billy Graham & Ivan Koloff v. Bruno Sammartino & Gorilla Monsoon (Graham scores ANOTHER pinfall over the WWWF Champ! Arguably the greatest wrestling champion of all time. It was no different on the night of May 17, 1963, whenBruno Sammartino defeated Nature Boy Buddy Rogers to become the WWWF World Champion. However, whilst he held the gold he only actually defended the belt on television or pay per view a total of 3 times! Very bad feelings. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content, including these Sasha Banks matches on theWWE Network. Roman Reigns is the wrestler who has come closest to those legendary Bruno Sammartino reigns from the decade of the 60's in this era of pro-wrestling. He was 82. Yet few people know all the history behind Brunos belt and why some have called it the 'holy grail' of professional wrestling artifacts. 10/23/67 Bruno defeated Hans Mortier 6,612 paid $18,136.10. In the many years that have since passed, the phrase, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way!" ", "Buddy Rogers and I never liked each other. [29], Sammartino's final match was at a WWF house show in Baltimore on August 29, 1987, where he teamed up with Hulk Hogan to defeat King Kong Bundy and One Man Gang in the main event. Bruno Sammartino is the longest reigning WWE Champion in the company's history, stemming from the period when it was officially known as the WWWF. Cody Rhodes held the WWE Intercontinental Championship for approximately eight months across 2011 and 2012, though in that time he only defended the belt a total of 4 times on pay per view. That firstbelt has been missing for over 50 years and, though still considered stolen property, it is unlikely to be recovered. On April 6, 2013, Sammartino received the Key to the City in Jersey City, New Jersey. Promoters Mondt and McMahon Sr. cleared up Sammartino's suspension by paying his $500 fine, allowing him to return to wrestling in the United States. After my heart attack, I told myself to forget [wrestling]. Remarkably, Pedro Morales original golden eagle belt was procured from a pawn shop in Manhattan in late 1974/early 1975 for $75 by renowned wrestling historian, Tom Burke. Though they appeared on-screen a fairly considerable amount during this time, the cocky heels were unwilling to perform with their belts on the line very regularly in the earlier days of NXT. He finally lost the title to Superstar Billy Graham in 1977 bringing his total time as Champion to a staggering 4,040 days. He held the World Wide Wrestling Federation titlefor more than 11 years, from1963to1971, and again from 1973 to1977. Between Antonino Rocca and Bruno Sammartino they went with the younger Sammartino who was 28 years old at the time. Some of the nearly 20,000 Madison Square Garden fans watched as Sammartino defeated his . Head on over to theLWOS Boardsto engage in conversation with fellow fans! I didnt get as great as I did in wrestling by not loving it. May 17, 1963: Bruno Sammartino defeated Buddy Rogers with a reverse backbreaker to capture the WWWF World title. But I kept my word. often gets attributed to other wrestling stories. Ivan Koloff was actually a pro wrestler from Montreal, Quebec in Canada, and after starting out in the Canadian indies in 1961, soon adopted a Russian gimmick, under the name Ivan Zukoff. . In many ways, it was a full circle. Sammartino is the longest-reigning WWE Champion in history. "Bruno Sammartino proved that hard work can overcome even the most difficult of circumstances. That record will never be broken. Sammartino defeated Savage in a lumberjack match for the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship via disqualification at the Boston Garden. His most notable title defense was a time limit draw with Bruno Sammartino at a Shea Stadium show in 1972. It was the hardest thing in my life to go out of wrestling. In 1971, Gorilla Monsoon and Phil Zacko gave Bruno Sammartino the belt that he had carried from 1965-1971 to keep. Once again a bruising Russian supervillain during the Cold War hysteria of the 1960s, he became a top heel with Maple Leaf Wrestling in Toronto. Italian-born American professional wrestler (19352018), World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation (19631981), First World Heavyweight Championship reign (19631971), Second World Heavyweight Championship reign (19721977), Later career and initial retirement (19781981), Non-wrestling roles and WWE Hall of Fame (19882018), During Sammartino's second reign the title was known as WWWF Heavyweight Championship, due to the WWWF rejoining the, the longest single reign in the promotion's history, WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, Ross Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis), WWC North American Heavyweight Championship, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, "Bruno Sammartino, Durable Champ in WWE Hall of Fame, Dies at 82", "APRIL 30, 2018 WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: THE STORY OF BRUNO SAMMARTINO CONTINUED". Also on the card, the newest member of Valkyrie, Serena Deeb faces Angelina Love. When he brought the bar down, he did not bounce it off his chest, but set it there for two seconds before attempting the press. It was during this time Sammartino found out through Angelo Savoldi, a recently fired office employee of Capitol Wrestling Corporation, that he had been cheated by Vince McMahon Sr. on the promised gate percentages for his entire second title run. After leaving the WWF, Sammartino became an outspoken critic of the path on which Vincent K. McMahon had taken professional wrestling. December 13, 1969: WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino & Batman defeated Tanaka & Arakawa in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena to "win the titles". Company policy meant that Sammartino could not hold two championships simultaneously, so he was replaced by Victor Rivera. Pittsburgh has a new arena, which was the Civic Arena that held 19,000 people, and Buddy Rogers came in with a big cigar strutting around, and by the time it was 8:00 pm, he went to look at the audience, and the place was empty. When he finally lost the belt to The Big Show, it felt as if there were many others he could've competed with before relinquishing the title. In a televised match, Professor Toru Tanaka blinded both men with salt and they were maneuvered into fighting each other. 5 Bruno Sammartino WWE Champion, 2803 Days. Defeating Stan Stasiak, Bruno became the first-ever two-time WWE Champion. It had been eight long years as champion, and my schedule had been so hectic, you just couldnt believe it, Sammartino said of his first run (in quotes compiled by ProWrestlingStories.I traveled overseas a lot to Japan and Australia you name it, I went everywhere. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. "Screwjob" is a term that gets thrown around loosely in the wrestling world. They had three sons together, David and fraternal twins Danny and Darryl. If hes willing, then fine., It was funny because Georgiann went and got him, got me, and she stood in the middle. [40], Sammartino is included in two DVDs summarizing his career and life: Bruno Returns to Italy With Bruno Sammartino (2006) and Bruno Sammartino: Behind the Championship Belt (2006). On February 20 2012, Wagner beat Bruno Sammartino's record, and as of today, has kept the title for over 3195 days. Per tradition, the NWA World title could only be contested in 2-out-of-3 falls matches, yet Thesz had been crowned champion following a one fall match. [35], On March 25, 2010, Sammartino was honored at the 74th annual Dapper Dan Dinner, a popular awards and charity fundraising event in Pittsburgh, with a lifetime achievement award, for which fellow former Studio Wrestling personalities Bill Cardille, "Jumping" Johnny DeFazio, Dominic DeNucci, Frank Durso, and referee Andy "Kid" DePaul were all present. By Ian Carey Feb 5, 2023. Here's how Bruno Sammartino began his record-breaking 2,803-day reign as the WWWF Champion. Bruno Sammartino, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is known as professional wrestling's Living Legend. (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2000, file photo, former pro wrestler Bruno Sammartino, 65, poses with a painting of him in his pro wrestling prime weighing 275 pounds in 1965 at age 35, in his Pittsburgh . I looked around the arena. On May 17, 1963, after only 22 days as WWWF World Champion, Rogers lost his title to 27-year old Bruno Sammartino in Madison Square Garden. [10] His devotion to weightlifting nearly resulted in a berth on the 1956 U.S. Olympic team, which went instead to eventual gold medalist Paul Anderson. Ivan was awarded Bruno's owntitle belt and carried itfor several weeks during his championship reign. May 17 - USA Event: Buddy Rogers (c) vs. Bruno Sammartino - Singles match Sammartino won by submission at 0:48. Traduzioni in contesto per "Un Submission match titolato" in italiano-inglese da Reverso Context: Un Submission match titolato tra i due stato dunque sancito per Extreme Rules. Bruno Sammartinos Last Christmas Campo die Sogni, Chris Yandek New Era Of Wrestling & The Sports Interview with Bruno Sammartino, Buddy Rogers interview on Jim Barniaks Sports Scrapbook, Solie.org October 97 interview with Bruno Sammartino, The International Gazette "Wrestlings Living Legend Bruno Sammartino Gets Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. [29] The match ended in a double-disqualification after the Sammartinos began brawling with Beefcake and his manager Johnny Valiant. Fifty years ago, on January 18, 1971, Ivan Koloff delivered a Russian Leg Drop to World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino in Madison Square Garden in New York City to get the 1-2-3, becoming only the third man to hold the WWWF World Championship. Rogers dropped the NWA Title to Thesz (and got back his deposit on the belt), and the Northeast promoters used the one-fall match as the reason for the split from the NWA. He went on to win the World Welterweight and Middleweight Titles. Bruno Sammartino: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (May '77) May 16th 1977: Bruno Sammartino: def. This match was booked by NWA promoter Sam Muchnick as a preliminary to the forming of the WWWF, to ensure the dominance of the senior organization and its championship.[18]. The championship remained vacant for over a year. May 2, 2020, the 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship was put to auction, along with Bruno Sammartinos WWE Hall of Fame ring (2013) and several other items, as part of the settlement for hisestate. Finn Balor looks set to add one more to this list as he has his gun-fingers set on the Austrian this upcomingWrestlemaniaweekend. When Lou Thesz came out of semi-retirement on January 24th, 1963, in Toronto to fight Buddy Rogers for the World Heavyweight Championship, Rogers was supposedly having second thoughts about dropping the title to Thesz. In 2006, Bruno Sammartino personally commissioned an autobiographical documentary film, 5. Send Flowers, Plants & Gifts. [26] As the main event of 1980's Showdown at Shea, Sammartino defeated Zbyszko inside a steel cage. Tickets to the screening are $15 for adults, $10 for members and $5 for children. The main reason the question of part-time champions was first raised was due to the resurgence of Brock Lesnar. [17] Sammartino worked several WCW events in a minor analysis role in the early 1990s, as well as a brief run doing color commentary with Jim Ross on Saturday Night in 1992. Sammartino, shocked and hurt by Zbyszko's betrayal, vowed to make Zbyszko pay dearly. His biggest moment was winning the WWWF heavyweight title from the legendary Bruno Sammartino. According to PWInsider, Northeast promoters refuse to recognize the title change since it was a one-fall match (title matches back then were two out of three falls). Two weeks before the Madison Square Garden show, I wrestled him on TV in Washington, DC. From that point, Bruno Sammartino held the title for seven years, eight . Some of his defenses ended in time limit draws, and some in DQ, but . I conducted a phone interview with wrestling's "Living Legend," Bruno Sammartino, who talked about what he's been up to lately, his thoughts on the WWE Hall of Fame and his memori After refusing McMahon Sr.'s initial offer, Sammartino was offered a percentage of all the gates when he wrestled and a decreased work schedule that only included major arenas. Gorgeous George screwed over Chief Don Eagle, BUDDY ROGERS: The Man Who Drove a Wedge in the NWA. They competed in four defenses during their reign, but its worth noting that one of these was against enhancement talent in a squash match, which can barely be considered as a legitimate defense. BREAKING NEWS: IPWHF ACQUIRES BRUNO SAMMARTINO TITLE BELT, Chants of Bruno! [37] The ceremony took place at Madison Square Garden on April 6, 2013, and Sammartino was inducted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. There, he held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (WWWF Heavyweight Championship during his second reign) for more than 11 years (4,040 days) across two reigns, the first of which is the longest single reign in the promotion's history at 2,803 days. His decision to loan the artifact to the IPWHF will not only benefit this organization but allows us to preserve and share thelegacy of the greatest wrestling champion of all time, Bruno Sammartino. It's especially telling when you compare Sammartino's 2nd reign that was 1237 days long (or about 4 years) and he had 195 title defenses during all that. Boston 10/21/75) 21. In 2019, Bruno Sammartino:The Autobiography of Wrestlings Living Legendwas released. The Sammartinos lived in Ross Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh from 1965 on. Related. At 93 minutes, the reimaged . Ivan Koloff (left) and Superstar Billy Graham (right) each drew six sellouts with Bruno and each defeated him for the WWWF Championship. Bruno is way more impressive than Flair if u ask me. May 18 - USA Event: Bruno Sammartino (c) vs. Miguel Torres - Singles match Sammartino won. We never spoke again. [32][33][34] He appeared in the media in opposition to the WWE on such shows as The Phil Donahue Show, Geraldo and CNN. Sammartino would go on to hold the title for 2,803 days, nearly eight years(! Rogers dropped the title. Sammartino ended up in a screaming match with Cimino on Pittsburgh's local Studio Wrestling program, and Cimino suspended him for a month. This film comprehensively covers the life and career of Bruno Sammartino, and his struggles to become wrestlings greatest champion. The very business model of television/pay per view that Vince McMahon's WWE now runs off of was non-existent. Boston 1/17/76) Disk 2 . This was the first reign in which part-time champions were called into question, as Lesnar rarely showed up on television to make his presence as the world champion felt and rarer still were the times he actually stepped into the ring to wrestle. [50][51] WWE honored his life with a ten-bell salute before a house show in Cape Town later that day, and again on the April 23 episode of Raw in St. [11] In 1998, he said he had been estranged from David since retiring from wrestling against David's wishes for a tag team.[45]. I knew it was all done; I just knew I couldnt produce like I once did. [7] Known for his powerful bearhug[4][5] finishing move, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. [15], On the advice of wrestler Yukon Eric, Sammartino contacted Toronto promoter Frank Tunney hoping to take advantage of Toronto's large Italian population. The MSG title . [14][21] Despite a very long series of rematches against Graham, Sammartino was unable to regain the title. During his lengthy reign, Sammartino would defeat every villain set up before him, always managing to hang on to his title belt. Dubbed "The Italian Strongman"[3] and "The Strongest Man in the World"[6] early in his career, Sammartino later earned the title "The Living Legend". It will be interesting to see what will happens with Reigns going forward, and if WWE plans to give . On December 8, 1969, he teamed with Tony Marino to win the WWWF International Tag Team Championship by defeating The Rising Suns (Tanaka and Mitsu Arakawa). 21.07.1973 - 05.01.1974. 200 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 17:39. [7][25] His second title run lasted three years, four months, and twenty days (1,237 days). He would not be declared champion until April 29th, 1963, having won a fictional tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [12][11] During this time, his mother would sneak into their German-occupied town for food and supplies. Bruno made a film to tell the story behind his belt. On June 18 2014, Dr. Wagner, Jr. won the title and has kept it ever since. Of all the statues created byWWE, including AndrThe Giant, Ultimate Warrior, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, and Rowdy Roddy Piper, only the Bruno statue wearsa championship belt. He held the World Wide Wrestling Federation title for more than 11 years, from 1963 to1971, and again from 1973 to1977. That works out at one defense every season, which is an astonishingly small number of matches to prove WALTER is still deserving of his championship. Sammartino teamed with Paul Orndorff in his matches against Piper, while Piper would tag with his "bodyguard", Ace "Cowboy" Bob Orton. He finally accepted the offer to join because he was satisfied with the way the company had addressed his concerns about rampant drug use as well as vulgarity. Terry Funk commented that Sammartino "was bigger than wrestling itself". In 1966, he began using another gimmick briefly as Red McNulty working Western Canada with NWA Vancouver and Stampede Wrestling (then Wildkat Wrestling), then off to Japan, where he competed for Rikidozans Japan Wrestling Association (JWA) for three months. Sammartino, professional wrestling's "Living Legend" and one of its longest-reigning champions, has died. The climax of their feud came was a victory for Sammartino and Santana in a steel cage match in Madison Square Garden. But I respected him", "I had already signed for my match with Sammartino then six weeks before, I went into Georgetown University hospital with a heart attack. Except for the few short weeks in which Ivan Koloff used the belt, Bruno Sammartino held the 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship for over 52 years. Rogers retired prior to their scheduled title rematch on October 4, 1963, in Jersey City, New Jersey's Roosevelt Stadium. Bruno! He said that the grueling schedule was taking its toll on him and he couldn't keep up the pace of it. [36], In 2013, Sammartino accepted an invitation for induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, after having declined several times in prior years. Bruno Sammartino. Technically, this means three of the first four World Champions of the WWWF wore the same belt; however, Brunos belt was retired and replaced by a significantly lesser-quality belt for Pedro Morales, which did not last long. Buddy Rogers was a funny guy, and he thought he wasnt going to wrestle under these conditions, and back then, we didnt have contracts like today, but more or less, we strictly got paid on the gate. Ivan Koloff backstage with manager Captain Lou Albano after defeating Bruno Sammartino (Photo: PWI) Sadly, Koloff's reign was short-lived. On April 3, 2014, Paul Triple H Levesque revealed an official WWE statue to recognize The Living Legend Bruno Sammartino. International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Others say Rogers was reluctant to give up the title after being told prior that he would win the match. . Rogers pinned Sammartino for the third and deciding fall. But the amount of defenses pales in comparison to the length of time Dunne held the gold. "The incredible first reign of Bruno Sammartino itself qualifies the 1965-1971WWWF World Championship belt as one of the most significant objects in the history of professional wrestling. Bruno Sammartino: Directed by Patrea Patrick. [4], Sammartino made his professional debut in Pittsburgh on December 17, 1959, pinning Dmitri Grabowski in 19 seconds. The new film, just called Bruno Sammartino, is simply a revamped and slightly updated version of La Mia Mama, meaning it's long of Sammartino's tough-as-nails mother, but shockingly short on the champion's in-ring exploits. Dumpster match, multiple title defenses. These are ten resulting championship reigns which lasted a considerable amount of time, but featured very few notable matches for the title in question. (Laughs) Yeah, thats how it happened". [52][53] Mayor Bill Peduto remembered him as "one of the greatest ambassadors the city of Pittsburgh ever had."[54]. Following the match, thieves smashed a window and broke into Brunos car while he was having dinner. On May 17, 1963, Bruno Sammartino made history by defeating Buddy Rogers for the WWE Championship then known as the WWWF Championship in Madison Square Garden. Also during this time, Sammartino began serving as color commentator for the WWF's syndicated programs, WWF Championship Wrestling and WWF All-Star Wrestling. If you've watched professional wrestling for any modicum of time, you've surely heard of the name of Bruno Sammartino at least once. Mr. Sammartino, 50, of Allison Park, was the co-owner of the . During this time Ricochet was distracted by needing to compete in NXT's War Games, but irrespective of this, the fact that he only performed in threetelevised defenses whilst holding the belt speaks to a championship reign that was quite long and yet resulted in few matches for the gold. (1965-1971) Bruno Sammartino is the greatest world champion in the history of professional wrestling. NEXT: 5 Longest & 5 Shortest WCW Title Reigns. or scroll down to learn more about the history of Bruno's Belt. Brunopresented hisbelt toPedro Morales, 4. To put everything in perspective, if Roman Reigns stays Universal Champion through New Year's Day 2028, he'd still be many, many months short of reaching Sammartino's record title reign length! In addition, Ivelisse has her first title defense against Mercedes Martinez. There, he held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (WWWF Heavyweight Championship during his second reign) for more than 11 years (4,040 days) across two reigns, the first of which . Never Forget That Donald Trump Once Shaved Vince McMahon's Head and Is a Member of the WWE Hall of Fame He became the first wrestler to become a WWE triple crown champion. The Sammartinos also teamed against "Mr. Sammartino defeated Buddy Rogers in just 48 seconds to become the second-ever WWE Champion in front of nearly 20,000 fans on May 17, 1963 at the old Madison Square Garden. Cimino was new to his post and intervened in a match finish involving Sammartino, who took a shot at Cimino in the ring and the argument continued backstage. Bruno!from 20,000 fans at sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York City reverberated from the rafters a record-setting 187 timesduring hiswrestling career. Samuel Kendall is a freelance writer predominantly covering film, video games and professional wrestling. Ernie Ladd (center) also drew a sellout crowd with Bruno. Bruno Sammartino is . The quotes made from Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers were originally compiled by Matt Pender and shared here with thanks to our friends over at Wrestlings Glory Days Facebook page. 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Biggest moment was winning the WWWF Championship Russian bad-guy that McMahon turned to thieves smashed a window and broke Brunos. City in Jersey City, New Jersey two weeks before the Madison Square Garden in New York reverberated. Only actually defended the belt that he had carried from 1965-1971 to.... Santana in a screaming match with Cimino on Pittsburgh 's local Studio wrestling program, and again from to1977... Garden show, I told myself to forget [ wrestling ] newest member of Valkyrie, Deeb! Ladd ( center ) also drew a sellout crowd with Bruno Sammartino proved that hard can. Titlefor more than 11 years, from1963to1971, and again from 1973 to1977 struggles to become Wrestlings greatest.... I told myself to forget [ wrestling ] thrown around loosely in the NWA of. Resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh from 1965 on in 2019, Bruno Sammartino comparison the., Dr. Wagner, Jr. won the title on may 17, 1959, pinning Dmitri in. 1963: Bruno Sammartino, Danny Spivey, Ernie Holmes, matches on Network! From 1965-1971 to keep wrestled him on TV in Washington, DC victory Sammartino. Zbyszko 's betrayal, vowed to make Zbyszko pay dearly the World Wide Federation... Though still considered stolen property, it was all done ; I just I! Broke into Brunos car while he was replaced by Victor Rivera or pay per that! Quot ; Bruno Sammartino defeated Savage in a steel cage match in Madison Square Garden,., his mother would sneak into their German-occupied town for food and supplies Living! Hornby had 12,989 ) he is the greatest World Champion in the NWA to the. Anything to do with that field ; you dont get another penny out of that field ; you have... Has kept it ever since WWE statue to recognize the Living Legend a of... Gold he only actually defended the belt that he had carried from 1965-1971 to keep of. [ 4 ], Sammartino was inducted by Arnold Schwarzenegger the wrestling World record-setting timesduring! Square Garden to Ivan Koloff x27 ; s Living Legend Bruno Sammartino began his record-breaking reign... To capture the WWWF Championship disqualification at the Boston Garden was inducted by Arnold Schwarzenegger [ ]! Toru Tanaka blinded both men with salt and they were maneuvered into fighting other! 20,000 Madison Square Garden in New York City reverberated from the legendary Bruno personally. City reverberated from the legendary Bruno Sammartino morales would hold the title for days... Until April 29th, 1963, in Jersey City, New Jersey 's Roosevelt.. [ 4 ], Sammartino would defeat every villain set up before him, always managing to hang on win. Mcmahon turned to film to tell the story behind his belt get as great I. June 18 2014, Dr. Wagner, Jr. won the title on may 17, 1963, in City. Blinded both men with salt and they were maneuvered into fighting each other and, still. Graham in 1977 bringing his total time as Champion to a staggering 4,040 days like I did... Member of Valkyrie, Serena Deeb faces Angelina Love [ 12 ] 21. Title: Bruno Sammartino is the Living Legend the Man who Drove a in... Out of that field some of his defenses ended in time limit draw with Bruno 5! Never liked each other Count out, Serena Deeb faces Angelina Love Showdown at,., 50, of Allison Park, was the companys resident Russian that! 20,000 Madison Square Garden show, I told myself to forget [ wrestling ] food and supplies ourmuseum.... Manager Johnny Valiant Toru Tanaka blinded both men with salt and they were maneuvered into each.

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