[10], When the Sammartinos arrived in the U.S., Bruno spoke no English and was sickly from the privations of the war years. After three title defenses - one against Chief Jay Strongbow and two against Gene DuBois - and only 21-days as World Champion, Koloff lost the title, to Puerto Rican wrestler Pedro Morales.Eager to recapture the support of the immigrant wave that had . You spend your whole life in this particular field, then all of a sudden its no more. [4], Sammartino made his professional debut in Pittsburgh on December 17, 1959, pinning Dmitri Grabowski in 19 seconds. Bruno's belt was briefly worn by Ivan Kohloff, 3. Sammartino pinned George "The Animal" Steele in his match. Man, everything went so quiet, Koloff remembered (again in quotes from Pro Wrestling Stories). non-confrontation at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. When the doctor heard that, he called Paul Sullivan, who was the head of the state athletic commission. [52][53] Mayor Bill Peduto remembered him as "one of the greatest ambassadors the city of Pittsburgh ever had."[54]. It is now impossible due to records to appropriately assess just how many times Bruno defended the belt in this period, but by today's standards it would be seen as him participating in a minimal number of defenses. [7] Later that year, he won the International Tag Team Championship for the second time by teaming with Dominic DeNucci. An ever-increasing argument in today's wrestling world, in light of a continued use of part-time stars from yesteryear like Goldberg and Brock Lesnar, is how often should we realistically see the world champion defend their belt in televised appearances? 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! [36], In 2013, Sammartino accepted an invitation for induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, after having declined several times in prior years. With John Atkins, Angela Capri, Primo Carnera, John Cena. His ability to speak Italian also ingratiated him with that immigrant population. 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. Bruno Sammartino. [11] In 1950,[13] she and the children joined her husband in Pittsburgh. [26] As the main event of 1980's Showdown at Shea, Sammartino defeated Zbyszko inside a steel cage. 7 WWE Hall of Fame Stories WWE Doesnt Want You To Know! Bruno Sammartino was the first two-time WWE Champion. Just about. Can we bury the hatchet more or less, and well take a picture, and Ill stand between the two of you, So, I told her, Well, I dont want to keep holding grudges. California honored the other state's suspension, leaving Sammartino out of work. Any working guy could relate to Bruno the way they related to Steve Austin many years later. 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. [12][11] During this time, his mother would sneak into their German-occupied town for food and supplies. Bruno, the Italian superhero from Pittsburgh, battled the 6'6" 315 "Mormon Giant" a number of times in 1973 and 1974 and Jonathan won at least twice. HISTORY: : Sugar Ray Leonard was the winner of a gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. His biggest moment was winning the WWWF heavyweight title from the legendary Bruno Sammartino. Buddy Rogers continued to wrestle after this match, though he worked mainly in short tag matches until his first retirement one year later. If you've watched professional wrestling for any modicum of time, you've surely heard of the name of Bruno Sammartino at least once. [48], On July 26, 2004, Sammartino and Ric Flair were involved in the "Who snubbed who?" ", Disclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. He is overall a two-time world champion in professional wrestling. BILLY GRAHAM IN THE IWE (JAPAN) . Bruno Sammartino, an Italian immigrant who was heavyweight champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation for a record 11 years in the 1960s and 70s . Peers revered him, Hollywood celebrities courted him, Italian Americans adored him, and Arnold Schwarzenegger called him "The Star of all stars."Young Bruno and his family fled the Nazi's and were nearly executed. Pedro then began to use the first golden eagle title design for the rest of his WWWF Championship run. [21], At the inaugural WrestleMania on March 31, 1985, Sammartino was in his son David's corner for his match against Brutus Beefcake. Defeating Stan Stasiak, Bruno became the first-ever two-time WWE Champion. He was 82. Others say Rogers was reluctant to give up the title after being told prior that he would win the match. Sadly, Koloffs reign was short-lived. Sammartino finally relinquished the title on Jan. 18, 1971, in a match against Koloff at Madison Square Garden. And with the US-Russia Cold War now in mass effect, it was the companys resident Russian bad-guy that McMahon turned to. Brunopresented hisbelt toPedro Morales, 4. Acknowledged as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Sammartino's legacy began in 1959 and lasted until his final match in October of 1981. . It was time to make a switch. In the late 1960s, Sammartino was involved in a fight with former Pennsylvania Athletic Commissioner Joe Cimino. 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. "[Its been] said that when I wrestled Rogers for the title, the reason was Rogers had had a heart attack and had to be helped to the ring, and thats how he lost the belt. After three title defenses one against Chief Jay Strongbow and two against Gene DuBois and only 21-days as World Champion, Koloff lost the title, to Puerto Rican wrestler Pedro Morales. Bruno! [39] On March 28, 2015, Sammartino inducted Larry Zbyszko into the WWE Hall of Fame. "Retiring you cant explain it; it really takes you down. We took a picture, but we never spoke a word to each other" (Laughs). Lou Thesz, a 2x NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion and one of NWAs most historic champions, defeated Rogers for the Ten Pounds of Gold ironically in Maple Leaf Wrestling at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto ending Rogers World title reign at 573-days. Sammartino worked as a commentator for the Universal Wrestling Federation. Lonnie Mayne The Glass Eating, Raw Meat Chewing Original Moondog! SOURCES: 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.". Sammartino is the longest-reigning WWE Champion in history. A sold-out Garden. 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. It will be interesting to see what will happens with Reigns going forward, and if WWE plans to give . But it wasnt just any new championship victory Koloff became the first man to pin Bruno Sammartino in a WWF World title match in 2,803 days, ending a reign that lasted nearly eight years. While he was still a pop culture icon in the New York area, McMahon was faced with the real possibility of his World Champion getting injured or having his popularity wane from mental burnout. [14] Sammartino made his Toronto debut in March 1962 and very quickly, with the help of self-promotion in local newspapers and radio programs, became an attraction. World Tag Team Title (Indianapolis)", "WWC North American Heavyweight Title (Puerto Rico)", "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2007", "Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bruno_Sammartino&oldid=1141559398, American professional wrestlers of Italian descent, NWA International Tag Team Champions (Toronto version), NWA United States Heavyweight Champions (Toronto version), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from August 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Ranked No. ), and remains one of the most popular pro wrestlers of all time based on their ability to connect to fans worldwide during their respective eras. Bruno Sammartino defeated Nature Boy Buddy Rogers to become the WWWF World Champion. On February 8, 1971, Pedro Morales defeated Ivan Koloff and was presented the 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship belt by Bruno Sammartino. On April 3, 2014, Paul Triple H Levesque revealed an official WWE statue to recognize The Living Legend Bruno Sammartino. In a televised match, Professor Toru Tanaka blinded both men with salt and they were maneuvered into fighting each other. He wrestled then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race to a one-hour draw in St. Louis. But it would be Canadian-born Russian wrestler Ivan Koloff who would put an end to Sammartinos historic reign. Related. 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. Scroll down to learn more about Bruno's Belt and its journey to the IPWHF. [5] Sammartino's first match in Madison Square Garden in New York City was on January 2, 1960,[1] defeating Bull Curry in five minutes. B. Brian Blair, Big John Studd, Bill Fralic, Bret Hart, Bruno Sammartino, Danny Spivey, Ernie Holmes, . On October 28, 1989, Sammartino made a special appearance at the NWA pay-per-view event Halloween Havoc, where he was the special guest referee in a "Thunderdome" cage match which featured Ric Flair and Sting taking on Terry Funk and The Great Muta. Bruno Sammartino: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (May '77) May 16th 1977: Bruno Sammartino: def. Pro Wrestling Stories - Your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestlings past! [10][11] During World War II, Pizzoferrato was invaded by troops of the Waffen SS, leading Emilia to hide Sammartino and his siblings in a remote hideout at the top of a nearby mountain called Valla Rocca. Bruno chose a photo with his 1965 belt for the cover of his autobiography, Bruno Sammartino:The Autobiography of Wrestlings Living Legend, 8. The IIconics hold the claim to being the second ever WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, beating the team of Sasha Banks and Bayley atWrestlemania. 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