After my heart attack, I told myself to forget [wrestling]. Matches. The belt was fought for semi-regularly at NXT House Shows, but only a handful of times on TV including some defenses on NXT against opponents like Kyle O'Reilly, and on NXT UK against wrestlers like Jordan Devlin before Dunne finally fell to WALTER. However, he is currently on a similar run of holding the belt for an exceptional amount of time with minimal defenses. [15] With Whipper Billy Watson, Sammartino won his first professional wrestling championship in September 1962, the local version of the International Tag Team Championship. [10], When the Sammartinos arrived in the U.S., Bruno spoke no English and was sickly from the privations of the war years. 1963 - Bulldog Brower and Johnny Valentine defeat Bruno Sammartino and Whipper Billy Watson to win the Toronto NWA International Tag Team Title in Toronto, Ontario. [21], At the inaugural WrestleMania on March 31, 1985, Sammartino was in his son David's corner for his match against Brutus Beefcake. The MSG title . The city . Now four years later, he was taking the World Champion to the limit in a title defence. [14][21] Despite a very long series of rematches against Graham, Sammartino was unable to regain the title. His most notable title defense was a time limit draw with Bruno Sammartino at a Shea Stadium show in 1972. Dominic DeNucci Wrestlings Shining Light. It was there that he was spotted by local professional wrestling promoter Rudy Miller, who recruited the young man into the ring. In that sense, it's easy to see why WWE fans give Reigns' run the title of historic. Bruno Sammartino is one of the defining legends from WWE history. 10.12.1973 - 30.04.1977. 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. He was 82. 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. Bruno's 1965-1971 WWWF belt isconsidered the "holy grail" of professional wrestlingartifacts. Over the course of his record-breaking run, Sammartino successfully retained his title 653 times, including 62 defenses in MSG alone. He can be reached by e-mail at matthew.pender@hotmail.co.nz. Their feud culminated on August 9, 1980, in front of 36,295 fans at Shea Stadium. 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. I was so beat in so many ways; I was never one to even take an aspirin. Sammartino was the longest-reigning champion in the history of what's now known as WWE. In early 1977, Sammartino informed McMahon Sr. that he felt he could no longer continue as champion due to his injuries. Although this promotion was big in its hay-day, I can't find some reliable sources that Wagner keeps defending the title. The toll of a near eight year run as the top star in the WWWF a company that was still very much trying to expand its influence nationally beyond the realm of the NWA was beginning to grind The Living Legend down, both mentally and physically. Wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino has died at the age of 82. RELATED: 10 Superstars Who Were WWE ChampionFor One Day Or Less. Indianpolis, Indiana: . The championship remained vacant for over a year. [10], In 1959, Sammartino set a world record in the bench press with a lift of 256 kilograms (565lb), done without elbow or wrist wraps. Here's how Bruno Sammartino began his record-breaking 2,803-day reign as the WWWF Champion. California honored the other state's suspension, leaving Sammartino out of work. [32][33][34] He appeared in the media in opposition to the WWE on such shows as The Phil Donahue Show, Geraldo and CNN. 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? The toughest job in my life was climbing in that ring [after] coming out of intensive care and knowing that I could never wrestle again after that. Legend claims that promoters dragged Buddy Rogers out of his hospital bed just days before his May 17th, 1963 title bout against Bruno Sammartino, forcing him into the match after suffering a heart attack six weeks before. Sammartino then finished up his full-time career by touring Japan. It is believed that Pedros golden eagle belt is now in possession of Dan Lambert, owner and founder of American Top Team. [31] This allowed Savage to keep the championship, as titles cannot change hands via countout or disqualification. 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. [14] He died on April 18, 2018, at the age of 82 from multiple organ failure due to heart problems[12] following a two-month hospitalization. It was my whole life. [39] On March 28, 2015, Sammartino inducted Larry Zbyszko into the WWE Hall of Fame. 1959: Bruno Sammartino debuted in the wild world of Professional Wrestling. Dr. Jerry Graham: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (Nov '63) Nov 18th 1963: . Defeating Stan Stasiak, Bruno became the first-ever two-time WWE Champion. May 17, 1963: Bruno Sammartino defeated Buddy Rogers with a reverse backbreaker to capture the WWWF World title. While on his way to California, he missed two bookings in Baltimore and Chicago, and as a result was suspended in those territories. 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. 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. Exclusives. Bruno only gave up his championship when he wanted to, and there was one championship belt he . There are paper champions, there are fighting champions, and there are champions who scarcely put their gold up for grabs. [36], In 2013, Sammartino accepted an invitation for induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, after having declined several times in prior years. He died in 1992 at the age of 71. Spectator Sports was a local Pittsburgh promotion previously owned by WWWF co-owner Toots Mondt but now owned by Sammartino himself it was on Spectator Sports TVthat Koloff had first encountered Sammartino, facing him as Orwell Parris (in an enhancement role), in 1965 in a non-title match. Chants of Bruno! Bruno Sammartino: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (May '77) May 16th 1977: Bruno Sammartino: def. HISTORY: : Sugar Ray Leonard was the winner of a gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. He would not be declared champion until April 29th, 1963, having won a fictional tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I was just so exhausted It became clear to Vince McMahon Sr. that his World Champion was gassed. [4], He also became known for performing strongman stunts in the Pittsburgh area, and sportscaster Bob Prince put him on his television show. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Send Flowers, Plants & Gifts. 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. Also during this time, Sammartino began serving as color commentator for the WWF's syndicated programs, WWF Championship Wrestling and WWF All-Star Wrestling. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. The Sammartinos also teamed against "Mr. That takes your density down to a title defense every 37.9 days. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! The superstitious blamed New York's descent into hell in the 1970s as punishment for Bruno losing the title. He also wrestled and defeated Blackjack Mulligan, Lord Alfred Hayes, Dick Murdoch, Kenji Shibuya, and "Crippler" Ray Stevens. He held the World Wide Wrestling Federation titlefor more than 11 years, from1963to1971, and again from 1973 to1977. Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). "Bruno Sammartino proved that hard work can overcome even the most difficult of circumstances. [17], In 2006, he signed an independent deal with Jakks Pacific to produce an action figure, which is part of the WWE Classic Superstars line, Series 10. 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. [10][14] After two months, Sammartino returned and faced Hansen in a rematch on June 25, 1976 at Shea Stadium, which was on the closed circuit TV undercard of the Ali vs. Antonio Inoki match for WWWF cities. One match ended in a draw and the other with Thesz scoring a fluke pin after a collision, despite Sammartino controlling the 20 minute match from the beginning. 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. On September 30, 1972, Sammartino and Morales wrestled to a 65-minute draw at Shea Stadium in New York. RELATED: 10 Failed WWE Champions That Should Have Worked. He was inducted into the WWE . Mr. Sammartino, 50, of Allison Park, was the co-owner of the . "[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. Buddy ROGERS vs. Bruno SAMMARTINO NWA WORLD TITLE. Blake & Murphy were one of the first major holders of the NXT Tag Team Titles, belts that they managed to hold for a total of 219 days. In addition, Ivelisse has her first title defense against Mercedes Martinez. Late 1967: Sammartino vacated his half of the tag team titles to focus on his world title defenses. 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. [30], Sammartino's highest-profile feud during this run was with "Macho Man" Randy Savage. [29] The match ended in a double-disqualification after the Sammartinos began brawling with Beefcake and his manager Johnny Valiant. He would briefly return to St. Louis Wrestling Club he challenged Dory Funk Jr. for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight title in May of 1969 in Maple Leaf Gardens by September of that year, he had moved on to New York to begin working with the WWWF. [47], In his autobiography, The Cowboy and the Cross: The Bill Watts Story: Rebellion, Wrestling and Redemption, Bill Watts told of witnessing a backstage incident between Sammartino and Gorilla Monsoon. Ernie Ladd (center) also drew a sellout crowd with Bruno. The climax of their feud came was a victory for Sammartino and Santana in a steel cage match in Madison Square Garden. 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. But then on January 24, 1963, something happened. 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. [7] Known for his powerful bearhug[4][5] finishing move, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. 'The Living Legend' held the world title for over 11 . 11. #1 Bruno Sammartino - 2803 days (May 17, 1963 - January 18, 1971) Bruno Sammartino's inaugural reign as WWWF Champion is the longest World Title reign in WWE history. During his lengthy reign, Sammartino would defeat every villain set up before him, always managing to hang on to his title belt. [20] Sammartino took a hiatus from the company in 1971 and 1972 working in Japan, and various territories. Sammartino teamed with Paul Orndorff in his matches against Piper, while Piper would tag with his "bodyguard", Ace "Cowboy" Bob Orton. The doctor who was at every show said to Paul Sullivan, I am checking Buddy Rogers blood pressure, and I am listening to his chest, and everything sounds okay, but he claims that he has a pain in his chest. Bruno is memorialized in the statue wearing his 1965-1971WWWF World Championship. [49], Sammartino underwent heart surgery in 2011. The International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is proud to enshrine this beautiful and pricelesschampionship belt as the centerpiece of ourmuseum collection. Rhodes appeared in several multi-man matches during this time such as the Money in the Bank ladder match and the Elimination Chamber, where opportunities at a loftier prize outweighed defending the title he already held. 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). WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino, who held the championship belt for nearly eight consecutive years from 1963 to 1971, has died at age 82. . Twitter: @JustSKendall In 1971, Gorilla Monsoon and Phil Zacko gave Bruno Sammartino the belt that he had carried from 1965-1971 to keep. "Did I really say to him, We can do this the easy way or the hard way? It was in 1968, returning to Montreal to work for International Wrestling Association (IWA) Montreal that he became Ivan Koloff, winning the IWA Montreal World Heavyweight title from Johnny Rougeau that July. 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. Many other belts would come his way in his long storied career as well. Sammartino instead that night had his first match against new number one contender, Gorilla Monsoon. ROSS TOWNSHIP PA - Daniel Sammartino, the son of the late wrestling giant Bruno Sammartino, died Tuesday. But the amount of defenses pales in comparison to the length of time Dunne held the gold. (Hornby had 12,989) Some of the nearly 20,000 Madison Square Garden fans watched as Sammartino defeated his . Sammartino also engaged in a feud with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper after Piper insulted his heritage on a segment of Piper's Pit at Madison Square Garden. You dont get another penny out of that field; you dont have anything to do with that field. Turner has agreed to display the King of Classy Titles atthe IPWHF Museum, soon to be built in New York State. 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. [7] During his second reign, on April 26, 1976, Sammartino suffered a legitimate neck fracture in a match against Stan Hansen at Madison Square Garden, when Hansen improperly executed a move and dropped Sammartino on his head. 18.06.1987. The match was rated 1976 "Match of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.[24]. "Retiring you cant explain it; it really takes you down. Two weeks later, all syndicated wrestling shows in the WWWF showed a clip of Sammartino and Morales signing a contract for a title match at Shea Stadium. May 13 - USA Event: Buddy Rogers (c) vs. Bobo Brazil - Singles match Brazil won by disqualification. He is also a musical performer with his band OdESSA who can be investigated at the link above. Bruno's belt now appearsin an acclaimed film, 9. He became the first wrestler to become a WWE triple crown champion. Which brings us to 2017, when Brock Lesnar held the WWE Universal Championship for a phenomenal 504 days after defeating fellow part-timer Bill Goldberg at Wrestlemania 33. That victory in 48 seconds began a 2,803-day reign that stands today as the longest in history, by far. With John Atkins, Angela Capri, Primo Carnera, John Cena. While Bruno Sammartino, in various interviews, has explained that this is exactly how he said it to Buddy Rogers in the ring, this quote was actually made by somebody else a few months before. often gets attributed to other wrestling stories. Bruno Sammartino earned his fame. Still an affiliate under the banner of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Sammartino felt he was stuck in a holding pattern behind NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion, Nature Boy Buddy Rogers, who was Capitols biggest star since winning NWAs top prize in 1961. I was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in that territory, and Vince McMahon, Sr. was near bankruptcy because that was how poorly this place was doing. Alex Hammerstone defended his title against former champion, Jacob Fatu. [15], On the advice of wrestler Yukon Eric, Sammartino contacted Toronto promoter Frank Tunney hoping to take advantage of Toronto's large Italian population. 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. Bruno's belt is enshrined in the IPWHF Collection, Watch IPWHF President Seth Turner unbox Bruno's historic belt, Bruno Sammartino: Behind The Championship Belt. When Vince McMahon, Sr. and Totts Mondt heard about this, of course, they got him to come to Washington, DC, and they put him in a famous hospital over there. Despite this mammoth title reign length, Pete Dunne barely defended his belt in televised appearances. An irate Sammartino attacked Savage during a TV interview, after Savage bragged about injuring Ricky Steamboat, by driving the timekeeper's bell into Steamboat's throat during a televised match. For half of that time he reigned as World Champion, . Eager to recapture the support of the immigrant wave that had carried Bruno Sammartino for nearly eight years, McMahon hoped that Morales would appeal to the growing Hispanic audience as Bruno had for Europeans. Sold-out Madison Square Garden 189 times! He particularly criticized the use of steroids and "vulgar" storylines. "Screwjob" is a term that gets thrown around loosely in the wrestling world. "One of the finest men I knew, in life and in business," WWE chairman Vince McMahon said . In 2006, Bruno Sammartino personally commissioned an autobiographical documentary film, 5. Pro wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino dies at 82, "Without Toronto, there would have been no Bruno Sammartino", "10 championships you never knew existed in WWE", "Remembering Bruno Sammartino, the singular face of a bygone pro wrestling era", Bruno Sammartino v. Capitol Wrestling Corporation and Vince McMahon, "Professional wrestling great Bruno Sammartino dies at 82", "Sammartino: McMahon is 'a sick-minded idiot', "Bruno's bad call on WWE Hall of Fame shows Vince is right everyone has a price", "Dapper Dan: Malkin, Sammartino, Penn State volleyball claim awards", "WWE to induct Bruno Sammartino into HOF", "WWE NEWS: Hall of Fame 2013 report - Complete "virtual-time" coverage of ceremony with Sammartino & Co., Stratus announces big news, Trump-McMahon?, more", "CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 10/7 (Hour 1): Battleground PPV fall-out, WWE Title match to continue at next PPV, one "firing", Bruno Sammartino, more", "WWE HALL OF FAME REPORT 3/28: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of 2015 Ceremony - Randy Savage inducted, Nash, Zbysko, Schwarzenegger, Flair, Michaels, more", "Bruno Sammartino Behind The Championship Belt", "Madison Square Garden Pays Tribute To Bruno Sammartino", "New WWE 2K14 DLC Introduces More Superstars", "WWE 2K23 Roster Official List | WWE 2K23", "Wrestling with fame: Bruno Sammartino still a hero to fans", "Bruno Sammartino given key to Jersey City before his induction into WWE Hall of Fame", "WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino dies at age 82", "WWE Hall Of Famer Bruno Sammartino Dies At 82", "Bruno Sammartino, wrestling's original good-guy hero, dies at 82", "WWE Raw live results: Brock Lesnar returns to TV", "2019 TRAGOS/THESZ PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME CLASS ANNOUNCED - PWInsider.com", "Induction Weekend 2022 | Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame", "Keystone Sate Wrestling Alliance - Hall of Fame", "Bruno Sammartino body slams hall of fame", "WWWA honors Bruno Sammartino, and vice versa", "Triple H reveals Bruno Sammartino statue at WrestleMania Axxess", "W.W.A. Bruno Sammartino was the rock that WWE was built upon. 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. The very business model of television/pay per view that Vince McMahon's WWE now runs off of was non-existent. FULL DESCRIPTION: This photo measures 8 inches by 10 inches.The photo is clean with no staining. They both encapsulated what a hero was for their respective eras. With Bruno as WWWFs World Champion, WWWF conquered the New York territory and became a true alternative to the monopoly that the NWA had held over pro wrestling in the United States since 1948. [52][53] Mayor Bill Peduto remembered him as "one of the greatest ambassadors the city of Pittsburgh ever had."[54]. These are ten resulting championship reigns which lasted a considerable amount of time, but featured very few notable matches for the title in question. It wasnt until he got in the ring that Sammartino told him in no uncertain terms that it was HE who was going over that day. They had three sons together, David and fraternal twins Danny and Darryl. Sammartino actually . AIR Awareness Outreach; AIR Business Lunch & Learn; AIR Community of Kindness; AIR Dogs: Paws For Minds AIR Hero AIR & NJAMHAA Conference 7 WWE Hall of Fame Stories WWE Doesnt Want You To Know! 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. I told him that the only way I would come back is if he put me in the ring with Buddy Rogers for the title. May 20 - USA Event: Bruno . As for "Bruno Finally Wins Mat Title," the 260-pound, 27-year-old Pittsburgh matter scored a two-fall win over the long-time champion "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, 42, 235-pounds of Camden, New Jersey. 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 . By 1971, Bruno Sammartino was beaten up. Answer (1 of 3): George "The Animal" Steele Bruno Sammartino met James Myers in 1967 and immediately saw his potential as a main event performer. So, that was the big break, if you will. By Robert D. McFadden. He held the title until 1971. Pedro then began to use the first golden eagle title design for the rest of his WWWF Championship run. He successfully defended the belt against both Ali and The Miz before being recently dethroned by Braun Strowman on the lastWWE Smackdownepisode in January. He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son. 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The championship in Canada currently on a similar run of holding the belt for an exceptional amount of pales! Villain set up before him, we can do this the easy or!

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