By Robert D. McFadden. The Sammartinos lived in Ross Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh from 1965 on. Pete Dunne is only the second man in company history to hold the WWE NXT United Kingdom Championship, a belt he held for an overwhelming 685 days. He held the World Wide Wrestling Federation titlefor more than 11 years, from1963to1971, and again from 1973 to1977. So, that was the big break, if you will. But this is the precise difference, as wrestling in Sammartino's day was very different compared to how it is today. He became the first wrestler to become a WWE triple crown champion. In addition, Ivelisse has her first title defense against Mercedes Martinez. [11] This made him an easy target for bullies at Schenley High School. With John Atkins, Angela Capri, Primo Carnera, John Cena. While nearly all the NWA territories were in favor of the new Champion in the NWA, one promotion was not McMahons Capitol Wrestling. That record will never be broken. His ability to speak Italian also ingratiated him with that immigrant population. Bruno's belt was briefly worn by Ivan Kohloff, 3. While on his way to California, he missed two bookings in Baltimore and Chicago, and as a result was suspended in those territories. Scroll down to learn more about Bruno's Belt and its journey to the IPWHF. Sammartino won the title on May 17, 1963, defeating Rogers in 48 seconds. "Superstar Billy Graham v. Bruno Sammartino (MSG 1/12/76) 22. [9], Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino was born in Pizzoferrato, Abruzzo, Italy, to Alfonso and Emilia Sammartino on October 6, 1935. This is the original on-site poster from the Maple Leaf Gardens World Title bout with the great Buddy "nature boy" Rogers, held on July 12, 1962. . Ivan was awarded Bruno's owntitle belt and carried itfor several weeks during his championship reign. He has now held the belt for 337 days, almost a full calendar year, and yet in that time has only performed in 4 major televised title defenses. 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. Ernie Ladd (center) also drew a sellout crowd with Bruno. 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. Twitter: @JustSKendall He held the World Wide Wrestling Federation title for more than 11 years, from 1963 to1971, and again from 1973 to1977. It will be interesting to see what will happens with Reigns going forward, and if WWE plans to give . Bruno Sammartino, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is known as professional wrestling's Living Legend. I looked around the arena. 2/19/68 Bruno won with the backbreaker on Bull Ramos before 13,059 fans in the first match at the new MSG. Sammartino instead that night had his first match against new number one contender, Gorilla Monsoon. [7] Known for his powerful bearhug[4][5] finishing move, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. 27.06.1987. "One of the finest men I knew, in life and in business," WWE chairman Vince McMahon said . Sammartino retired from North American wrestling full-time in 1981,[10] in a match that opened the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Sadly, Koloffs reign was short-lived. 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. 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. . Seth Turner, President of the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, successfully procured the belt. There are paper champions, there are fighting champions, and there are champions who scarcely put their gold up for grabs. Sometimes, be they world champions, tag team champions, or otherwise, champions have commitments outside of their championship. 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. 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. Although this promotion was big in its hay-day, I can't find some reliable sources that Wagner keeps defending the title. After my heart attack, I told myself to forget [wrestling]. Sammartino faced Piper in both singles and tag team matches. Bruno Sammartino: WWWF Heavyweight Champion - 1,237 days WWE/YouTube Stan Stasiak only has one successful title defense to his name against Chief Jay Strongbow, and their bout went to a no contest. (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). 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. 1959: Bruno Sammartino debuted in the wild world of Professional Wrestling. 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. . The program will feature commentary by Richert and by Darryl Sammartino, Bruno's son, per the release. He held the company's top title from 1963 to 1971 and again from 1973 to 1977. We never spoke again. 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. 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). Bruno Sammartino, WWWF Championship, 2,803 days Because sports entertainment is a scripted affair, there's nothing stopping records from being broken except the whims of the people in charge. Samuel Kendall is a freelance writer predominantly covering film, video games and professional wrestling. Many, many years later, there was a convention one time in New York where they invited some wrestlers from yesteryear where we signed autographs and so forth. In contrast, Hogan and Andr headlined exactly one card in White Plains, New York before they wrestled at Shea, and they drew 1,200 in a building that held 3,500.[27]. He would later return for two brief comebacks, and much later as a manager. In the late 1960s, Sammartino was involved in a fight with former Pennsylvania Athletic Commissioner Joe Cimino. Boston 10/21/75) 21. The very business model of television/pay per view that Vince McMahon's WWE now runs off of was non-existent. Buddy Rogers & Diamond Jack & Johnny Barend & The Shadow: 8-person tag: WWWF Philadelphia Show (Jun '63) Jun 8th . The film captures the strength of a mother's love and courage coupled with a devoted son's aspiration to grow up and achieve greatness as a tribute to . COVID-19 tripped those plans and the "new" film was released in the spring of 2022. Bruno only gave up his championship when he wanted to, and there was one championship belt he decided never to let go. Bruno selected a classic photograph with his 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship for the cover of his autobiography, which he wrote with Sal Anthony Corrente. [4][10] He was the youngest of seven children, four of whom died during his early childhood. Send Flowers, Plants & Gifts. [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. WWWF Heavyweight Champion (2x) 1237 days. 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 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). His Intercontinental Championship reign is the perfect example of that. 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. It was my whole life. B. Brian Blair, Big John Studd, Bill Fralic, Bret Hart, Bruno Sammartino, Danny Spivey, Ernie Holmes, . 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. I was so beat in so many ways; I was never one to even take an aspirin. As the final entrant on this list, Ricochet is unique in the fact that during his NXT North American Championship reign he was actually unsuccessful in ever once retaining his belt on pay per view, losing it in his first defense at an NXT Takeover. "Did I really say to him, We can do this the easy way or the hard way? Bruno headed north to continue working, where he joined Frank Tunneys Maple Leaf Wrestling (Torontos NWA affiliate) in Canada instead, where he was often the Maple Leaf Wrestling challenger to Buddy Rogers when the NWA World Champion headed to Canada. I was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in that territory, and Vince McMahon, Sr. was near bankruptcy because that was how poorly this place was doing. His final attempt was in Philadelphia, just a few days before Graham was scheduled to lose the title to Bob Backlund. This film comprehensively covers the life and career of Bruno Sammartino, and his struggles to become wrestlings greatest champion. [10] When he was four, his father emigrated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [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. It was dead silence as the new champion left the ring with Albano behind him. Bruno was shattered but more because his body had finally exhausted all its strength after a rugged past decade from fighting for his spot to defending it around the world than at actually losing the title. Indianpolis, Indiana: . By using this site, you agree to the legal terms set out in ourDisclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. Even though his popularity is attributed heavily to his Italian roots, I think he was just the hard-working European immigrant that hit a chord with everyone, Prof. Ouch of Professor Ouchs Bizarre Bazaar & Odditorium in Philadelphia told The Wrestling Estate in 2018 following Sammartinos death in 2018. It is believed that Pedros golden eagle belt is now in possession of Dan Lambert, owner and founder of American Top Team. 18.06.1987. [43][44], Sammartino was married to his wife Carol from 1959 until his death in 2018. In 2006, Bruno Sammartino personally commissioned an autobiographical documentary film, 5. When their eyes cleared, they kept fighting each other. 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. The International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is proud to enshrine this beautiful and pricelesschampionship belt as the centerpiece of ourmuseum collection. This helps us provide free content for you to enjoy! 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. Two weeks before the Madison Square Garden show, I wrestled him on TV in Washington, DC. I get your point but honestly, I think the amount of defenses should be the #1 criteria. Bruno Sammartino. Dr. Jerry Graham: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (Nov '63) Nov 18th 1963: . 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. Now four years later, he was taking the World Champion to the limit in a title defence. 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 . 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. After leaving the WWF, Sammartino became an outspoken critic of the path on which Vincent K. McMahon had taken professional wrestling. During his reign, he defended his World title against all contenders Buddy Austin, The Crusher, Gorilla Monsoon, Killer Kowalski, Dr. Jerry Graham, Giant Baba, Boris Malenko, Freddie Blassie, Gene Kiniski, George The Animal Steele, Crippler Ray Stevens, Tiger Jeet Singh, and The Sheik were just some of the names to challenge Sammartino during his reign. I was just so exhausted It became clear to Vince McMahon Sr. that his World Champion was gassed. 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. May 20 - USA Event: Bruno . The climax of their feud came was a victory for Sammartino and Santana in a steel cage match in Madison Square Garden. Wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino has died at the age of 82. They got away withthe 1963-1965 version of the WWWF Championship. The match was rated 1976 "Match of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.[24]. 10/23/67 Bruno defeated Hans Mortier 6,612 paid $18,136.10. He turned to weightlifting and wrestling to build himself up. WWWF referee Dick Kroll had to get Koloff out of the ring. Morales would hold the title for 1,027 days, but it was clear that Pedro was no Bruno. 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. Can you imagine it? This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. They had a show at the Civic Arena, but those were the days of the Buddy Rogers era, and Vince McMahon Sr. was trying to get me to come back because he saw my success in Canada. [4], He also became known for performing strongman stunts in the Pittsburgh area, and sportscaster Bob Prince put him on his television show. [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. 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. WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino revealed why his record-setting WWWF title reign ended. The other NWA members were not pleased with the situation, and this led to the split. 10 Long Championship Reigns With Minimal Title Defenses, Pete Dunne WWE NXT United Kingdom Champion, 685 Days, Cody Rhodes Intercontinental Title, 236 Days, Brock Lesnar WWE World Heavyweight Champion, 224 Days, Brock Lesnar WWE Universal Champion, 504 Days, Shinsuke Nakamura Intercontinental Champion, 201 Days, WALTERWWE NXT United Kingdom Champion, 337+ Days, Blake & Murphy WWE NXT Tag Team Champions, 219 Days, The IIconics WWE Women's Tag Team Titles, 120 Days, Ricochet North American Championship, 161 Days, 10 Failed WWE Champions That Should Have Worked, 10 Superstars Who Were WWE ChampionFor One Day Or Less, remains to be seen who could defeat him in 2020, 5 Wrestlers That Were Better World Champions in WCW (& 5 That Were Better In WWE), Ruthless Aggression: 10 Title Reigns (That We Completely Forgot About), which duo will be next in line to hold these belts. He particularly criticized the use of steroids and "vulgar" storylines. [15] In his autobiography, Sammartino states that he believed McMahon set him up, by double-booking him and not informing him of his match in Baltimore, as a way of punishment. "Close to working that schedule for eight years, I told Vince McMahon Sr., you better get somebody. It was there that he was spotted by local professional wrestling promoter Rudy Miller, who recruited the young man into the ring. On June 18 2014, Dr. Wagner, Jr. won the title and has kept it ever since. Rogers retired prior to their scheduled title rematch on October 4, 1963, in Jersey City, New Jersey's Roosevelt Stadium. Sammartino's run incredibly stretched from April 1963 to January 1971; an immense seven and a half years on top. 21.07.1973 - 05.01.1974. [26] In his autobiography, Hulk Hogan claimed that his match with Andr the Giant was the real reason for the huge draw at Shea Stadium; however, the feud between Sammartino and Zbyszko sold out everywhere in the build-up to the show. Bruno chose a photo with his 1965 belt for the cover of his autobiography, Bruno Sammartino:The Autobiography of Wrestlings Living Legend, 8. 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. Fight with former Pennsylvania Athletic Commissioner Joe Cimino which means We may earn a commission at no cost. And professional wrestling Hall of Fame is proud to enshrine this beautiful and pricelesschampionship belt as new... Eyes cleared, they kept fighting each other that night had his first match against number. Code PWS for a nice surprise ), I wrestled him on in! 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