Never Forget That Donald Trump Once Shaved Vince McMahon's Head and Is a Member of the WWE Hall of Fame Bruno Sammartino is one of the defining legends from WWE history. Stay tuned to theLast Word on Pro Wrestlingfor more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. They got away withthe 1963-1965 version of the WWWF Championship. [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. . 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. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! Dr. Jerry Graham: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (Nov '63) Nov 18th 1963: . In 1986, Sammartino competed in a 20-man battle royal at WrestleMania 2 at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago. Sammartino would eventually get the upper hand in the feud, by defeating Piper in a steel cage match at the Boston Garden. Send Flowers, Plants & Gifts. It was no different on the night of May 17, 1963, whenBruno Sammartino defeated Nature Boy Buddy Rogers to become the WWWF World Champion. [49], Sammartino underwent heart surgery in 2011. "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. (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). Bruno! In 1980, he won the tag team titles with Bob Backlund and was the Intercontinental Champion during the early '80s. [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. Believe me; I had pains in my chest just walking to the ring". His second reign began in 1973 and it lasted until he was pinned by "Superstar" Billy Graham in 1977. [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. In CM Punk's 434 day reign, he defended the title 141 times, or an average of just over once every three . He was inducted into the WWE . On September 27, 1965, Bruno wrestled Tarzan Tyler in Madison Square Garden. He would later return for two brief comebacks, and much later as a manager. 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. Sold-out Madison Square Garden 189 times! Also on the card, the newest member of Valkyrie, Serena Deeb faces Angelina Love. 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. Sammartino teamed with Paul Orndorff in his matches against Piper, while Piper would tag with his "bodyguard", Ace "Cowboy" Bob Orton. They were grandparents of four grandchildren. I didnt know it at the time, I dont even think Buddy knew it at the time either, but we were both booked there. The statue is over 13 feet talland includes a likeness of his 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship. [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. 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. 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. 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. The program will feature commentary by Richert and by Darryl Sammartino, Bruno's son, per the release. 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. Ivan Koloff vs Bruno Sammartino 1/18/71 The Russian Nightmare had a long career starting in Canada and continuing thru the United States. Head on over to theLWOS Boardsto engage in conversation with fellow fans! 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 . While on his way to California, he missed two bookings in Baltimore and Chicago, and as a result was suspended in those territories. 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? Boston 1/17/76) Disk 2 . #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. Sammartino finally lost the WWE Championship in January 1971 . 1959: Bruno Sammartino debuted in the wild world of Professional Wrestling. WWF House Show - House Show @ Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Fortunately for Bruno Sammartino, his time had now arrived. BREAKING NEWS: IPWHF ACQUIRES BRUNO SAMMARTINO TITLE BELT, Chants of Bruno! Rogers pinned Sammartino for the third and deciding fall. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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 . Sammartino, an Italian immigrant who ruled the WWE throughout the 1960s and 1970s, died Wednesday at the age of 82. Defeating Stan Stasiak, Bruno became the first-ever two-time WWE Champion. Bruno Sammartino earned his fame. 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. They couldnt believe Bruno got defeated after seven years as champion. Preview: MLW FUSION Jacob Fatu vs. ACH (01/20/21), Preview: IMPACT! 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. By Ian Carey Feb 5, 2023. He was 82. 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. We never spoke again. Exclusives. Seth Turner, President of the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, successfully procured the belt. He became the first wrestler to become a WWE triple crown champion. [20] Sammartino took a hiatus from the company in 1971 and 1972 working in Japan, and various territories. 'The Living Legend' held the world title for over 11 . The superstitious blamed New York's descent into hell in the 1970s as punishment for Bruno losing the title. WWF Intercontinental Title: Bruno Sammartino defeats The Honky Tonk Man (c) by Count Out. "Retiring you cant explain it; it really takes you down. During one title reign he held the belt for an astonishing 2,803 days, a period positively unheard of in today's wrestling climate. [15] With Whipper Billy Watson, Sammartino won his first professional wrestling championship in September 1962, the local version of the International Tag Team Championship. 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. The early years of the organization were definitely different than modern times, where one of pro wrestling's most iconic wrestlers held the title for a jaw-dropping 11 years. Bruno! Bruno had the belt polished andthen maintained personal ownership of his prized possession until he passed away on April 18, 2018. When their eyes cleared, they kept fighting each other. Bruno is way more impressive than Flair if u ask me. After leaving the WWF, Sammartino became an outspoken critic of the path on which Vincent K. McMahon had taken professional wrestling. [23], Eventually, on December 10, 1973, Sammartino regained the WWWF Heavyweight Championship by defeating Stan Stasiak. In winning the title, Sammartino became the second WWE Champion in the company's history and did so in just 48 seconds. Brunopresented hisbelt toPedro Morales, 4. 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. Buddy Rogers was wrestling every day and he was NOT in a hospital. [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. [11] In 1950,[13] she and the children joined her husband in Pittsburgh. His ability to speak Italian also ingratiated him with that immigrant population. He actually made his WWWF debut on Spectator Sports TV out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, defeating WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino by count-out (the title cant change hands via count-out). Number of successful title defenses (and average gap between two defenses) for all the WWE championship reigns While Sammartino remained a popular champion in his second run, before losing to Superstar Billy Graham in April of 1977, it failed to capture the magic of the first run. 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. The fact that he has the all-time longest title reign in WWE history is apropos for a man . 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. At 93 minutes, the reimaged . [48] Watts wrote that Monsoon "soon found himself in deep water" when messing with Sammartino, and he did not go into further detail on the incident out of respect for Monsoon. [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. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way!". 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. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. "Did I really say to him, We can do this the easy way or the hard way? RELATED: 10 Superstars Who Were WWE ChampionFor One Day Or Less. That victory in 48 seconds began a 2,803-day reign that stands today as the longest in history, by far. 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]. You spend your whole life in this particular field, then all of a sudden its no more. 2022. Related. Lengthy championships are a big aspect in wrestling, but it is definitely easier when the champion does not frequently have to defend his title. He wrestled then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race to a one-hour draw in St. Louis. 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. 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