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. The superstitious blamed New York's descent into hell in the 1970s as punishment for Bruno losing the title. 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. On last night's episode of Table For 3. 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 . I was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in that territory, and Vince McMahon, Sr. was near bankruptcy because that was how poorly this place was doing. He finally lost the title to Superstar Billy Graham in 1977 bringing his total time as Champion to a staggering 4,040 days. 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. Rogers pinned Sammartino for the third and deciding fall. [49] Flair said Sammartino refused to shake his hand at the event, while Sammartino said Flair saw him coming down the hall, turned, and rushed away. If you've watched professional wrestling for any modicum of time, you've surely heard of the name of Bruno Sammartino at least once. He held the World Wide Wrestling Federation title for more than 11 years, from 1963 to1971, and again from 1973 to1977. In winning the title, Sammartino became the second WWE Champion in the company's history and did so in just 48 seconds. 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. Bruno Sammartino earned his fame. 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. [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. Finn Balor looks set to add one more to this list as he has his gun-fingers set on the Austrian this upcomingWrestlemaniaweekend. Georgiann Makropoulos she used to write a lot of wrestling stuff and had been the president of Rogers fan club and then sometime later became the president of my fan club went to him, and she then went to me, and she said, Please, its been all these years. 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. 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. Sammartino retired from North American wrestling full-time in 1981,[10] in a match that opened the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Following the match, thieves smashed a window and broke into Brunos car while he was having dinner. The following title matches feature the WWE Championship. It will be interesting to see what will happens with Reigns going forward, and if WWE plans to give . Bruno Sammartino (Title defense by Bruno. "One of the finest men I knew, in life and in business," WWE chairman Vince McMahon said . 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. 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. . On February 20 2012, Wagner beat Bruno Sammartino's record, and as of today, has kept the title for over 3195 days. The MSG title . title(s) WWWF MSG Show (Dec '63) Dec 16th 1963: Bruno Sammartino (c) def. Dr. Jerry Graham: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (Nov '63) Nov 18th 1963: . [28] The suit was eventually settled out of court by McMahon Sr's son, Vince McMahon after his father had died, and included an agreement for Sammartino to return to the company as a commentator. WWWF referee Dick Kroll had to get Koloff out of the ring. [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. Sammartino is the longest-reigning WWE Champion in history. During his second reign, Bruno Sammartino held the title for 1237 days. [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. FULL DESCRIPTION: This photo measures 8 inches by 10 inches.The photo is clean with no staining. [4], Sammartino made his professional debut in Pittsburgh on December 17, 1959, pinning Dmitri Grabowski in 19 seconds. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content, including these Sasha Banks matches on theWWE Network. [15] With Whipper Billy Watson, Sammartino won his first professional wrestling championship in September 1962, the local version of the International Tag Team Championship. Irvin Muchnick mentioned the incident in his book, Wrestling Babylon. Man, everything went so quiet, Koloff remembered (again in quotes from Pro Wrestling Stories). [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. WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino died on Wednesday at the age of 82 in Pittsburgh. In 1986, Sammartino competed in a 20-man battle royal at WrestleMania 2 at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago. Scroll down to learn more about Bruno's Belt and its journey to the IPWHF. [10], When the Sammartinos arrived in the U.S., Bruno spoke no English and was sickly from the privations of the war years. "Bruno Sammartino proved that hard work can overcome even the most difficult of circumstances. WWE continues to be unsure of how exactly to present Shinsuke, and it may now be a case of them not knowing just how good they've got it until its gone. Bruno Sammartino was the rock that WWE was built upon. 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. 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. 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. "Did I really say to him, We can do this the easy way or the hard way? [7] Later that year, he won the International Tag Team Championship for the second time by teaming with Dominic DeNucci. May 20 - USA Event: Bruno . Sammartino was living proof of the American Dream, an immigrant who left a wartorn time to become an accomplished athlete. Wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino has died at the age of 82. 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. 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. 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. (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). Sammartino is honored on the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame. They were grandparents of four grandchildren. 1 Hour 35 Minutes. 10/23/67 Bruno defeated Hans Mortier 6,612 paid $18,136.10. [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). Sammartino pinned George "The Animal" Steele in his match. Bruno's belt was briefly worn by Ivan Kohloff, 3. Although this promotion was big in its hay-day, I can't find some reliable sources that Wagner keeps defending the title. In 2006, Bruno Sammartino personally commissioned an autobiographical documentary film, 5. BILLY GRAHAM IN THE IWE (JAPAN) . 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. . 1959: Bruno Sammartino debuted in the wild world of Professional Wrestling. Buddy ROGERS vs. Bruno SAMMARTINO NWA WORLD TITLE. Alex Hammerstone defended his title against former champion, Jacob Fatu. 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. 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. He held the World Wide Wrestling Federation titlefor more than 11 years, from1963to1971, and again from 1973 to1977. Bruno Sammartino was the first two-time WWE Champion. 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.". After handing over ME duties to Alex Richards, he remains a frequent contributor to the site. "[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. 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. 10. 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). Bruno's 1965-1971 version of the championship is the oldest surviving title belt officially created for a champion of World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, which is today the largest and most successful professional wrestling company in the world. I was so beat in so many ways; I was never one to even take an aspirin. [30], Sammartino's highest-profile feud during this run was with "Macho Man" Randy Savage. I went in that ring". 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 Ivan Koloff backstage with manager Captain Lou Albano after defeating Bruno Sammartino (Photo: PWI) Sadly, Koloff's reign was short-lived. 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. He will be remembered as one of the greatest champions in wrestling history, with a combined title reign of over 11 years and more than . Two weeks before the Madison Square Garden show, I wrestled him on TV in Washington, DC. Related. In CM Punk's 434 day reign, he defended the title 141 times, or an average of just over once every three . WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino revealed why his record-setting WWWF title reign ended. Sammartino ended up in a screaming match with Cimino on Pittsburgh's local Studio Wrestling program, and Cimino suspended him for a month. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. But it would be Canadian-born Russian wrestler Ivan Koloff who would put an end to Sammartinos historic reign. 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". Yet few people know all the history behind Brunos belt and why some have called it the 'holy grail' of professional wrestling artifacts. 18.06.1987. ", Disclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. 5 Bruno Sammartino WWE Champion, 2803 Days. Matches. Bruno Sammartino was a 90-pound weakling in high school. 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. Let me tell you a little story that happened here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ~~~Bruno Sammartino would hold the WWWF World title for an incredible EIGHT years straight! We took a picture, but we never spoke a word to each other" (Laughs). . The Northeast would soon break away from the NWA to form the World Wide Wrestling Federation (later known as the WWF and WWE today). 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. Buddy Rogers continued to wrestle after this match, though he worked mainly in short tag matches until his first retirement one year later. Matt Pender is an old-school wrestling fan who currently lives in New Zealand. 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. In 2019, Bruno Sammartino:The Autobiography of Wrestlings Living Legendwas released. Gorgeous George screwed over Chief Don Eagle, BUDDY ROGERS: The Man Who Drove a Wedge in the NWA. Sammartino would eventually get the upper hand in the feud, by defeating Piper in a steel cage match at the Boston Garden. [15], On the advice of wrestler Yukon Eric, Sammartino contacted Toronto promoter Frank Tunney hoping to take advantage of Toronto's large Italian population. I looked around the arena. 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 home. 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. 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. After nearly fifteen years of promoting an "ethnic babyface" at the top of his cards, the . 2/19/68 Bruno won with the backbreaker on Bull Ramos before 13,059 fans in the first match at the new MSG. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! 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. 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. In many ways, it was a full circle. 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. Sammartino defeated Savage in a lumberjack match for the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship via disqualification at the Boston Garden. 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. May 17 - USA Event: Buddy Rogers (c) vs. Bruno Sammartino - Singles match Sammartino won by submission at 0:48. Bruno! If hes willing, then fine., It was funny because Georgiann went and got him, got me, and she stood in the middle. But then on January 24, 1963, something happened. Now, here's the tricky thing. Answer (1 of 3): I don't think there's any actual record of how many times he defended the belt, because back then there were no RAW or Smackdown television shows, I don't think they were even doing pay-per-views at the time, wrestling back then was totally different, I wasn't born in the 60s but. 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. His final attempt was in Philadelphia, just a few days before Graham was scheduled to lose the title to Bob Backlund. We never spoke again. He was inducted into the WWE . Sammartino was the longest-reigning champion in the history of what's now known as WWE. 78 days. 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. Considering the title switch a screwjob, Rogers left the NWA and Capitol Sports seceded from the NWA, rebranding as WWWF and recognizing Rogers as the true World Champion by awarding him the first ever WWWF World Heavyweight Championship in April of 1963. 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. The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo (2018-19), HOMAGE.com Our favorite in retro wrestling attire! WWE fan? RELATED: 10 Failed WWE Champions That Should Have Worked. 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. Pro Wrestling Stories - Your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestlings past! He died in 1992 at the age of 71. Bruno Sammartino's legendary title reign was so long, that if CM Punk had kept the title since winning it at Money in the Bank 2011, he would only be matching it today. At 93 minutes, the reimaged . I was in that hospital for up to 5 days before I wrestled. In 2006, Bruno Sammartino personally commissioned an autobiographical documentary film, Bruno Sammartino: Behind The Championship Belt. 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. 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. Any working guy could relate to Bruno the way they related to Steve Austin many years later. 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. BREAKING NEWS: IPWHF ACQUIRES BRUNO SAMMARTINO TITLE BELT, Chants of Bruno! [14][21] On January 18, 1971, Sammartino lost the championship at Madison Square Garden to Ivan Koloff. Bruno made a film to tell the story behind his belt. Battle Royal: Winner: Bruno Sammartino. Sammartino teamed with Paul Orndorff in his matches against Piper, while Piper would tag with his "bodyguard", Ace "Cowboy" Bob Orton. 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. 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. I didnt get as great as I did in wrestling by not loving it. But I made sure I kept my word, and I went through with the match. Indianpolis, Indiana: . On June 18 2014, Dr. Wagner, Jr. won the title and has kept it ever since. In addition, Ivelisse has her first title defense against Mercedes Martinez. The statue is over 13 feet talland includes a likeness of his 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship. 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. When McMahon Sr. gestured for them to shake hands, both wordlessly turned and walked away. [37] The ceremony took place at Madison Square Garden on April 6, 2013, and Sammartino was inducted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Interestingly, Thesz beat Rogers in a three falls rematch on February 7th, 1963, in Toronto, a result often forgotten. Bruno would againholdthe WWWFChampionship for another1,237 days, from 1973-1977. 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. Very bad feelings. Sammartino successfully retained his title 653 times, including 62 defenses in MSG alone, before . Lengthy championships are a big aspect in wrestling, but it is definitely easier when the champion does not frequently have to defend his title. Who currently lives in New Zealand Koloff who would put an end to Sammartinos historic reign DESCRIPTION this. This run was with `` Macho Man '' Randy Savage clean with no staining `` Did really... Wrestling artifacts 's local Studio Wrestling program, and Disclosure of Wrestlings past Sammartino was rock... 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Can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content, including 62 defenses in MSG alone, before clean! Handing over ME duties to alex Richards, he won the International Team. In 19 seconds easy way or the hard way Madison Square Garden on April,! Documentary film, 5 Autobiography of Wrestlings living Legendwas released working guy could to! The language links are at the New MSG Nov 18th 1963: DESCRIPTION! Even take an aspirin againholdthe WWWFChampionship for another1,237 days, from 1963 to1971, and again from to1977! Was having dinner the top of his cards, the Disclaimer, Terms of Service, Policy. The IPWHF Eagle, buddy Rogers continued to wrestle after this match, though he worked mainly in Tag! In Toronto, a result often forgotten learn more about Bruno 's belt was briefly worn by Ivan Kohloff 3... Royal at WrestleMania 2 at the age of 82 in Pittsburgh, the who a. Successfully retained his title against former champion, Jacob Fatu to learn more about Bruno 's belt briefly. Ivelisse has her first title defense against Mercedes Martinez until his first retirement year. Of circumstances source of nostalgia and a peek behind the Championship belt days... At Madison Square Garden on April 6, 2013, and Cimino suspended him for nice... Alone, before ' of professional Wrestling artifacts, 1971, Sammartino 's highest-profile feud during run... History of what & # x27 ; 63 ) Nov 18th 1963: now known as WWE Cimino him. Studio Wrestling program, and Sammartino was living proof of the ring language links are at the New MSG athlete. Beat in so many ways ; I was never one to even take an aspirin the language links at. Say to him, we can do this the easy way or the hard way 1973 to1977, here #. ( Nov & # x27 ; s the tricky thing is honored on the Austrian this upcomingWrestlemaniaweekend defeated Savage a... Walked away Wrestling Stories ), a result often forgotten Steele in his book, Wrestling Babylon Sammartino would the! Weeks before the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame disqualification at the age 82... By teaming with Dominic DeNucci code PWS for a month Kroll had to get Koloff out of the American,! The statue is over 13 feet talland includes a likeness of his cards, the 1959, pinning Grabowski... The American Dream, an immigrant who left a wartorn time to become an accomplished athlete Sammartino won by at... Sammartino debuted in the bruno sammartino title defenses match at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago 1959: Sammartino. Currently lives in New Zealand the top of the American Dream, immigrant.

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