(Use code PWS for a nice surprise). He particularly criticized the use of steroids and "vulgar" storylines. George Steele: WWWF Baltimore Show (Apr '77) Apr 30th 1977: Billy Graham: 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. Dumpster match, multiple title defenses. Pro Wrestling Stories - Your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestlings past! [16] Sammartino was forced to return to Pittsburgh and found work as a laborer. On January 22, 1980, his former student Larry Zbyszko turned on him at the World Wrestling Federation's Championship Wrestling show. [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. 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. The climax of their feud came was a victory for Sammartino and Santana in a steel cage match in Madison Square Garden. He was 82. ROSS TOWNSHIP PA - Daniel Sammartino, the son of the late wrestling giant Bruno Sammartino, died Tuesday. Two weeks before the Madison Square Garden show, I wrestled him on TV in Washington, DC. 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. #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 retired from North American wrestling full-time in 1981,[10] in a match that opened the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. His second reign began in 1973 and it lasted until he was pinned by "Superstar" Billy Graham in 1977. 1959: Bruno Sammartino debuted in the wild world of Professional Wrestling. The reason for the split was because Northeast promoters Toots Mondt and Vince McMahon, Sr. controlled Buddy Rogers bookings and wanted to keep Rogers (and the title) in the Northeast. [11] In 1950,[13] she and the children joined her husband in Pittsburgh. 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. That victory in 48 seconds began a 2,803-day reign that stands today as the longest in history, by far. 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. Buddy Rogers was examined and re-examined, and they couldnt find a thing wrong with him, and then after that, his license was reinstated. 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. [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. 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. 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. He also wrestled and defeated Blackjack Mulligan, Lord Alfred Hayes, Dick Murdoch, Kenji Shibuya, and "Crippler" Ray Stevens. Bruno Sammartino Saves Freddie Blassie From Being Killed By The Mob! And a packed Madison Square Garden, who had become accustomed to wildly cheering Bruno Sammartino after each title defense, was shocked into complete silence. On AXS (1/19/21) Eric Young versus Rhino. The MSG title . When their eyes cleared, they kept fighting each other. Bruno Sammartino,a 96-minute documentary written and directed by Patrea Patrick and presented by HM3Bruno, has received critical acclaim during the film's limited release in late 2019. Bruno Sammartino often mentioned Don Leo Jonathan when he was asked about his toughest foes. - Bruno Sammartino and Dominic DeNucci defeated The Mongols (Geeto and Bepo) for the WWF International Tag Team Titles. Any working guy could relate to Bruno the way they related to Steve Austin many years later. Lengthy championships are a big aspect in wrestling, but it is definitely easier when the champion does not frequently have to defend his title. 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. That made me the number one guy I was going to be the headliner after that, you know? Sammartino, an Italian immigrant who ruled the WWE throughout the 1960s and 1970s, died Wednesday at the age of 82. WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino revealed why his record-setting WWWF title reign ended. 10/23/67 Bruno defeated Hans Mortier 6,612 paid $18,136.10. Gorgeous George screwed over Chief Don Eagle, BUDDY ROGERS: The Man Who Drove a Wedge in the NWA. 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. Sammartino defeated Savage in a lumberjack match for the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship via disqualification at the Boston Garden. I get your point but honestly, I think the amount of defenses should be the #1 criteria. Sammartino, professional wrestling's "Living Legend" and one of its longest-reigning champions, has died. Lonnie Mayne The Glass Eating, Raw Meat Chewing Original Moondog! On May 8, 2017, a statue of Bruno Sammartino was unveiled in his hometown of Pizzoferrato, Italy. World Wide Wrestling Federation. He held the company's top title from 1963 to 1971 and again from 1973 to 1977. Also on the card, the newest member of Valkyrie, Serena Deeb faces Angelina Love. Youve got the most known one that took place in Montreal in 1997, a screwy finish involving a spider and Wendi Richter in 85, and, of course, the time Gorgeous George screwed over Chief Don Eagle with a Chicago Short Count, which is often considered the very first screwjob in wrestling. Over the course of his record-breaking run, Sammartino successfully retained his title 653 times, including 62 defenses in MSG alone. Mr. Sammartino, 50, of Allison Park, was the co-owner of the . Bruno chose a photo with his 1965 belt for the cover of his autobiography, Bruno Sammartino:The Autobiography of Wrestlings Living Legend, 8. Buddy Rogers continued to wrestle after this match, though he worked mainly in short tag matches until his first retirement one year later. May 17, 1963: Bruno Sammartino defeated Buddy Rogers with a reverse backbreaker to capture the WWWF World title. He began working in the NWA territories, such as Georgia Championship Wrestling, St. Louis Wrestling Club, NWA Mid America, and others. or scroll down to learn more about the history of Bruno's Belt. Sammartino is honored on the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame. 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. But before he was a star wrestler, he was a powerlifter one of the best in the world throughout much of the 1950s and it was his success in that . On September 30, 1972, Sammartino and Morales wrestled to a 65-minute draw at Shea Stadium in New York. [41][bettersourceneeded] Both were only released in Pittsburgh. Sammartino was living proof of the American Dream, an immigrant who left a wartorn time to become an accomplished athlete. Chants of Bruno! [10] When he was four, his father emigrated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I was just so exhausted It became clear to Vince McMahon Sr. that his World Champion was gassed. I worked in pain. Bruno's belt was briefly worn by Ivan Kohloff, 3. The championship remained vacant for over a year. After leaving the WWF, Sammartino became an outspoken critic of the path on which Vincent K. McMahon had taken professional wrestling. Bruno Sammartino was the rock that WWE was built upon. Buddy ROGERS vs. Bruno SAMMARTINO NWA WORLD TITLE. 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. WWF House Show - House Show @ Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Boston 10/21/75) 21. 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. [4][10] He was the youngest of seven children, four of whom died during his early childhood. I knew it was all done; I just knew I couldnt produce like I once did. Flair had denigrated Sammartino's wrestling ability in his book To Be the Man. WWWF World Championship. [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. 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. [22] Sammartino recalled the shocked silence that greeted the result, remarking he thought he had damaged his ears. 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. If he does, it remains to be seen who could defeat him in 2020. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! Matches. Bruno Sammartino (Title defense by Bruno. [37] The ceremony took place at Madison Square Garden on April 6, 2013, and Sammartino was inducted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. During this time Ricochet was distracted by needing to compete in NXT's War Games, but irrespective of this, the fact that he only performed in threetelevised defenses whilst holding the belt speaks to a championship reign that was quite long and yet resulted in few matches for the gold. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan in various arenas. 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. . Let me tell you a little story that happened here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 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. Soon after, Sammartino and then champion Pedro Morales teamed up for a series of tag team matches. "Superstar Billy Graham v. Bruno Sammartino (MSG 1/12/76) 22. (According to Wrestledata.com, the two were on opposing ends of a tag team contest in 1960. But the amount of defenses pales in comparison to the length of time Dunne held the gold. But I made sure I kept my word, and I went through with the match. 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". Man, everything went so quiet, Koloff remembered (again in quotes from Pro Wrestling Stories). 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