SD Jones defeated Barry Horowitz "That was stunning to me because I thought he was my friend," Ventura said. The Italian-born wrestler was the driving force behind the WWE's success (then known as the WWWF) in the 1960s and the 1970s. An old guy like me came in, we went in there, and we sold the place out. Interference from a DiBiase or Heenan stable causes a no contest, they then go on to face Andre, Bundy, and DiBiase in a handicap match. The two legends teamed together on August 29th, 1987 for a tag team match against King Kong Bundy and One Man Gang. Hogan alleged on"The Steve Austin Show"(h/t 411Mania) that Backlund seemingly attempted to change the booking of Hogan's title win over the Iron Sheik in January 1984. While record-keeping for that era was less than stellar, its generally agreed Sammartino successfully defended the title approximately four hundred times in that initial reigna more than respectable mark for any fighting champion, and all the while Sammartino remained a respected figure behind the scenes as well. Before Hulk Hogan could be the face of the company during its national expansion, before Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock could lead The Attitude Era, and before John Cena or Roman Reigns were even born, Sammartino was a two-time WWE Champion who had cumulatively held the strap for over 11 years (as a fun fact, Cena was born one week before The Living Legends second and final reign came to a close). The Italian Superman still holds the record for the longest WWE (then WWWF) World Title reign of . The Sheik then turned his attention to Hogan's son Nick, detailing his disgust with Hulk over the handling of his son's incarceration after a drunk driving arrest. Bruno Sammartino Says Hulk Hogan Wasn't A Great Draw, Reveals Why He Returned To WWF In The 80s, Bruno Sammartino Talks WWE Under Triple H. After all, "Sheiky Baby" is one to nary let a day go by without cursing Hogan's name on Twitter. Ventura's beef with Hogan stems from a perception of inauthenticity, shared by the likes of Borne and Backlund. He's a phony inside and out." Featuring icons like Muhammad Ali, Pedro Morales, Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and Andre the Giant, in a time before WrestleMania, these epic spectacles were unmissable! Highest followers on Twitter for WWE Wrestlers. . Although by this time an adult and wise to the ways of the wrestling world, I vividly remember standing up in my living room and uttering holy s*** over and over. Bruno, the teacher, transformed into Bruno, the madman. The Tokyo crowd in attendance threw garbage in the ring and shouted, Money back! Arguably the most notable enemy of Hogan's inside the squared circle, the Iron Sheik also does not seem to be a fan of the Hulkster's in real life, years removed from their heyday. After Bruno Sammartino beat Buddy Rogers to become the second-ever WWE Champion, he defended the title against a laundry list of challengers. More than Bruno Sammartino making himself a star, the man and how he was booked established a recurring pattern for how WWE would book for decades to follow. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. I also started . The story writes itself. Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 - April 18, 2018), was an Italian professional wrestler, best known for being the longest-running champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), holding the WWWF Championship across two reigns for over 12 years in total. Hansen, still very new to the business, had botched a body slam, causing Bruno to hit the mat headfirst, fracturing his sixth vertebra. Its difficult to compare Bruno Sammartinos historic first world title reign with more contemporary reigns, given he didn't reign in a time of nationally broadcasted wrestling television or with pay-per-view events to book around. Following this playbook, McMahon reached out to the one man who had never let him down, that, of course, being Bruno, to offset the lackluster interest in the closed-circuit contest. The Italian immigrant carried the WWWF on his back for more than 11 years and is a product of the McMahon family's championship-centric approach. You can read all previous Remembering When pieces here. There's an article up at Sports Illustrated's blog where WWE Superstars and Legends talk about WrestleMania and their career. Download 100+ Free Hulk Hogan Background Photos & 500,000+ Backgrounds for Free. But if you're going to feed him to the public every month in the same place, he couldn't do it. I want you to be Hulk Hogan for the Irish-Americans." Terry Gene Bollea (August 11, 1953), known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician best known for his time working for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). While he was a heel, crowds quickly began to . Bruno acquired many appellations over the course of his illustrious career, one of them being the Italian Superman. "My radar was always up anytime that Ihad to interact with him, but Idealt with him in a professional manner. Press J to jump to the feed. Ted Arcidi is the best bench presser in pro wrestling of all time. Prior to their match at WrestleMania VIII, Hogan and Sid had an altercation at the 1992 Royal Rumble to help build to their match later that spring. Required fields are marked *. He was not a guy that if you had to keep up like in our era, where you had to depend on the arena, for your payday every month, every month, to where you were dependent on going to the same arena month after month, year after year. WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino Dies at 82 as Hulk Hogan and Other Stars Pay Tribute The world is wrestling is saying goodbye to one of their biggest stars, WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino Regardless, many more have made up with Hogan over the years as time heals most wounds, though some still can't stand the sight of him. Michaels, who interacted with Hogan throughout the summer lead-up to their match at SummerSlam, grew to be annoyed by Hogan for political maneuvering that had started to become par for the course. 2: 28.08.1987: Bruno Sammartino defeats Hercules by Count Out (6:47) WWF Paul Boesch Retirement Show - TV-Show @ Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas, USA. There have been many debates happining within my family in the past 25 years between My Grandfather, Father, and My self. Free shipping for many products! I was in my 50s. Picture 1 of 2. However, on three separate occasions (1972, 1976, and 1980), Shea Stadium came to life, as thousands upon thousands of screaming wrestling fans witnessed what would become known as the Showdown At Shea. The longest reigning WWE world champion of all time claimed that they did incredible business during that twilight period of his storied professional wrestling career. Rest In Peace! On one occasion, Brunos doctor, Louis Civitarese, answered a McMahon phone call in Brunos room. . Champion. $18.32 + $7.01 shipping. Father, and My self. He held the coveted WWE Champion twice, both for record lengths of time - the first for 7 and a half years, the second for an astounding 11. Lanny Poffo, brother of the late-great Randy Savage, told Sean "X-Pac" Waltman on the "1,2,360" podcastthat Hogan had reconciled his differences with "The Macho Man" weeks before his death. Borne claimed he was slated to wrestle Hogan at WrestleMania IX, the same WrestleMania that caused the friction between Hogan and Hart. Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) April 18, 2018 Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 - April 18, 2018) was an Italian-born American professional wrestler. Youre asking me, youre being very sincere. McMahon knew that a poor showing at the box office could very well bankrupt his Capitol Wrestling Corporation. The Awesome History of Showdown at Shea. Vinces golden goose, well his father's who had monster title reign in 1963-1971 and again in the latter 70s for another 3 years, vs Vinces current golden goose, current three year champion and the face of his new rock n . Bruno Sammartino: Strong Man: Directed by George A. Romero. -WWF Champion Hulk Hogan & Bruno Sammartino defeated King Kong Bundy & The One Man Gang when Hogan pinned Bundy in Sammartino's final WWF appearance until he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. Hulk Hogan Ok, before you start yelling. Learn how your comment data is processed. Its hard to walk away. By 1987, Bruno had been relegated to largely working as a sort of standby fill-in on shows. The 22,508 fans in attendance for this Showdown at Shea event was just slightly below the hometown Mets average attendance of that year (27,361). He spoke to "Ring Rust Radio" about Hogan's recent controversies, speculating that people were beginning to see "the real Hulk Hogan" in light of racist comments caught on film. There wasn't much competition back in Sammartino's day. He and I were doing the color commentating. Still, this feud vaulted Zbyszko into the main event position with several promotions, including a two-time run as American Wrestling Association (AWA) World Heavyweight Champion. The storyline for the main event is my all-time favorite and perhaps one of the best in modern wrestling history. WWWF at MSG (1974-84): A Love Letter to the Past. The result was quite graphic and stunning, to say the least. Tekno Team 2000 What kind of gimmick was that? News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. "I was never a fan of Hogan because I was never impressed with his quality of performance in the ring," Sammartino said. There are quite a few similar lists out there, but not a single one 22. During 1960's to 80's Bruno Sammartino was the biggest babyface of WWWF/WWF/WWE not only in North America but the entire Wrestlin. I got along fine with Jesse until Hogan came in. He has been a fan of professional wrestling since the late '60s. Bruno Sammartino and Hulk Hogan had very little in common from a personality standpoint. Podcast." In this latest series of posts, titled Remember When?, we take a look at one off or fleeting moments in wrestling history. While he rarely shows up in conversations about the greatest legends to never win a world title, Gorilla Monsoons work as a wrestler, broadcaster, and authority figure probably should place him in that conversation, and indeed he was Sammartinos first marquee challenger. Benny J. Scala is a senior writer at Pro Wrestling Stories and co-host of the Dan and Benny In the Ring podcast. The only tie that binds the two together is the WWF/E Championship, a belt Backlund held twice to Hogan's six times (though Backlund has the longer individual reign). The only picture available of the night Bruno Sammartino and Hulk Hogan teamed up. After Nick was charged with recklessness driving involving serious body injury,the elder Hogan downplayed the injuries suffered by the passenger. However, Sammartino could never get over how little Hogan seemed to offer from an in-ring standpoint. Apart from Cleon Jones catching the last out of the World Series on October 16, 1969, thereby giving the stumbling, bumbling Mets their first World Championship (there would only be one more, in 1986), very few good or exciting things happened at a stadium that was very appropriately located in a place called Flushing. Nonetheless, for Sammartinos sheer longevity remaining over with the fans, he certainly belongs in any conversation about the greatest world champions of all time, and his first reign in particular is like no other. I went to Madison Square Garden, we went to Baltimore [Maryland], to Washington [D.C.], to Pittsburgh [Pennsylvania]. Clearly this absolute nonsense, given that wrestling exploded in popularity with Hogan being the headline act in the WWF. It has been said many times that desperate men seek desperate measures. When Hogan offered to shake Hart's hand, "The Hitman" declined and was whisked away by Steve Austin before he could say anything else. A nostalgic look back at the legendary Showdown at Shea featuring icons like Muhammad Ali, Pedro Morales, Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and Andre the Giant! Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. If you've never heard of "Superstar" Billy Graham, then simply watch Hulk Hogan. Although Bruno had retired in 1981, a lawsuit against the WWWF on claims he was cheated by Vince McMahon Sr. on the promised gate percentages for his entire second title run was settled out of court and included him returning to do colour commentary. 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