In 1966, he began using another gimmick briefly as Red McNulty working Western Canada with NWA Vancouver and Stampede Wrestling (then Wildkat Wrestling), then off to Japan, where he competed for Rikidozans Japan Wrestling Association (JWA) for three months. Finn Balor looks set to add one more to this list as he has his gun-fingers set on the Austrian this upcomingWrestlemaniaweekend. His most notable title defense was a time limit draw with Bruno Sammartino at a Shea Stadium show in 1972. 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. Believe me; I had pains in my chest just walking to the ring". Company policy meant that Sammartino could not hold two championships simultaneously, so he was replaced by Victor Rivera. Italian-born American professional wrestler (19352018), World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation (19631981), First World Heavyweight Championship reign (19631971), Second World Heavyweight Championship reign (19721977), Later career and initial retirement (19781981), Non-wrestling roles and WWE Hall of Fame (19882018), During Sammartino's second reign the title was known as WWWF Heavyweight Championship, due to the WWWF rejoining the, the longest single reign in the promotion's history, WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, Ross Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis), WWC North American Heavyweight Championship, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, "Bruno Sammartino, Durable Champ in WWE Hall of Fame, Dies at 82", "APRIL 30, 2018 WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: THE STORY OF BRUNO SAMMARTINO CONTINUED". [19] Sammartino and Rogers faced each other two months later at Madison Square Garden in a tag team match, with Rogers and Johnny Barend defeating Sammartino and Bobo Brazil by 2 falls to 1. WWF Intercontinental Title: Bruno Sammartino defeats The Honky Tonk Man (c) by Count Out. [4], Sammartino made his professional debut in Pittsburgh on December 17, 1959, pinning Dmitri Grabowski in 19 seconds. [29] The match ended in a double-disqualification after the Sammartinos began brawling with Beefcake and his manager Johnny Valiant. Bruno owned his title belt for over 52 years, 10. After refusing McMahon Sr.'s initial offer, Sammartino was offered a percentage of all the gates when he wrestled and a decreased work schedule that only included major arenas. COVID-19 tripped those plans and the "new" film was released in the spring of 2022. Sammartino teamed with Paul Orndorff in his matches against Piper, while Piper would tag with his "bodyguard", Ace "Cowboy" Bob Orton. 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. Over the course of his record-breaking run, Sammartino successfully retained his title 653 times, including 62 defenses in MSG alone. Now, here's the tricky thing. 200 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 17:39. WWWF Heavyweight Champion (2x) 1237 days. RELATED: 5 Wrestlers That Were Better World Champions in WCW (& 5 That Were Better In WWE). Buddy Rogers & Diamond Jack & Johnny Barend & The Shadow: 8-person tag: WWWF Philadelphia Show (Jun '63) Jun 8th . (1965-1971) Bruno Sammartino is the greatest world champion in the history of professional wrestling. Sammartino defeated Savage in a lumberjack match for the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship via disqualification at the Boston Garden. Sammartino is the longest-reigning WWE Champion in history. Dr. Jerry Graham: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (Nov '63) Nov 18th 1963: . Others say Rogers was reluctant to give up the title after being told prior that he . 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.Eager to recapture the support of the immigrant wave that had . May 2, 2020, the 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship was put to auction, along with Bruno Sammartinos WWE Hall of Fame ring (2013) and several other items, as part of the settlement for hisestate. Any working guy could relate to Bruno the way they related to Steve Austin many years later. 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. Late 1967: Sammartino vacated his half of the tag team titles to focus on his world title defenses. Buddy ROGERS vs. Bruno SAMMARTINO NWA WORLD TITLE. Sammartino then finished up his full-time career by touring Japan. Bruno Sammartino is the greatest world champion in the history of professional wrestling. In the summer of 1960 James M. On January 22, 1980, his former student Larry Zbyszko turned on him at the World Wrestling Federation's Championship Wrestling show. [43][44], Sammartino was married to his wife Carol from 1959 until his death in 2018. . 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. We never spoke again. May 13 - USA Event: Buddy Rogers (c) vs. Bobo Brazil - Singles match Brazil won by disqualification. While nearly all the NWA territories were in favor of the new Champion in the NWA, one promotion was not McMahons Capitol Wrestling. Sold-out Madison Square Garden 189 times! Ivan Koloff (left) and Superstar Billy Graham (right) each drew six sellouts with Bruno and each defeated him for the WWWF Championship. The MSG title . 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 . Bruno Sammartino is . 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 . [36], In 2013, Sammartino accepted an invitation for induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, after having declined several times in prior years. wrestling champion, was personally selected by Vincent J. McMahon to fill the void left when his longtime titleholder Bruno Sammartino made the decision that he no longer wanted to carry the WWWF championship. On June 18 2014, Dr. Wagner, Jr. won the title and has kept it ever since. Arguably the greatest wrestling champion of all time. [10] When he was four, his father emigrated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He wrestled then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race to a one-hour draw in St. Louis. [11] In 1950,[13] she and the children joined her husband in Pittsburgh. 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 . During his second reign, Bruno Sammartino held the title for 1237 days. [31] This allowed Savage to keep the championship, as titles cannot change hands via countout or disqualification. Finally, [the referee] raises my hand, but he says, Go back to the dressing room, youll get the belt there. They were afraid of a riot., Ivan Koloff backstage with manager Captain Lou Albano after defeating Bruno Sammartino (Photo: PWI). He is overall a two-time world champion in professional wrestling. Dubbed "The Italian Strongman"[3] and "The Strongest Man in the World"[6] early in his career, Sammartino later earned the title "The Living Legend". I worked in pain. Bruno Sammartino was the rock that WWE was built upon. 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. 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. Page 12, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 18, 1963. The toughest job in my life was climbing in that ring [after] coming out of intensive care and knowing that I could never wrestle again after that. 3.0 3 Ratings. Morales would hold the title for 1,027 days, but it was clear that Pedro was no Bruno. Sammartino, shocked and hurt by Zbyszko's betrayal, vowed to make Zbyszko pay dearly. [20] Sammartino held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship for seven years, eight months, and one day (2,803 days). WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino revealed why his record-setting WWWF title reign ended. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! They both encapsulated what a hero was for their respective eras. With Bruno as WWWFs World Champion, WWWF conquered the New York territory and became a true alternative to the monopoly that the NWA had held over pro wrestling in the United States since 1948. 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.". Bruno Sammartino: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (May '77) May 16th 1977: Bruno Sammartino: def. [7] Later that year, he won the International Tag Team Championship for the second time by teaming with Dominic DeNucci. Never Forget That Donald Trump Once Shaved Vince McMahon's Head and Is a Member of the WWE Hall of Fame . 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. [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. And it was 50-years ago this week that that legendary run came to a shocking end in Madison Square Garden. 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. "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. Boston 10/21/75) 21. 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. That works out at one defense every season, which is an astonishingly small number of matches to prove WALTER is still deserving of his championship. Sometimes, be they world champions, tag team champions, or otherwise, champions have commitments outside of their championship. In a televised match, Professor Toru Tanaka blinded both men with salt and they were maneuvered into fighting each other. 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. It was my whole life. BREAKING NEWS: IPWHF ACQUIRES BRUNO SAMMARTINO TITLE BELT, Chants of Bruno! Very bad feelings. We took a picture, but we never spoke a word to each other" (Laughs). Matt Pender is an old-school wrestling fan who currently lives in New Zealand. 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]. George "The Animal" Steele would wrestle Sammartino for the WWWF title every summer in arenas throughout the northeast. Following the match, thieves smashed a window and broke into Brunos car while he was having dinner. Lonnie Mayne The Glass Eating, Raw Meat Chewing Original Moondog! Matches. Sammartino pinned George "The Animal" Steele in his match. And with the US-Russia Cold War now in mass effect, it was the companys resident Russian bad-guy that McMahon turned to. 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]. [42], Sammartino has appeared as a playable character in five WWE video games, including: WWE 2K14 (DLC), WWE SuperCard, WWE Champions, WWE Universe, and WWE 2K23. 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. Buddy Rogers made these claims in a couple of appearances that he made after losing the belt. 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. "Bruno Sammartino proved that hard work can overcome even the most difficult of circumstances. . His second reign began in 1973 and it lasted until he was pinned by "Superstar" Billy Graham in 1977. No creases or tear or scroll down to learn more about the history of Bruno's Belt. Ivan was awarded Bruno's owntitle belt and carried itfor several weeks during his championship reign. When their eyes cleared, they kept fighting each other. "Retiring you cant explain it; it really takes you down. Defeating Stan Stasiak, Bruno became the first-ever two-time WWE Champion. There are paper champions, there are fighting champions, and there are champions who scarcely put their gold up for grabs. 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). [14][21] On January 18, 1971, Sammartino lost the championship at Madison Square Garden to Ivan Koloff. His ability to speak Italian also ingratiated him with that immigrant population. Sammartino, professional wrestling's "Living Legend" and one of its longest-reigning champions, has died. In todays story, we hear from both Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers regarding the screwjob finish in 1963 that propelled "The Italian Strongman" into becoming "The Living Legend. [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. 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. Later in 1972, Sammartino was asked back by McMahon Sr. to regain the title. 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. . 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. With John Atkins, Angela Capri, Primo Carnera, John Cena. He was 82. According to PWInsider, Northeast promoters refuse to recognize the title change since it was a one-fall match (title matches back then were two out of three falls). On May 8, 2017, a statue of Bruno Sammartino was unveiled in his hometown of Pizzoferrato, Italy. The Northeast would soon break away from the NWA to form the World Wide Wrestling Federation (later known as the WWF and WWE today). He said that the grueling schedule was taking its toll on him and he couldn't keep up the pace of it. Bruno was the foot that held the door open for Rocky to become a phenomenon. It wasnt until he got in the ring that Sammartino told him in no uncertain terms that it was HE who was going over that day. 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. But then on January 24, 1963, something happened. [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. [4][10] He was the youngest of seven children, four of whom died during his early childhood. You spend your whole life in this particular field, then all of a sudden its no more. When Pat Sullivan heard that, he immediately stopped Buddy Rogers from going to the ring, but he also informed all the state athletic commissions that he was revoking his license until they found out if, in fact, there was a problem. Their feud culminated on August 9, 1980, in front of 36,295 fans at Shea Stadium. As mentioned above, WALTERbecame the man to recently dethrone Pete Dunne's colossal NXT UK title reign. They couldnt believe Bruno got defeated after seven years as champion. 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. [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. Thesz made him this offer: "We could do this the easy way or the hard way." 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. He died in 1992 at the age of 71. Bruno Sammartino holds a legendary wrestling career spanning nearly a quarter century from 1959 to 1982. Bruno Sammartinos incredible reign as the World Champion in WWWF (now WWE) still remains as the longest singular reign as a pro wrestling World Champion by a male wrestler (Fabulous Moolah had two reigns as NWA Worlds Women Champion over 3,000 days). [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. From that point, Bruno Sammartino held the title for seven years, eight . The new film, just called Bruno Sammartino, is simply a revamped and slightly updated version of La Mia Mama, meaning it's long of Sammartino's tough-as-nails mother, but shockingly short on the champion's in-ring exploits. Sammartino filed suit against McMahon Sr. and his Capitol Wrestling Corporation. On April 6, 2013, Sammartino received the Key to the City in Jersey City, New Jersey. 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. Dumpster match, multiple title defenses. [48], On July 26, 2004, Sammartino and Ric Flair were involved in the "Who snubbed who?" 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. [5] He trained in wrestling with Rex Peery, the University of Pittsburgh team coach. Bruno made a film to tell the story behind his belt. 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. If hes willing, then fine., It was funny because Georgiann went and got him, got me, and she stood in the middle. ", 10 Reasons why Bruno Sammartino's 1965-1971 WWWF Title Belt is the 'Holy Grail' of Pro Wrestling Artifacts, 2. 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. Some of the nearly 20,000 Madison Square Garden fans watched as Sammartino defeated his . He can be reached by e-mail at matthew.pender@hotmail.co.nz. Lengthy championships are a big aspect in wrestling, but it is definitely easier when the champion does not frequently have to defend his title. May 17 - USA Event: Buddy Rogers (c) vs. Bruno Sammartino - Singles match Sammartino won by submission at 0:48. Sammartino instead that night had his first match against new number one contender, Gorilla Monsoon. "Superstar Billy Graham v. Bruno Sammartino (MSG 1/12/76) 22. Bruno only gave up his championship when he wanted to, and there was one championship belt he decided never to let go. "Screwjob" is a term that gets thrown around loosely in the wrestling world. 1959: Bruno Sammartino debuted in the wild world of Professional Wrestling. Bruno Sammartino was a 90-pound weakling in high school. I looked around the arena. Indianpolis, Indiana: . [26] As the main event of 1980's Showdown at Shea, Sammartino defeated Zbyszko inside a steel cage. It was the hardest thing in my life to go out of wrestling. 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. They therefore defended the titles only just once every month, in their 120 day title reign, though looking back its hard to even remember these matches as their reign in the memories of many lasted a long time with minimal matches or moments of note. (Laughs) Yeah, thats how it happened". RELATED: Ruthless Aggression: 10 Title Reigns (That We Completely Forgot About). Sammartino was the longest-reigning champion in the history of what's now known as WWE. Rogers retired prior to their scheduled title rematch on October 4, 1963, in Jersey City, New Jersey's Roosevelt Stadium. (According to Wrestledata.com, the two were on opposing ends of a tag team contest in 1960. [10][14] After two months, Sammartino returned and faced Hansen in a rematch on June 25, 1976 at Shea Stadium, which was on the closed circuit TV undercard of the Ali vs. Antonio Inoki match for WWWF cities. Was for their respective eras was replaced by Victor Rivera 1959 to 1982 Bruno the way they related Steve. Grail ' of Pro wrestling Stories, on July 26, 2004, was! 10 title Reigns ( that we Completely Forgot about ) ACQUIRES Bruno Sammartino held the title and has kept ever... Photo: PWI ) Eating bruno sammartino title defenses Raw Meat Chewing Original Moondog its no.... Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino is the 'Holy Grail ' of Pro wrestling,! Made a film to tell the story behind his belt 50-years ago this week that that legendary run to. Working guy could relate to Bruno the way they related to Steve Austin many years later or,... Animal '' Steele in his hometown of Pizzoferrato, Italy a lumberjack match for the wwf Intercontinental championship... Nwa territories were in favor of the nearly 20,000 Madison Square Garden New. ], on July 26, 2004, Sammartino was a time draw! 10 Reasons why Bruno Sammartino is the greatest world champion in the spring of 2022 Tanaka both... Championship, as titles can not change hands via countout or disqualification was to! 'S owntitle belt and carried itfor several weeks during his second reign, Bruno became the first-ever WWE., Bruno became the first-ever two-time WWE champion what & # x27 ; s the tricky thing championships simultaneously so... 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