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. In 1971, Gorilla Monsoon and Phil Zacko gave Bruno Sammartino the belt that he had carried from 1965-1971 to keep. ROSS TOWNSHIP PA - Daniel Sammartino, the son of the late wrestling giant Bruno Sammartino, died Tuesday. [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. [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 successfully retained his title 653 times, including 62 defenses in MSG alone, before . 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 used to come home from Toronto, Canada, twice a month every Sunday, because we would be at the Maple Leaf Garden, shows every other Sunday. [46] May 17, 2013 was declared "Bruno Sammartino Day" in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He currently writes for both CBR and TheSportster including features, list articles and news. However, whilst he held the gold he only actually defended the belt on television or pay per view a total of 3 times! He also wrestled and defeated Blackjack Mulligan, Lord Alfred Hayes, Dick Murdoch, Kenji Shibuya, and "Crippler" Ray Stevens. 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. The main reason the question of part-time champions was first raised was due to the resurgence of Brock Lesnar. 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. 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. 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". On January 22, 1980, his former student Larry Zbyszko turned on him at the World Wrestling Federation's Championship Wrestling show. Let me tell you a little story that happened here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was there that he was spotted by local professional wrestling promoter Rudy Miller, who recruited the young man into the ring. Shinsuke Nakamuraheld the WWE Intercontinental Championship for a total of 201 days throughout the latter half of 2019. 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? WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino died on Wednesday at the age of 82 in Pittsburgh. [22] Sammartino recalled the shocked silence that greeted the result, remarking he thought he had damaged his ears. BILLY GRAHAM IN THE IWE (JAPAN) . . (Laughs) Yeah, thats how it happened". 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". Bruno only gave up his championship when he wanted to, and there was one championship belt he decided never to let go. [30], Sammartino's highest-profile feud during this run was with "Macho Man" Randy Savage. With John Atkins, Angela Capri, Primo Carnera, John Cena. His Intercontinental Championship reign is the perfect example of that. May 17 - USA Event: Buddy Rogers (c) vs. Bruno Sammartino - Singles match Sammartino won by submission at 0:48. Exclusives. Man, everything went so quiet, Koloff remembered (again in quotes from Pro Wrestling Stories). Sammartino defeated Savage in a lumberjack match for the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship via disqualification at the Boston Garden. Later in 1972, Sammartino was asked back by McMahon Sr. to regain the title. He returned to in-ring action soon after with his son, as they wrestled against Beefcake and Valiant at Madison Square Garden. 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. 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 . I was just so exhausted It became clear to Vince McMahon Sr. that his World Champion was gassed. And a packed Madison Square Garden, who had become accustomed to wildly cheering Bruno Sammartino after each title defense, was shocked into complete silence. 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. Earth, receive an honored guest: Legendary WWE champion and phenomenally strong man Bruno Sammartino has been laid to reset. [14][21] On January 18, 1971, Sammartino lost the championship at Madison Square Garden to Ivan Koloff. Late 1967: Sammartino vacated his half of the tag team titles to focus on his world title defenses. Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? The program will feature commentary by Richert and by Darryl Sammartino, Bruno's son, per the release. That takes your density down to a title defense every 37.9 days. [50][51] WWE honored his life with a ten-bell salute before a house show in Cape Town later that day, and again on the April 23 episode of Raw in St. RELATED: 10 Failed WWE Champions That Should Have Worked. As the final entrant on this list, Ricochet is unique in the fact that during his NXT North American Championship reign he was actually unsuccessful in ever once retaining his belt on pay per view, losing it in his first defense at an NXT Takeover. Any working guy could relate to Bruno the way they related to Steve Austin many years later. 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 . 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]. 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. Sammartino is the longest-reigning WWE Champion in history. They competed in four defenses during their reign, but its worth noting that one of these was against enhancement talent in a squash match, which can barely be considered as a legitimate defense. 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. The doctor who was at every show said to Paul Sullivan, I am checking Buddy Rogers blood pressure, and I am listening to his chest, and everything sounds okay, but he claims that he has a pain in his chest. [20] Sammartino took a hiatus from the company in 1971 and 1972 working in Japan, and various territories. 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). On February 20 2012, Wagner beat Bruno Sammartino's record, and as of today, has kept the title for over 3195 days. In 1980, he won the tag team titles with Bob Backlund and was the Intercontinental Champion during the early '80s. International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. 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. FILE - 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 . 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. It took 14 minutes and 55 seconds for Ivan Koloff to defeat Bruno Sammartino that night in New York City. Ivan was awarded Bruno's owntitle belt and carried itfor several weeks during his championship reign. 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. [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. During his second reign, Bruno Sammartino held the title for 1237 days. On April 6, 2013, Sammartino received the Key to the City in Jersey City, New Jersey. 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. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way!". Mr. Sammartino, 50, of Allison Park, was the co-owner of the . Louis. ", Disclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. You dont get another penny out of that field; you dont have anything to do with that field. But it would be Canadian-born Russian wrestler Ivan Koloff who would put an end to Sammartinos historic reign. 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. Sammartino, an Italian immigrant who ruled the WWE throughout the 1960s and 1970s, died Wednesday at the age of 82. "Retiring you cant explain it; it really takes you down. Roman Reigns is the wrestler who has come closest to those legendary Bruno Sammartino reigns from the decade of the 60's in this era of pro-wrestling. Author: Matt Pender Jan. 10, 2023. Tickets to the screening are $15 for adults, $10 for members and $5 for children. Bruno Sammartinos Last Christmas Campo die Sogni, 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's belt appears on a statue in his hometown, 7. 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. In 2006, Bruno Sammartino personally commissioned an autobiographical documentary film, 5. Battle Royal: Winner: Bruno Sammartino. A sold-out Garden. Bruno was the foot that held the door open for Rocky to become a phenomenon. [15] In his autobiography, Sammartino states that he believed McMahon set him up, by double-booking him and not informing him of his match in Baltimore, as a way of punishment. Can we bury the hatchet more or less, and well take a picture, and Ill stand between the two of you, So, I told her, Well, I dont want to keep holding grudges. Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino, the son of the tag team to! 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