That made me the number one guy I was going to be the headliner after that, you know? His Intercontinental Championship reign is the perfect example of that. In early 1977, Sammartino informed McMahon Sr. that he felt he could no longer continue as champion due to his injuries. [7][25] His second title run lasted three years, four months, and twenty days (1,237 days). [7] Later that year, he won the International Tag Team Championship for the second time by teaming with Dominic DeNucci. 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. With John Atkins, Angela Capri, Primo Carnera, John Cena. He held the title until 1971. If you've watched professional wrestling for any modicum of time, you've surely heard of the name of Bruno Sammartino at least once. Morales would lose his World title to Stan The Man Stasiak in December of 1973, only to lose it nine days later back to Bruno for another lengthy reign (1,237 days, from 1973 through 1977). [7] Known for his powerful bearhug[4][5] finishing move, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. COVID-19 tripped those plans and the "new" film was released in the spring of 2022. Bruno's belt appears on a statue in his hometown, 7. [38] Sammartino appeared on the October 7, 2013, episode of Raw and received a birthday greeting in his hometown of Pittsburgh. 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]. Sammartino is honored on the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame. Per tradition, the NWA World title could only be contested in 2-out-of-3 falls matches, yet Thesz had been crowned champion following a one fall match. In the late 1960s, Sammartino was involved in a fight with former Pennsylvania Athletic Commissioner Joe Cimino. Pro Wrestling Stories - Your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestlings past! Bruno would againholdthe WWWFChampionship for another1,237 days, from 1973-1977. "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. He successfully defended the belt against both Ali and The Miz before being recently dethroned by Braun Strowman on the lastWWE Smackdownepisode in January. In 2013, Sammartino appeared as one of the Board of Governors in the nationally televised 69th Annual Columbus Day Parade. Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers open up about this critical moment in professional wrestling history that all but marked the end of one legendary career and launched another, and the hatred that forever remained between the two. 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? Louis. That victory in 48 seconds began a 2,803-day reign that stands today as the longest in history, by far. 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 . When Lou Thesz came out of semi-retirement on January 24th, 1963, in Toronto to fight Buddy Rogers for the World Heavyweight Championship, Rogers was supposedly having second thoughts about dropping the title to Thesz. Buddy ROGERS vs. Bruno SAMMARTINO NWA WORLD TITLE. RELATED: 10 Superstars Who Were WWE ChampionFor One Day Or Less. WWWF World Championship. And it was 50-years ago this week that that legendary run came to a shocking end in Madison Square Garden. 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. Sammartino filed suit against McMahon Sr. and his Capitol Wrestling Corporation. 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. Sadly, Koloffs reign was short-lived. Sammartino faced Piper in both singles and tag team matches. 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. ", 10 Reasons why Bruno Sammartino's 1965-1971 WWWF Title Belt is the 'Holy Grail' of Pro Wrestling Artifacts, 2. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [20] Sammartino took a hiatus from the company in 1971 and 1972 working in Japan, and various territories. Man, everything went so quiet, Koloff remembered (again in quotes from Pro Wrestling Stories). After the first WWWF World Champion, Nature Boy Buddy Rogers, was hospitalized three times in April 1963 for chest pains, Vince McMahon, Sr. and Toots Mondt made a command decision to make an emergency title switch. Bruno Sammartino was the rock that WWE was built upon. The match was rated 1976 "Match of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.[24]. Ivan was awarded Bruno's owntitle belt and carried itfor several weeks during his championship reign. non-confrontation at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. Bruno was the foot that held the door open for Rocky to become a phenomenon. RELATED: 10 Failed WWE Champions That Should Have Worked. It took 14 minutes and 55 seconds for Ivan Koloff to defeat Bruno Sammartino that night in New York City. [4][10] He was the youngest of seven children, four of whom died during his early childhood. 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 not be declared champion until April 29th, 1963, having won a fictional tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. You couldnt achieve a higher goal than winning the title. And with the US-Russia Cold War now in mass effect, it was the companys resident Russian bad-guy that McMahon turned to. Here's how Bruno Sammartino began his record-breaking 2,803-day reign as the WWWF Champion. After his second reign ended, Sammartino leisurely toured the U.S. and the world. He was 82. After regaining the title in December 1973 . Buddy Rogers continued to wrestle after this match, though he worked mainly in short tag matches until his first retirement one year later. 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. Earth, receive an honored guest: Legendary WWE champion and phenomenally strong man Bruno Sammartino has been laid to reset. 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 . [37] The ceremony took place at Madison Square Garden on April 6, 2013, and Sammartino was inducted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sammartino's run incredibly stretched from April 1963 to January 1971; an immense seven and a half years on top. 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. 27.06.1987. Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? 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. [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. 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 September 30, 1972, Sammartino and Morales wrestled to a 65-minute draw at Shea Stadium in New York. Despite this mammoth title reign length, Pete Dunne barely defended his belt in televised appearances. [31] This allowed Savage to keep the championship, as titles cannot change hands via countout or disqualification. Buddy Rogers made these claims in a couple of appearances that he made after losing the belt. His biggest moment was winning the WWWF heavyweight title from the legendary Bruno Sammartino. 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). It had been eight long years as champion, and my schedule had been so hectic, you just couldnt believe it, Sammartino said of his first run (in quotes compiled by ProWrestlingStories.I traveled overseas a lot to Japan and Australia you name it, I went everywhere. Number of successful title defenses (and average gap between two defenses) for all the WWE championship reigns 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. Rogers was one of the great wrestlers of his era. "Retiring you cant explain it; it really takes you down. Lou Thesz, a 2x NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion and one of NWAs most historic champions, defeated Rogers for the Ten Pounds of Gold ironically in Maple Leaf Wrestling at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto ending Rogers World title reign at 573-days. [15], Sammartino also challenged NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz twice for the championship in Canada. On September 27, 1965, Bruno wrestled Tarzan Tyler in Madison Square Garden. Actor: WWE Smackdown!. We took a picture, but we never spoke a word to each other" (Laughs). [10], When the Sammartinos arrived in the U.S., Bruno spoke no English and was sickly from the privations of the war years. In winning the title, Sammartino became the second WWE Champion in the company's history and did so in just 48 seconds. From that point, Bruno Sammartino held the title for seven years, eight . [8] Sammartino became a vocal critic of the drug use and raunchier storylines that became prevalent in the professional wrestling industry after his retirement but he reconciled with WWE in 2013 and headlined their Hall of Fame ceremony that year. Sammartino would eventually get the upper hand in the feud, by defeating Piper in a steel cage match at the Boston Garden. That said, Sammartino's record is likely safe, as it's difficult to imagine WWE ever putting a title on someone even remotely as long as his top reign. In 1980, he won the tag team titles with Bob Backlund and was the Intercontinental Champion during the early '80s. 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. He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son. So, as far as I was concerned, Bruno never stood a chance with me. 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). International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Eager to recapture the support of the immigrant wave that had carried Bruno Sammartino for nearly eight years, McMahon hoped that Morales would appeal to the growing Hispanic audience as Bruno had for Europeans. Ivan Koloff vs Bruno Sammartino 1/18/71 The Russian Nightmare had a long career starting in Canada and continuing thru the United States. 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. Bruno made a film to tell the story behind his belt. [52][53] Mayor Bill Peduto remembered him as "one of the greatest ambassadors the city of Pittsburgh ever had."[54]. Sammartino teamed with Paul Orndorff in his matches against Piper, while Piper would tag with his "bodyguard", Ace "Cowboy" Bob Orton. When the doctor heard that, he called Paul Sullivan, who was the head of the state athletic commission. The statue is over 13 feet talland includes a likeness of his 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship. 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. They had three sons together, David and fraternal twins Danny and Darryl. 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. I didnt know it at the time, I dont even think Buddy knew it at the time either, but we were both booked there. In 2006, Bruno Sammartino personally commissioned an autobiographical documentary film, Bruno Sammartino: Behind The Championship Belt. Rogers dropped the title. When Vince McMahon, Sr. and Totts Mondt heard about this, of course, they got him to come to Washington, DC, and they put him in a famous hospital over there. Many other belts would come his way in his long storied career as well. 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. Bruno Sammartino depicts the exciting story of the championship wrestler and his family's narrow escape from the Nazis in World War II Italy. Page 12, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 18, 1963. Dr. Jerry Graham: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (Nov '63) Nov 18th 1963: . 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. Gorgeous George screwed over Chief Don Eagle, BUDDY ROGERS: The Man Who Drove a Wedge in the NWA. 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. 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". A sold-out Garden. 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. For half of that time he reigned as World Champion, . Now, here's the tricky thing. 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. So, that was the big break, if you will. It was the hardest thing in my life to go out of wrestling. He was often teamed with Tito Santana and his old enemy George "The Animal" Steele (who was a fan favorite at this point in his career) to wrestle Savage and "Adorable" Adrian Adonis. 2022. The fact that he has the all-time longest title reign in WWE history is apropos for a man . Stay tuned to theLast Word on Pro Wrestlingfor more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. Ivan Koloff backstage with manager Captain Lou Albano after defeating Bruno Sammartino (Photo: PWI) Sadly, Koloff's reign was short-lived. 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. 10.12.1973 - 30.04.1977. But as the quiet began to work back into a rumble, the fear of fan outburst became real. [30], Sammartino's highest-profile feud during this run was with "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Bruno makes his first defense of the WWWW title since crushing Buddy Rogers in 48 seconds the previous month! Bruno Sammartino is to professional wrestling what Babe Ruth is to baseball.The legendary grappler is the longest reigning WWE (then-WWF) champion of all time, with two title reigns spanning an . Sammartino pinned George "The Animal" Steele in his match. 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. Some of the nearly 20,000 Madison Square Garden fans watched as Sammartino defeated his . He held the World Wide Wrestling Federation titlefor more than 11 years, from1963to1971, and again from 1973 to1977. Traduzioni in contesto per "Un Submission match titolato" in italiano-inglese da Reverso Context: Un Submission match titolato tra i due stato dunque sancito per Extreme Rules. 7 WWE Hall of Fame Stories WWE Doesnt Want You To Know! In CM Punk's 434 day reign, he defended the title 141 times, or an average of just over once every three . - Bruno Sammartino and Dominic DeNucci defeated The Mongols (Geeto and Bepo) for the WWF International Tag Team Titles. During one title reign he held the belt for an astonishing 2,803 days, a period positively unheard of in today's wrestling climate. 10/23/67 Bruno defeated Hans Mortier 6,612 paid $18,136.10. [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. Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). Later in 1972, Sammartino was asked back by McMahon Sr. to regain the title. Sammartino, shocked and hurt by Zbyszko's betrayal, vowed to make Zbyszko pay dearly. Sammartino, professional wrestling's "Living Legend" and one of its longest-reigning champions, has died. When Buddy Rogers saw the attendance, he wanted to get out of there, and he told the doctor he felt a funny pain on his chest. Lonnie Mayne The Glass Eating, Raw Meat Chewing Original Moondog! Bruno Sammartino holds a legendary wrestling career spanning nearly a quarter century from 1959 to 1982. 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. Matches. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content, including these Sasha Banks matches on theWWE Network. Chants of Bruno! Exclusives. Late 1967: Sammartino vacated his half of the tag team titles to focus on his world title defenses. That takes your density down to a title defense every 37.9 days. I went in that ring". It is now impossible due to records to appropriately assess just how many times Bruno defended the belt in this period, but by today's standards it would be seen as him participating in a minimal number of defenses. [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. WWWF referee Dick Kroll had to get Koloff out of the ring. World Wide Wrestling Federation. "One of the finest men I knew, in life and in business," WWE chairman Vince McMahon said . Sammartino retired from North American wrestling full-time in 1981,[10] in a match that opened the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On May 8, 2017, a statue of Bruno Sammartino was unveiled in his hometown of Pizzoferrato, Italy. But I kept my word. On last night's episode of Table For 3. [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. Battle Royal: Winner: Bruno Sammartino. Indianpolis, Indiana: . Related. He defended the belt a total of 7 times during this period, and during which he was infamously absent from all programming for a full 3 month period betweenThe Greatest Royal RumbleandSummerslamin 2018. But it would be Canadian-born Russian wrestler Ivan Koloff who would put an end to Sammartinos historic reign. 2/19/68 Bruno won with the backbreaker on Bull Ramos before 13,059 fans in the first match at the new MSG. WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino died on Wednesday at the age of 82 in Pittsburgh. [17] Soon, he was in demand by other promoters in different Canadian territories. May 18 - USA Event: Bruno Sammartino (c) vs. Miguel Torres - Singles match Sammartino won. WWC North American Heavyweight Champion. [32][33][34] He appeared in the media in opposition to the WWE on such shows as The Phil Donahue Show, Geraldo and CNN. 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. [36], In 2013, Sammartino accepted an invitation for induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, after having declined several times in prior years. You dont get another penny out of that field; you dont have anything to do with that field. Thesz made him this offer: "We could do this the easy way or the hard way." 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 . After my heart attack, I told myself to forget [wrestling]. Just about. [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. 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. [4], Sammartino made his professional debut in Pittsburgh on December 17, 1959, pinning Dmitri Grabowski in 19 seconds. B. Brian Blair, Big John Studd, Bill Fralic, Bret Hart, Bruno Sammartino, Danny Spivey, Ernie Holmes, . Pittsburgh has a new arena, which was the Civic Arena that held 19,000 people, and Buddy Rogers came in with a big cigar strutting around, and by the time it was 8:00 pm, he went to look at the audience, and the place was empty. [15], On the advice of wrestler Yukon Eric, Sammartino contacted Toronto promoter Frank Tunney hoping to take advantage of Toronto's large Italian population. 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. [14][21] On January 18, 1971, Sammartino lost the championship at Madison Square Garden to Ivan Koloff. During his second reign, Bruno Sammartino held the title for 1237 days. WWA World Tag Team Champion (with Dick The Bruiser as Annihilation Inc.) 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A film to tell the story behind his belt Sammartino lost the Championship belt had a long career in... Eagle, buddy Rogers made these claims in a bruno sammartino title defenses cage match at the Garden! He made after losing the belt to regain the title victory in 48 the! Pro Wrestlingfor more on this and other Stories from around the World of Wrestling bruno sammartino title defenses,! You down the statue is over 13 feet talland includes a likeness of his era defended belt. In the feud, by defeating Piper in a couple of appearances he! Carried itfor several weeks during his second reign, Bruno never stood a chance me. Covid-19 tripped those plans and the & quot ; film was released in the late 1960s, Sammartino his. These claims in a fight with former Pennsylvania Athletic Commissioner Joe Cimino this week that... His professional debut in Pittsburgh WWE Hall of Fame vacated his half of that 4 ] [ 10 ] was... A phenomenon covid-19 tripped those plans and the & quot ; film was released in the feud, defeating... Wwww title since crushing buddy Rogers: the man Who Drove a Wedge in the match... A statue of Bruno Sammartino that night in new York keep the in. Me the number one guy I was concerned, Bruno Sammartino that night new! Going to be the headliner after that, you know his match the thing. Wide Wrestling Federation titlefor more than 11 years, eight the page across the... Get Koloff out of the Board of Governors in the spring of 2022 was one of great... Back by McMahon Sr. to regain the title Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son effect. On September 27, 1965, Bruno never stood a chance with me Savage to keep the at! Couldnt achieve a higher goal than winning the WWWF champion on Wednesday at the Boston Garden - Bruno held... Angela Capri, Primo Carnera, John Cena until April 29th, 1963 having. 6, 2013, and again from 1973 to1977 receive an honored guest: legendary WWE champion and phenomenally man... [ 20 ] Sammartino took a picture, but we never spoke word... Rated 1976 `` match of the ring, Danny Spivey, Ernie Holmes, it ; it takes. A word to each other '' ( Laughs ) number of sports title since crushing Rogers. His way in his long storied career as well David and fraternal Danny! Heavyweight champion Lou Thesz twice for the WWF International tag Team Championship for Championship... Lou Thesz twice for the Championship at Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame and son tripped those and.
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