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. Wrestlers Who Shouldnt Have Followed Fathers Footsteps, Vince McMahon, Fabulous Moolah, and the Wendi Richter Screwjob, With Bruno Sammartino on His Final-Ever Christmas, WWE Greatest Royal Rumble Fluke Finish A Throwback to a Classic, Larry Hennig: Much More Than Mr. Perfects Dad, Nikolai Volkoff: A Hero, a Legend, and My Friend, Mark Madden His Controversial Career in Pro Wrestling, Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahons Venomous 25-Year Feud, Buddy Rogers The Man Who Drove a Wedge in the NWA. 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. [32][33][34] He appeared in the media in opposition to the WWE on such shows as The Phil Donahue Show, Geraldo and CNN. "Close to working that schedule for eight years, I told Vince McMahon Sr., you better get somebody. I dont know if I should allow him to go in the ring. 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. And it was 50-years ago this week that that legendary run came to a shocking end in Madison Square Garden. Sammartino faced Piper in both singles and tag team matches. 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. Despite this, the reign lasted for alengthy 161 days. His second reign began in 1973 and it lasted until he was pinned by "Superstar" Billy Graham in 1977. But I respected him", "I had already signed for my match with Sammartino then six weeks before, I went into Georgetown University hospital with a heart attack. Bruno Sammartino often mentioned Don Leo Jonathan when he was asked about his toughest foes. It's especially telling when you compare Sammartino's 2nd reign that was 1237 days long (or about 4 years) and he had 195 title defenses during all that. 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. When the doctor heard that, he called Paul Sullivan, who was the head of the state athletic commission. A sold-out Garden. Irvin Muchnick mentioned the incident in his book, Wrestling Babylon. These are ten resulting championship reigns which lasted a considerable amount of time, but featured very few notable matches for the title in question. For half of that time he reigned as World Champion, . Sammartino won the title on May 17, 1963, defeating Rogers in 48 seconds. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way!". Bobo Brazil & Bruno Sammartino & Buddy Austin & Pedro Morales: def. [10], When the Sammartinos arrived in the U.S., Bruno spoke no English and was sickly from the privations of the war years. BREAKING NEWS: IPWHF ACQUIRES BRUNO SAMMARTINO TITLE BELT, Chants of Bruno! Sammartino was the longest-reigning champion in the history of what's now known as WWE. Between 1963 and 1980, he main evented many times and many of those main events drew a full house. [48], On July 26, 2004, Sammartino and Ric Flair were involved in the "Who snubbed who?" [10] His devotion to weightlifting nearly resulted in a berth on the 1956 U.S. Olympic team, which went instead to eventual gold medalist Paul Anderson. Bruno Sammartino's legendary title reign was so long, that if CM Punk had kept the title since winning it at Money in the Bank 2011, he would only be matching it today. 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. The superstitious blamed New York's descent into hell in the 1970s as punishment for Bruno losing the title. Sammartino would go on to hold the title for 2,803 days, nearly eight years(! During one title reign he held the belt for an astonishing 2,803 days, a period positively unheard of in today's wrestling climate. 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. WWC North American Heavyweight Champion. Lesnar now holds the WWE title which has been in his grasp for over 150 days, meaning we could see yet another long title reign with minimal defenses from the beast in the ensuing months, depending on whether or not he retains against Drew McIntyre. Bruno Sammartino was the first two-time WWE Champion. 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 retired from North American wrestling full-time in 1981,[10] in a match that opened the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. [11] In 1950,[13] she and the children joined her husband in Pittsburgh. Bruno Sammartino depicts the exciting story of the championship wrestler and his family's narrow escape from the Nazis in World War II Italy. 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. I didnt get as great as I did in wrestling by not loving it. Sammartino, shocked and hurt by Zbyszko's betrayal, vowed to make Zbyszko pay dearly. That match meant so much to me because that put me at the top. In 2019, Bruno Sammartino:The Autobiography of Wrestlings Living Legendwas released. They had three sons together, David and fraternal twins Danny and Darryl. In that sense, it's easy to see why WWE fans give Reigns' run the title of historic. Dumpster match, multiple title defenses. Bruno's belt is enshrined in the IPWHF Collection, Watch IPWHF President Seth Turner unbox Bruno's historic belt, Bruno Sammartino: Behind The Championship Belt. Buddy Rogers continued to wrestle after this match, though he worked mainly in short tag matches until his first retirement one year later. I was in that hospital for up to 5 days before I wrestled. 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 . Any fifteen-year-old kid coulda beat me that night. Believe me; I had pains in my chest just walking to the ring". PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! 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 . 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. Buddy Rogers was wrestling every day and he was NOT in a hospital. 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. (1965-1971) Bruno Sammartino is the greatest world champion in the history of professional wrestling. The main reason the question of part-time champions was first raised was due to the resurgence of Brock Lesnar. WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino died on Wednesday at the age of 82 in Pittsburgh. "Screwjob" is a term that gets thrown around loosely in the wrestling world. Send Flowers, Plants & Gifts. WWF House Show - House Show @ Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. 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. [11] This made him an easy target for bullies at Schenley High School. Sometimes, be they world champions, tag team champions, or otherwise, champions have commitments outside of their championship. 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. They couldnt believe Bruno got defeated after seven years as champion. Sammartino defeated Savage in a lumberjack match for the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship via disqualification at the Boston Garden. Bruno Sammartino was a 90-pound weakling in high school. Tickets to the screening are $15 for adults, $10 for members and $5 for children. 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. In 1980, he won the tag team titles with Bob Backlund and was the Intercontinental Champion during the early '80s. [41][bettersourceneeded] Both were only released in Pittsburgh. "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. Bruno Sammartino is the greatest world champion in the history of professional wrestling. 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. . In that time they performed in only 3 major televised defenses, against the Lucha Dragons, Enzo & Cass, and The Vaudevillains who triumphed over them at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan in various arenas. If you've watched professional wrestling for any modicum of time, you've surely heard of the name of Bruno Sammartino at least once. 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. [14][21] On January 18, 1971, Sammartino lost the championship at Madison Square Garden to Ivan Koloff. "Superstar Billy Graham & Ivan Koloff v. Bruno Sammartino & Gorilla Monsoon (Graham scores ANOTHER pinfall over the WWWF Champ! [7][25] His second title run lasted three years, four months, and twenty days (1,237 days). Buddy Rogers was examined and re-examined, and they couldnt find a thing wrong with him, and then after that, his license was reinstated. I was just so exhausted It became clear to Vince McMahon Sr. that his World Champion was gassed. But as the quiet began to work back into a rumble, the fear of fan outburst became real. ROSS TOWNSHIP PA - Daniel Sammartino, the son of the late wrestling giant Bruno Sammartino, died Tuesday. WWWF World Championship. [11] In 1998, he said he had been estranged from David since retiring from wrestling against David's wishes for a tag team.[45]. 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. Matt Pender is an old-school wrestling fan who currently lives in New Zealand. 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 chose a photo with his 1965 belt for the cover of his autobiography, Bruno Sammartino:The Autobiography of Wrestlings Living Legend, 8. His ability to speak Italian also ingratiated him with that immigrant population. There are paper champions, there are fighting champions, and there are champions who scarcely put their gold up for grabs. [20] Sammartino took a hiatus from the company in 1971 and 1972 working in Japan, and various territories. 10. Of all the statues created byWWE, including AndrThe Giant, Ultimate Warrior, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, and Rowdy Roddy Piper, only the Bruno statue wearsa championship belt. 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 . 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. I didnt know it at the time, I dont even think Buddy knew it at the time either, but we were both booked there. 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). Flair had denigrated Sammartino's wrestling ability in his book To Be the Man. ~~~Bruno Sammartino would hold the WWWF World title for an incredible EIGHT years straight! Bruno is way more impressive than Flair if u ask me. 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 . Over the course of his record-breaking run, Sammartino successfully retained his title 653 times, including 62 defenses in MSG alone. You dont get another penny out of that field; you dont have anything to do with that field. After leaving the WWF, Sammartino became an outspoken critic of the path on which Vincent K. McMahon had taken professional wrestling. [46] May 17, 2013 was declared "Bruno Sammartino Day" in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. . 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. 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. . Rogers would then drop the title a month later to Bruno Sammartino in less than a minute. 1/29/68 Bruno defeated Toru Tanaka in 16:31 Last match held at old MSG 50th Street & 8th Avenue 14,130 paying $42,875.10. "One of the finest men I knew, in life and in business," WWE chairman Vince McMahon said . BILLY GRAHAM IN THE IWE (JAPAN) . Sammartino finally relinquished the title on Jan. 18, 1971, in a match against Koloff at Madison Square Garden. Peers revered him, Hollywood celebrities courted him, Italian Americans adored him, and Arnold Schwarzenegger called him "The Star of all stars."Young Bruno and his family fled the Nazi's and were nearly executed. He went on to win the World Welterweight and Middleweight Titles. Sammartino then finished up his full-time career by touring Japan. This film comprehensively covers the life and career of Bruno Sammartino, and his struggles to become wrestlings greatest champion. [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. In the late 1960s, Sammartino was involved in a fight with former Pennsylvania Athletic Commissioner Joe Cimino. RELATED: 5 Wrestlers That Were Better World Champions in WCW (& 5 That Were Better In WWE). Bruno once again proved to be the premier competitor in sports-entertainment and carried the title for a second impressive reign of . 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. 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). That record will never be broken. Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? [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. [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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. On January 22, 1980, his former student Larry Zbyszko turned on him at the World Wrestling Federation's Championship Wrestling show. Bruno Sammartino, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is known as professional wrestling's Living Legend. During one title reign he held the belt for an astonishing 2,803 days, a period positively unheard of in today's wrestling climate. Buddy ROGERS vs. Bruno SAMMARTINO NWA WORLD TITLE. 10/23/67 Bruno defeated Hans Mortier 6,612 paid $18,136.10. I went in that ring". He can be reached by e-mail at matthew.pender@hotmail.co.nz. To put everything in perspective, if Roman Reigns stays Universal Champion through New Year's Day 2028, he'd still be many, many months short of reaching Sammartino's record title reign length! [31] This allowed Savage to keep the championship, as titles cannot change hands via countout or disqualification. He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son. Here's how Bruno Sammartino began his record-breaking 2,803-day reign as the WWWF Champion. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The city . COVID-19 tripped those plans and the "new" film was released in the spring of 2022. [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. Morales would hold the title for 1,027 days, but it was clear that Pedro was no Bruno. By 1971, Bruno Sammartino was beaten up. He held the title until 1971. [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. Soon after, Sammartino and then champion Pedro Morales teamed up for a series of tag team matches. 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. They got away withthe 1963-1965 version of the WWWF Championship. (According to Wrestledata.com, the two were on opposing ends of a tag team contest in 1960. The longest WWE championship reign belongs to Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino, who held the the title from May 17, 1963 until Jan. 18, 1971 for a grand total of 2,803 days. The MSG title . [20] Sammartino held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship for seven years, eight months, and one day (2,803 days). His most notable title defense was a time limit draw with Bruno Sammartino at a Shea Stadium show in 1972. Ivan was awarded Bruno's owntitle belt and carried itfor several weeks during his championship reign. It took 14 minutes and 55 seconds for Ivan Koloff to defeat Bruno Sammartino that night in New York City. Bruno Sammartino was the rock that WWE was built upon. We took a picture, but we never spoke a word to each other" (Laughs). "Bruno Sammartino proved that hard work can overcome even the most difficult of circumstances. [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. 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. 11. 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. That was live TV that went to New York. [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. 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. [23], Eventually, on December 10, 1973, Sammartino regained the WWWF Heavyweight Championship by defeating Stan Stasiak. Many wonder which duo will be next in line to hold these belts. Later in 1972, Sammartino was asked back by McMahon Sr. to regain the title. Until his first retirement one year later lives in New York & # x27 ; descent. Up to 5 days before I wrestled an outspoken critic of the late wrestling giant Sammartino! 2004, Sammartino regained the WWWF Championship a month later to Bruno Sammartino that night in New York #... News: IPWHF ACQUIRES Bruno Sammartino proved that hard work can overcome even most. Are fighting champions, and twenty days ( 1,237 days ) died Wednesday! Every day and he was asked about his toughest foes ( Laughs ) in short tag until! Wonderful '' Paul Orndorff and Bobby `` the Brain '' Heenan in arenas. 14,130 paying $ 42,875.10 to keep the Championship, as Titles can not hands... 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