Recently, wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino celebrated a milestone as he turned 80. In honor of the Italian Superman, I would like to take a look back at his career as one of the greatest world champions in wrestling history. Bruno was the first wrestling attraction for the historic Madison Square Garden. He is still the all-time leader in most MSG sellouts. His name is still in the conversation for greatest WWWF/WWF/WWE Champion in History. Now, time to take a journey through his rise to greatness:
Beginnings:
Bruno was born October 6, 1935, in Italy. As a child, Sammartino's family hid from German soldiers in a mountain called Valla Rocca in the latter stages of World War II. In 1950, Bruno moved to the United States where he settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After spending being bullied in school, Bruno devoted his time to weight training. Sammartino's dedication to weightlifting nearly earned him a spot on the 1956 U.S. Olympic Team, but he was edged out by Paul Anderson who outweighed him by 70 lbs. In the early stages of his career, Bruno was measured as 5'10" and 280 lbs.
In 1959, Bruno made his pro wrestling debut in Pittsburgh for their promotion Studio Wrestling. In 1960, Sammartino joined what was at the time the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (later known as WWWF) under Vincent J. McMahon, Sr. His first match took place on January 2 in Madison Square Garden. Within his first six months, Sammartino was headlining MSG.
Becoming WWWF Champion:
On May 17, 1963, Bruno Sammartino made WWE History. That night, he defeated "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers to become the second WWWF Champion in history. Bruno defeated Buddy in just 48 seconds. Rogers claimed to have had a heart attack, but he never took time off from his schedule. Instead, he wrestled mainly in short tag matches.
Rogers retired prior to their title rematch. Instead, Bruno's first challenger was #1 Contender Gorilla Monsoon. During his time as Champion, Bruno headlined MSG on a monthly basis.
He was a fixture in New York. As WWWF Champion, Bruno faced the top heels of his time:
From Gorilla Monsoon, Freddie Blassie, The Sheik, Killer Kowalski, Giant Baba, Gene Kinitski and Bill Watts just to name a few.
Bruno's first reign as Champion was transcendent. He was to wrestling at that time what Ali was to Boxing, Chamberlain/Russell to Basketball and Jim Brown to Football. He defined wrestling for his time period nearly in a way that they defined their sports during that time.
Notable Matches:
5/17/63- Defeated Buddy Rogers to become WWWF Champion
8/23/63- Defeated Killer Kowalski by submission
2/17/1964- Defeated Shohei "Giant" Baba by submission
6/6/64- Defeated Gorilla Monsoon in a best 2 out of 3 falls match.
8/1/64- Defeated Freddie Blassie by submission with the bearhug
5/17/65- Defeated Bill Watts in 2 out of 3 falls match
12/9/68- Defeated The Sheik in a Texas Death Match
10/27/69- Defeated Waldo Von Erich
1/19/70- Defeated Ivan Koloff
1/18/71- Lost WWWF Title to Ivan Koloff
This is just a sample size of his remarkable reign on the wrestling mountain. Bruno's first title run lasted 7 and a half years (2,803 Days).
He was a true Superhero in the Northeast. However, Sammartino's run would come to an end at the hands of Ivan Koloff on January 18, 1971. The story goes that the crowd was in disbelief. Some fans were probably crying because this happened. Bruno proudly carried the flag for the WWWF for many years, and the dreams of the fans came crashing.
WWWF Champion (part 2):
However, Sammartino would regain the title to start another lengthy run as Champion. This time, his reign would last half as long as the first. On December 10, 1973, Bruno defeated Stan Stasiak to win the WWWF Championship.
Notable Matches:
12/10/73- Defeated Stan Stasiak to become WWWF Champion
1/14/74- Defeated Don Leo Jonathan
4/1/74- Defeated Nikolai Volkoff
5/20/74- Defeated Killer Kowalski in a Texas Death Match
12/16/74- Defeated Bobby Duncum in a Texas Death Match
3/17/75- Defeated Spiros Arion in a Texas Death Match (PWI Match of the Year)
4/14/75- Defeated Spiros Arion in a Greek Death Match by Submission
6/16/75- Defeated Waldo Von Erich
12/15/75- Defeated Ivan Koloff in a Steel Cage Match
3/1/76- Defeated Ernie Ladd
6/25/76- Defeated Stan Hansen by Countout (PWI MOTY)
4/30/77- Lost WWWF Title to "Superstar" Billy Graham (MOTY)
After recapturing the WWWF Title, Sammartino would continue to produce some of his best work. In 1974, Bruno was named "Wrestler of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
In his second tenure as Champion, Sammartino won "Match of the Year" 3 out of 5 times. Along the way, Bruno defeated a young Nikolai Volkoff, along with familiar foes from Killer Kowalski to Ivan Koloff. He also defeated Spiros Arion in classic deathmatches (Texas & Greek), as well as another new challenger named "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd.
His reign would come to an end at the hands of a flamboyant rising heel named "Superstar" Billy Graham. This would be considered as Bruno's swan song as the King of Wrestling. Sammartino's second run as Champion would last 1,237 Days.
Bruno defined his Era of Wrestling at a time where it was just starting to reach a national audience with the advent of television. You could say that he was the Champion in the first Golden Age of Wrestling, LONG before the mainstream crossover success of Hogan.
Sammartino was the flagbearer of his generation and personified his Era with pride. Sammartino is still the longest reigning Champion in WWE History, with a record of 4,040 Days after 2 Title Reigns.
With his significance to not only his Era, but to the Wrestling World collectively, Bruno Sammartino transcends wrestling. That is what makes him a Defining Champion.
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