Bruno Sammartino is the longest reigning WWE Champion in the company's history, stemming from the period when it was officially known as the WWWF. In the summer of 1960 James M. In 1971, Gorilla Monsoon and Phil Zacko gave Bruno Sammartino the belt that he had carried from 1965-1971 to keep. 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. . [31] This allowed Savage to keep the championship, as titles cannot change hands via countout or disqualification. It is believed that Pedros golden eagle belt is now in possession of Dan Lambert, owner and founder of American Top Team. 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. 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. Twitter: @JustSKendall The statue is over 13 feet talland includes a likeness of his 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship. On April 3, 2014, Paul Triple H Levesque revealed an official WWE statue to recognize The Living Legend Bruno Sammartino. After nearly fifteen years of promoting an "ethnic babyface" at the top of his cards, the . I get your point but honestly, I think the amount of defenses should be the #1 criteria. Bruno! In 2006, Bruno Sammartino personally commissioned an autobiographical documentary film, 5. "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. ROSS TOWNSHIP PA - Daniel Sammartino, the son of the late wrestling giant Bruno Sammartino, died Tuesday. Sammartino, professional wrestling's "Living Legend" and one of its longest-reigning champions, has died. [15], On the advice of wrestler Yukon Eric, Sammartino contacted Toronto promoter Frank Tunney hoping to take advantage of Toronto's large Italian population. Bruno's belt appears on a statue in his hometown, 7. 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. If hes willing, then fine., It was funny because Georgiann went and got him, got me, and she stood in the middle. 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 . Many wonder which duo will be next in line to hold these belts. They were grandparents of four grandchildren. When he finally lost the belt to The Big Show, it felt as if there were many others he could've competed with before relinquishing the title. Bruno makes his first defense of the WWWW title since crushing Buddy Rogers in 48 seconds the previous month! Rhodes appeared in several multi-man matches during this time such as the Money in the Bank ladder match and the Elimination Chamber, where opportunities at a loftier prize outweighed defending the title he already held. Bruno is way more impressive than Flair if u ask me. [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. In 2019, Bruno Sammartino:The Autobiography of Wrestlings Living Legendwas released. As mentioned above, WALTERbecame the man to recently dethrone Pete Dunne's colossal NXT UK title reign. 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. It was there that he was spotted by local professional wrestling promoter Rudy Miller, who recruited the young man into the ring. Rogers dropped the title. 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. During his second reign, Bruno Sammartino held the title for 1237 days. [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. Buddy Rogers & Diamond Jack & Johnny Barend & The Shadow: 8-person tag: WWWF Philadelphia Show (Jun '63) Jun 8th . 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 is . 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. Bruno Sammartino was the rock that WWE was built upon. This is the original on-site poster from the Maple Leaf Gardens World Title bout with the great Buddy "nature boy" Rogers, held on July 12, 1962. . That record will never be broken. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content, including these Sasha Banks matches on theWWE Network. 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. [11] This made him an easy target for bullies at Schenley High School. FULL DESCRIPTION: This photo measures 8 inches by 10 inches.The photo is clean with no staining. For half of that time he reigned as World Champion, . I was so beat in so many ways; I was never one to even take an aspirin. 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. Actor: WWE Smackdown!. Ivan Koloff was actually a pro wrestler from Montreal, Quebec in Canada, and after starting out in the Canadian indies in 1961, soon adopted a Russian gimmick, under the name Ivan Zukoff. Sammartino then finished up his full-time career by touring Japan. Send Flowers, Plants & Gifts. That victory in 48 seconds began a 2,803-day reign that stands today as the longest in history, by far. That was live TV that went to New York. 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. Bobo Brazil & Bruno Sammartino & Buddy Austin & Pedro Morales: def. 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. Company policy meant that Sammartino could not hold two championships simultaneously, so he was replaced by Victor Rivera. On January 22, 1980, his former student Larry Zbyszko turned on him at the World Wrestling Federation's Championship Wrestling show. Scroll down to learn more about Bruno's Belt and its journey to the IPWHF. His most notable title defense was a time limit draw with Bruno Sammartino at a Shea Stadium show in 1972. WWWF referee Dick Kroll had to get Koloff out of the ring. Bruno's belt was briefly worn by Ivan Kohloff, 3. 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 superstitious blamed New York's descent into hell in the 1970s as punishment for Bruno losing the title. [10], When the Sammartinos arrived in the U.S., Bruno spoke no English and was sickly from the privations of the war years. May 20 - USA Event: Bruno . In a televised match, Professor Toru Tanaka blinded both men with salt and they were maneuvered into fighting each other. Others say Rogers was reluctant to give up the title after being told prior that he . 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. (Laughs) Yeah, thats how it happened". Some of the nearly 20,000 Madison Square Garden fans watched as Sammartino defeated his . Dr. Jerry Graham: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (Nov '63) Nov 18th 1963: . But it wasnt just any new championship victory Koloff became the first man to pin Bruno Sammartino in a WWF World title match in 2,803 days, ending a reign that lasted nearly eight years. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. He also acted as special guest referee in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) for a series of matches between Flair and Randy Savage in June 1996. title(s) WWWF MSG Show (Dec '63) Dec 16th 1963: Bruno Sammartino (c) def. WWE fan? 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. Ivan Koloff (left) and Superstar Billy Graham (right) each drew six sellouts with Bruno and each defeated him for the WWWF Championship. [41][bettersourceneeded] Both were only released in Pittsburgh. He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son. ), and remains one of the most popular pro wrestlers of all time based on their ability to connect to fans worldwide during their respective eras. [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. [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. Sammartino finally lost the WWE Championship in January 1971 . The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo (2018-19), HOMAGE.com Our favorite in retro wrestling attire! Rogers would then drop the title a month later to Bruno Sammartino in less than a minute. Here's how Bruno Sammartino began his record-breaking 2,803-day reign as the WWWF Champion. [10], In 1959, Sammartino set a world record in the bench press with a lift of 256 kilograms (565lb), done without elbow or wrist wraps. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! [14][21] On January 18, 1971, Sammartino lost the championship at Madison Square Garden to Ivan Koloff. [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. [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). 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 . Bruno Sammartino depicts the exciting story of the championship wrestler and his family's narrow escape from the Nazis in World War II Italy. Because Monsoon won the match by disqualification, thus Sammartino retained his belt. 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. Bruno Sammartino. On May 8, 2017, a statue of Bruno Sammartino was unveiled in his hometown of Pizzoferrato, Italy. Sammartino is the longest-reigning WWE Champion in history. But the amount of defenses pales in comparison to the length of time Dunne held the gold. Any working guy could relate to Bruno the way they related to Steve Austin many years later. To clear up a common misconception, Rogers was not immediately named WWWF World Heavyweight Champion. Thesz made him this offer: "We could do this the easy way or the hard way." This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. [23], Eventually, on December 10, 1973, Sammartino regained the WWWF Heavyweight Championship by defeating Stan Stasiak. Can you imagine it? There are paper champions, there are fighting champions, and there are champions who scarcely put their gold up for grabs. He was 82. When McMahon Sr. gestured for them to shake hands, both wordlessly turned and walked away. You could hear a pin drop, remembered veteran wrestling journalist Bill Apter in an article for WWE.com recounting his memory at ringside. He said that the grueling schedule was taking its toll on him and he couldn't keep up the pace of it. Earth, receive an honored guest: Legendary WWE champion and phenomenally strong man Bruno Sammartino has been laid to reset. Pete Dunne is only the second man in company history to hold the WWE NXT United Kingdom Championship, a belt he held for an overwhelming 685 days. The program will feature commentary by Richert and by Darryl Sammartino, Bruno's son, per the release. Bruno Sammartino is one of the defining legends from WWE history. 3.0 3 Ratings. Arguably the greatest wrestling champion of all time. I had seen wrestlers stopped from going to the ring because something wasnt right". 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. 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. During one title reign he held the belt for an astonishing 2,803 days, a period positively unheard of in today's wrestling climate. 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 Sammartinos lived in Ross Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh from 1965 on. Remarkably, Pedro Morales original golden eagle belt was procured from a pawn shop in Manhattan in late 1974/early 1975 for $75 by renowned wrestling historian, Tom Burke. Fifty years ago, on January 18, 1971, Ivan Koloff delivered a Russian Leg Drop to World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino in Madison Square Garden in New York City to get the 1-2-3, becoming only the third man to hold the WWWF World Championship. Bruno! Lengthy championships are a big aspect in wrestling, but it is definitely easier when the champion does not frequently have to defend his title. Pedro Morales was the champion from 1971 until 1973. However, he is currently on a similar run of holding the belt for an exceptional amount of time with minimal defenses. Sammartino worked as a commentator for the Universal Wrestling Federation. And with the US-Russia Cold War now in mass effect, it was the companys resident Russian bad-guy that McMahon turned to. 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's run incredibly stretched from April 1963 to January 1971; an immense seven and a half years on top. Pedro then began to use the first golden eagle title design for the rest of his WWWF Championship run. Sammartino defeated Savage in a lumberjack match for the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship via disqualification at the Boston Garden. Now, here's the tricky thing. Never Forget That Donald Trump Once Shaved Vince McMahon's Head and Is a Member of the WWE Hall of Fame "Screwjob" is a term that gets thrown around loosely in the wrestling world. Sammartino finally relinquished the title on Jan. 18, 1971, in a match against Koloff at Madison Square Garden. 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. Fortunately for Bruno Sammartino, his time had now arrived. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Buddy Rogers was examined and re-examined, and they couldnt find a thing wrong with him, and then after that, his license was reinstated. On last night's episode of Table For 3. He held the World Wide Wrestling Federation titlefor more than 11 years, from1963to1971, and again from 1973 to1977. [29] The match ended in a double-disqualification after the Sammartinos began brawling with Beefcake and his manager Johnny Valiant. 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. 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