While Bruno Sammartino, in various interviews, has explained that this is exactly how he said it to Buddy Rogers in the ring, this quote was actually made by somebody else a few months before. "Close to working that schedule for eight years, I told Vince McMahon Sr., you better get somebody. Indianpolis, Indiana: . You dont get another penny out of that field; you dont have anything to do with that field. Buddy Rogers continued to wrestle after this match, though he worked mainly in short tag matches until his first retirement one year later. title(s) WWWF MSG Show (Dec '63) Dec 16th 1963: Bruno Sammartino (c) def. [10], When the Sammartinos arrived in the U.S., Bruno spoke no English and was sickly from the privations of the war years. After Bruno defeated Rogers, just one month later, the first official WWWF (WWE) World Championship was designed. The other NWA members were not pleased with the situation, and this led to the split. I was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in that territory, and Vince McMahon, Sr. was near bankruptcy because that was how poorly this place was doing. 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. That victory in 48 seconds began a 2,803-day reign that stands today as the longest in history, by far. [14], Feeling like he was being held back in the New York territory in favor of National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) star Buddy Rogers, Sammartino gave his notice to Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) owner Vince McMahon Sr. and planned to go to San Francisco to work for Roy Shire. Jamie Greer joined LWOPW in 2015 and was the site's Managing Editor from 2016 through 2020. FULL DESCRIPTION: This photo measures 8 inches by 10 inches.The photo is clean with no staining. (Hornby had 12,989) (According to Wrestledata.com, the two were on opposing ends of a tag team contest in 1960. He held the World Wide Wrestling Federation title for more than 11 years, from 1963 to1971, and again from 1973 to1977. wrestling champion, was personally selected by Vincent J. McMahon to fill the void left when his longtime titleholder Bruno Sammartino made the decision that he no longer wanted to carry the WWWF championship. (Laughs) Yeah, thats how it happened". He held the company's top title from 1963 to 1971 and again from 1973 to 1977. During his lengthy reign, Sammartino would defeat every villain set up before him, always managing to hang on to his title belt. He finally accepted the offer to join because he was satisfied with the way the company had addressed his concerns about rampant drug use as well as vulgarity. or scroll down to learn more about the history of Bruno's Belt. During his second reign, Bruno Sammartino held the title for 1237 days. In the many years that have since passed, the phrase, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way!" You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content, including these Sasha Banks matches on theWWE Network. [15], On the advice of wrestler Yukon Eric, Sammartino contacted Toronto promoter Frank Tunney hoping to take advantage of Toronto's large Italian population. [26] As the main event of 1980's Showdown at Shea, Sammartino defeated Zbyszko inside a steel cage. [15], Sammartino also challenged NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz twice for the championship in Canada. After my heart attack, I told myself to forget [wrestling]. Imagine doing something all those years and loving it all of a sudden, you never do it again. [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. The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo (2018-19), HOMAGE.com Our favorite in retro wrestling attire! [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. Bruno only gave up his championship when he wanted to, and there was one championship belt he decided never to let go. "Bruno Sammartino proved that hard work can overcome even the most difficult of circumstances. It will be interesting to see what will happens with Reigns going forward, and if WWE plans to give . [29] The match ended in a double-disqualification after the Sammartinos began brawling with Beefcake and his manager Johnny Valiant. 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. 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? 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 . 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. 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 . He can be reached by e-mail at matthew.pender@hotmail.co.nz. 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. He held the title until 1971. The MSG title . They were grandparents of four grandchildren. non-confrontation at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. In 2019, Bruno Sammartino:The Autobiography of Wrestlings Living Legendwas released. Buddy Rogers was wrestling every day and he was NOT in a hospital. "Superstar Billy Graham v. Bruno Sammartino (MSG 1/12/76) 22. There are paper champions, there are fighting champions, and there are champions who scarcely put their gold up for grabs. [22] Sammartino recalled the shocked silence that greeted the result, remarking he thought he had damaged his ears. The early years of the organization were definitely different than modern times, where one of pro wrestling's most iconic wrestlers held the title for a jaw-dropping 11 years. 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. Bruno Sammartino: WWWF Heavyweight Champion - 1,237 days WWE/YouTube Stan Stasiak only has one successful title defense to his name against Chief Jay Strongbow, and their bout went to a no contest. Bruno Sammartino holds a legendary wrestling career spanning nearly a quarter century from 1959 to 1982. Bruno Sammartino, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is known as professional wrestling's Living Legend. 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. Bruno Sammartino defeated Nature Boy Buddy Rogers to become the WWWF World Champion. They had three sons together, David and fraternal twins Danny and Darryl. 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. Boston 1/17/76) Disk 2 . Despite this, the reign lasted for alengthy 161 days. I was so beat in so many ways; I was never one to even take an aspirin. 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]. On January 18, 1971, Ivan Kohloff won the WWWF World Championship and secured his legacy in professional wrestling lore by pinning Bruno Sammartino. Cimino was new to his post and intervened in a match finish involving Sammartino, who took a shot at Cimino in the ring and the argument continued backstage. 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. Sammartino instead that night had his first match against new number one contender, Gorilla Monsoon. 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. Turner plans to maintain ownership of the 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship for decades to come. [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. Related. The climax of their feud came was a victory for Sammartino and Santana in a steel cage match in Madison Square Garden. In early 1977, Sammartino informed McMahon Sr. that he felt he could no longer continue as champion due to his injuries. That was live TV that went to New York. In 1966, he began using another gimmick briefly as Red McNulty working Western Canada with NWA Vancouver and Stampede Wrestling (then Wildkat Wrestling), then off to Japan, where he competed for Rikidozans Japan Wrestling Association (JWA) for three months. 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. (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). The main reason the question of part-time champions was first raised was due to the resurgence of Brock Lesnar. 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. Preview: MLW FUSION Jacob Fatu vs. ACH (01/20/21), Preview: IMPACT! 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. When McMahon Sr. gestured for them to shake hands, both wordlessly turned and walked away. [32][33][34] He appeared in the media in opposition to the WWE on such shows as The Phil Donahue Show, Geraldo and CNN. Pro Wrestling Stories - Your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestlings past! Bruno! Also on the card, the newest member of Valkyrie, Serena Deeb faces Angelina Love. And with the US-Russia Cold War now in mass effect, it was the companys resident Russian bad-guy that McMahon turned to. 7 WWE Hall of Fame Stories WWE Doesnt Want You To Know! His most notable title defense was a time limit draw with Bruno Sammartino at a Shea Stadium show in 1972. They couldnt believe Bruno got defeated after seven years as champion. 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". 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. In 1986, Sammartino competed in a 20-man battle royal at WrestleMania 2 at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago. 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. But unfortunately for both WWWF and Buddy Rogers, Rogers rising health issues would become an issue sooner than later following a series of heart issues, it was determined that Rogers could no longer be the face of the company. 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. "Did I really say to him, We can do this the easy way or the hard way? 1963 - Bulldog Brower and Johnny Valentine defeat Bruno Sammartino and Whipper Billy Watson to win the Toronto NWA International Tag Team Title in Toronto, Ontario. On September 27, 1965, Bruno wrestled Tarzan Tyler in Madison Square Garden. [17] Sammartino worked several WCW events in a minor analysis role in the early 1990s, as well as a brief run doing color commentary with Jim Ross on Saturday Night in 1992. 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). Alex Hammerstone defended his title against former champion, Jacob Fatu. 10.12.1973 - 30.04.1977. He began working in the NWA territories, such as Georgia Championship Wrestling, St. Louis Wrestling Club, NWA Mid America, and others. 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". 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