 Sammartino asWWWF World Heavyweight Champion in 1971 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (1935-10-06)October 6, 1935 |
| Died | April 18, 2018(2018-04-18) (aged 82) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Spouse | |
| Children | 3; includingDavid Sammartino |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Bruno Sammartino |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 265 lb (120 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Abruzzo, Italy[2] Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Trained by | Ace Freeman Rex Peery[3] |
| Debut | October 23, 1959 |
| Retired | August 19, 1987 |
Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 – April 18, 2018) was an Italian-Americanprofessional wrestler. He is best known for his time with theWorld Wide Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). Sammartino's first reign asWWF World Heavyweight Champion is the longest recognized men's world title reign in wrestling history.
Born inItaly to a family of seven, Sammartino grew up in poverty. As a child, Sammartino survived theGerman occupation of Italy duringWorld War II. In 1950, he came to theUnited States with his family, where they would settle inPittsburgh. Sammartino would later take up bodybuilding before beginning his career as a professional wrestler in 1959.
Dubbed "the Italian Strongman”[2] and "the Strongest Man in the World"[4] early in his career, Sammartino later earned the title "the Living Legend".[5] Known for his powerfulbearhug[3][6] finishing move,[7] Sammartino wrestled for various territories in theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) before joining the WWWF territory.
Already recognized as a future star, Sammartino won the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship in 1963 after beating the inaugural champion,Buddy Rogers, in 48 seconds. He then held the title for a reign of a record 2,803 days, or over seven and a half years. While doing so, he became a popular attraction inMadison Square Garden, selling out the arena numerous times throughout his career.[a] He would later reclaim the WWF Heavyweight Championship in 1973 for another reign of 1,237 days before gradually retiring from full-time competition.
After his retirement, 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 headlinedtheir Hall of Fame ceremonythat year.Terry Funk commented that Sammartino "was bigger than wrestling itself".[8]
Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino was born inPizzoferrato,Abruzzo, Italy, to Alfonso and Emilia Sammartino on October 6, 1935.[3][9] He was the youngest of seven children, four of whom died during his early childhood.[9] When he was four, his father immigrated toPittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[9][10] DuringWorld War II, Pizzoferrato was invaded by troops of theWaffen SS, leading Emilia to hide Bruno and his siblings in a remote hideout at the top of a nearby mountain called Valla Rocca.[11][10] During this time, his mother would sneak into their German-occupied town for food and supplies.[10] In 1950,[12] she and the children joined her husband in Pittsburgh.[9]
When the Sammartinos arrived in the U.S., Bruno spoke no English and was sickly from the privations of the war years.[10] This made him an easy target for bullies atSchenley High School. He turned to weightlifting and wrestling to build himself up.[9] His devotion to weightlifting nearly resulted in a berth on the 1956 U.S. Olympic team, which went instead to eventual gold medalistPaul Anderson.[9]
In 1959, Sammartino set a world record in the bench press with a lift of 256 kilograms (565 lb), done without elbow or wrist wraps. When he brought the bar down, he did not bounce it off his chest, but set it there for two seconds before attempting the press.[6] He trained in wrestling with Rex Peery, theUniversity of Pittsburgh team coach.[3]
He also became known for performing strongman stunts in the Pittsburgh area, and sportscasterBob Prince put him on his television show. It was there that he was spotted by localprofessional wrestling promoter Rudy Miller, who recruited the young man into the ring.[3]
Sammartino made his professional debut in Pittsburgh on December 17, 1959,pinning Dmitri Grabowski in 19 seconds.[6] Sammartino's first match inMadison Square Garden inNew York City was on January 2, 1960,[13] defeatingBull Curry in five minutes.[14]
Feeling like he was being held back in the New York territory in favor ofNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) starBuddy Rogers, Sammartino gave his notice toCapitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) ownerVince McMahon Sr. and planned to go toSan Francisco to work forRoy Shire. While on his way to California, he missed two bookings inBaltimore andChicago, and as a result was suspended in those territories. California honored the other state's suspension, leaving Sammartino out of work.[15] In his autobiography, Sammartino states that he believed McMahon set him up, by double-booking him and not informing him of his match in Baltimore, as a way of punishment.[16] Sammartino was forced to return to Pittsburgh and found work as a laborer.[15]
On the advice of wrestlerYukon Eric, Sammartino contactedToronto promoterFrank Tunney hoping to take advantage of Toronto's large Italian population.[14] Sammartino made hisToronto debut in March 1962 and very quickly, with the help of self-promotion in local newspapers and radio programs, became an attraction. His ability to speak Italian also ingratiated him with that immigrant population.[15] WithWhipper Billy Watson, Sammartino won his firstprofessional wrestling championship in September 1962, the local version of theInternational Tag Team Championship.[17] Soon, he was in demand by other promoters in different Canadian territories.[15]
Sammartino also challengedNWA World Heavyweight ChampionLou Thesz twice for the championship in Canada. One match ended in adraw and the other with Thesz scoring a fluke pin after a collision, despite Sammartino controlling the 20 minute match from the beginning. This match wasbooked by NWA promoterSam Muchnick as a preliminary to the forming of the WWWF, to ensure the dominance of the senior organization and its championship.[18]
After the first WWWF World Champion,Nature Boy Buddy Rogers, was hospitalized three times in April 1963 for chest pains, Vince McMahon Sr. andToots Mondt made a command decision to make an emergency title switch. BetweenAntonino Rocca and Bruno Sammartino they went with the younger Sammartino who was 27 years old at the time. The match was scheduled to be concluded quickly so as not to risk Buddy's health any further. Promoters Mondt and McMahon Sr. cleared up Sammartino's suspension by paying his $500 fine, allowing him to return to wrestling in the United States. Sammartino won the title on May 17, 1963, defeating Rogers in 48 seconds.[19] Sammartino and Rogers faced each other two months later at Madison Square Garden in a tag team match, with Rogers andJohnny Barend defeating Sammartino andBobo Brazil by 2 falls to 1. Rogers pinned Sammartino for the third and deciding fall. Rogers retired prior to their scheduled title rematch on October 4, 1963, in Jersey City, New Jersey's Roosevelt Stadium. Sammartino instead that night had his first match against new number one contender,Gorilla Monsoon. Because Monsoon won the match bydisqualification, Sammartino retained his belt.
On December 8, 1969, he teamed withTony Marino to win theWWF International Tag Team Championship by defeating The Rising Suns (Tanaka andMitsu Arakawa). Company policy meant that Sammartino could not hold two championships simultaneously, so he was replaced byVictor Rivera.[20] Sammartino held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship for seven years, eight months, and one day (2,803 days).[14][21] On January 18, 1971, Sammartino lost the championship at Madison Square Garden toIvan Koloff.[22] Sammartino recalled the shocked silence that greeted the result, remarking he thought he had damaged his ears.[5] Later that year, he won the International Tag Team Championship for the second time by teaming withDominic DeNucci.[20] Sammartino took a hiatus from the company in 1971 and 1972 working inJapan, and various territories.
Later in 1972, Sammartino was asked back by McMahon Sr. to regain the title. After refusing McMahon Sr.'s initial offer, Sammartino was offered a percentage of all the gates when he wrestled and a decreased work schedule that only included major arenas. Soon after, Sammartino and then championPedro Morales teamed up for a series of tag team matches. In a televised match,Professor Toru Tanaka blinded both men with salt and they were maneuvered into fighting each other. When their eyes cleared, they kept fighting each other. Two weeks later, all syndicated wrestling shows in the WWWF showed a clip of Sammartino and Morales signing a contract for a title match atShea Stadium. When McMahon Sr. gestured for them to shake hands, both wordlessly turned and walked away. On September 30, 1972, Sammartino and Morales wrestled to a 75-minute draw at Shea Stadium in New York.[23]
Eventually, on December 10, 1973, Sammartino regained the WWWF Heavyweight Championship by defeatingStan Stasiak.[5] During his second reign, on April 26, 1976, Sammartino suffered alegitimate neck fracture in a match againstStan Hansen at Madison Square Garden, when Hansenimproperly executed a move and dropped Sammartino on his head.[9][14] After two months, Sammartino returned and faced Hansen in a rematch on June 25, 1976, atShea Stadium, which was on the closed circuit TV undercard of theAli vs.Antonio Inoki match for WWWF cities. The match was rated 1976 "Match of the Year" byPro Wrestling Illustrated.[24]
In early 1977, Sammartino informed McMahon Sr. that he felt he could no longer continue as champion due to his injuries. On April 30, 1977, he was defeated by Superstar Billy Graham for the title.[5][25] His second title run lasted three years, four months, and twenty days (1,237 days).[14][21] Despite a very long series of rematches against Graham, Sammartino was unable to regain the title. His final attempt was in Philadelphia, just a few days before Graham was scheduled to lose the title toBob Backlund.
After his second reign ended, Sammartino leisurely toured the United States and the world. He wrestled then NWA World Heavyweight ChampionHarley Race to a one-hour draw inSt. Louis. He also wrestled and defeatedBlackjack Mulligan,Lord Alfred Hayes,Dick Murdoch,Kenji Shibuya, and"Crippler" Ray Stevens. Also during this time, Sammartino began serving as color commentator for the WWF's syndicated programs,WWF Championship Wrestling andWWF All-Star Wrestling.
On January 22, 1980, his former studentLarry Zbyszkoturned on him at theWorld Wrestling Federation'sChampionship Wrestling show. Sammartino, shocked and hurt by Zbyszko's betrayal, vowed to make Zbyszko pay dearly. Their feud culminated on August 9, 1980, in front of 36,295 fans at Shea Stadium.[26] As the main event of 1980'sShowdown at Shea, Sammartino defeated Zbyszko inside a steel cage.[26] In his autobiography,Hulk Hogan claimed that his match withAndré the Giant was the real reason for the huge draw at Shea Stadium; however, thefeud between Sammartino and Zbyszko sold out everywhere in the build-up to the show. In contrast, Hogan and André headlined exactly one card inWhite Plains, New York before they wrestled at Shea, and they drew 1,200 in a building that held 3,500.[27]
Sammartino retired from North American wrestling full-time in 1981,[9] in a match that opened theMeadowlands Arena inEast Rutherford, New Jersey. Sammartino pinnedGeorge "The Animal" Steele in his match. Sammartino then finished up his full-time career by touring Japan.
It was during this time Sammartino found out throughAngelo Savoldi, a recently fired office employee of Capitol Wrestling Corporation, that he had been cheated by Vince McMahon Sr. on the promised gate percentages for his entire second title run. Sammartino filed suit against McMahon Sr. and his Capitol Wrestling Corporation.[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.[21]
At the inauguralWrestleMania on March 31, 1985, Sammartino was in his sonDavid's corner for his match againstBrutus Beefcake.[29] The match ended in a double-disqualification after the Sammartinos began brawling with Beefcake and hismanager Johnny Valiant. He returned to in-ring action soon after with his son, as they wrestled against Beefcake and Valiant at Madison Square Garden. The Sammartinos also teamed against "Mr. Wonderful"Paul Orndorff andBobby "the Brain" Heenan in various arenas.[30]
Sammartino's highest-profile feud during this run was with "Macho Man"Randy Savage. An irate Sammartino attacked Savage during a TV interview, after Savage bragged about injuringRicky Steamboat, by driving the timekeeper's bell into Steamboat's throat during a televised match. Sammartino defeated Savage in alumberjack match for theWWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship via disqualification at theBoston Garden.[31] This allowed Savage to keep the championship, as titles cannot change hands via countout or disqualification. He was often teamed withTito Santana and his old enemy George "the Animal" Steele (who was afan favorite at this point in his career) to wrestle Savage and"Adorable" Adrian Adonis. The climax of their feud came was a victory for Sammartino and Santana in a steel cage match in Madison Square Garden. Sammartino also engaged in a feud with "Rowdy"Roddy Piper after Piper insulted his heritage on a segment ofPiper's Pit at Madison Square Garden. Sammartino faced Piper in both singles and tag team matches. Sammartino teamed with Paul Orndorff in his matches against Piper, while Piper would tag with his "bodyguard",Ace "Cowboy" Bob Orton. Sammartino would eventually get the upper hand in the feud, by defeating Piper in a steel cage match at the Boston Garden. In 1986, Sammartino competed in a 20-man battle royal atWrestleMania 2 at theRosemont Horizon in Chicago.[29] Sammartino also challenge newly crowned Intercontinental ChampionThe Honky Tonk Man for the title several times in July. That culminated in a six-man elimination match that saw Sammartino,Jake Roberts andTito Santana defeatWWF Intercontinental Champion The Honky Tonk Man andWorld Tag Team ChampionsHart Foundation,Bret Hart andJim Neidhart, with Bruno pinning Tonk Man for the win.[32]
Sammartino's final match was at a WWF house show in Baltimore on August 29, 1987, where he teamed up with Hulk Hogan to defeatKing Kong Bundy andOne Man Gang in the main event. Sammartino continued doing commentary onSuperstars of Wrestling until March 1988.[17]
After leaving the WWF, Sammartino became an outspoken critic of the path on which Vince McMahon had taken professional wrestling. He particularly criticized the use of steroids and "vulgar" storylines.[33][34][35] He appeared in the media in opposition to the WWF on such shows asThe Phil Donahue Show,Geraldo, andCNN.[citation needed]
Sammartino worked as a commentator for theUniversal Wrestling Federation. On October 28, 1989, Sammartino made a special appearance at the NWApay-per-view eventHalloween Havoc, where he was thespecial guest referee in a "Thunderdome" cage match which featuredRic Flair andSting taking onTerry Funk andThe Great Muta.[17] Sammartino worked several WCW events in a minor analysis role in the early 1990s, as well as a brief run doing color commentary withJim Ross onSaturday Night in 1992. He also acted as special guest referee inWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) for a series of matches between Flair and Randy Savage in June 1996.[17]
In 2006, he signed an independent deal withJakks Pacific to produce anaction figure, which is part of the WWE Classic Superstars line, Series 10.[36]
On March 25, 2010, Sammartino was honoured at the 74th annual Dapper Dan Dinner, a popular awards and charity fundraising event in Pittsburgh, with a lifetime achievement award, for which fellow formerStudio Wrestling personalitiesBill Cardille,"Jumping" Johnny DeFazio,Dominic DeNucci,Frank Durso, andrefereeAndy "Kid" DePaul were all present.[37]
In 2013, Sammartino accepted an invitation for induction into theWWE Hall of Fame, after having declined several times in prior years. He finally accepted the offer to join because he was satisfied with the way the company had addressed his concerns aboutrampant drug use as well as vulgarity.[38] The ceremony took place at Madison Square Garden on April 6, 2013, and Sammartino was inducted byArnold Schwarzenegger.[39] Sammartino appeared on October 7, 2013, episode ofRaw and received a birthday greeting in his hometown of Pittsburgh.[40] On March 28, 2015, Sammartino inducted Larry Zbyszko into the WWE Hall of Fame.[41]
In 2019, Patrea Patrick wrote and directed the documentaryBruno Sammartino emphasizing the influence of his early life in World War II Italy on his subsequent career.[42] Sammartino is also included in two DVDs summarizing his career and life:Bruno Returns to Italy With Bruno Sammartino (2006) andBruno Sammartino: Behind the Championship Belt (2006).[43][better source needed] Both were only released in Pittsburgh. Sammartino is honored on the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame.[44]
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Legends of Wrestling II | Video game debut | [45] |
| 2004 | Showdown: Legends of Wrestling | [46] | |
| 2013 | WWE 2K14 | Downloadable content | [47] |
| 2023 | WWE 2K23 | [48] | |
| 2024 | WWE 2K24 | [49] | |
| 2025 | WWE 2K25 | [50] |
Sammartino was married to his wife Carol from 1959 until his death in 2018. They had three sons together,David and fraternal twins Danny and Darryl. They were grandparents of four grandchildren. The Sammartinos lived inRoss Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh from 1965 on. They now run pros of wrestling, an indie wrestling company based in the Pittsburgh area.[10] In 1998, he said he had been estranged from David since retiring from wrestling against David's wishes for a tag team.[51]
On April 6, 2013, Sammartino received the Key to the City inJersey City, New Jersey.[52] May 17, 2013 was declared "Bruno Sammartino Day" inAllegheny County, Pennsylvania. In 2013, Sammartino appeared as one of the Board of Governors in the nationally televised69th Annual Columbus Day Parade.
In the late 1960s, Sammartino was involved in a fight with former Pennsylvania Athletic Commissioner Joe Cimino. 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. Sammartino ended up in a screaming match with Cimino on Pittsburgh's localStudio Wrestling program, and Cimino suspended him for a month. Irvin Muchnick mentioned the incident in his book,Wrestling Babylon.[53]
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.[54] Watts wrote that Monsoon "soon found himself in deep water" when messing with Sammartino, and he did not go into further detail on the incident out of respect for Monsoon.[54]
On July 26, 2004, Sammartino and Ric Flair were involved in the "Who snubbed who?" non-confrontation at theMellon Arena in Pittsburgh. Flair had denigrated Sammartino's wrestling ability in his bookTo Be the Man.[55] 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.[55]
Sammartino underwent heart surgery in 2011.[14] He died on April 18, 2018, at the age of 82 from multiple organ failure due to heart problems[11] following a two-month hospitalization.[56][57] WWE honored his life with aten-bell salute before a house show inCape Town, South Africa later that day, and again on the 23 April episode ofRaw inSt. Louis, Missouri.[58][59] MayorBill Peduto remembered him as "one of the greatest ambassadors the city of Pittsburgh ever had."[60]
,Cagematch,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling Database
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