Use tab to navigate through the menu items. FULL DESCRIPTION: This photo measures 8 inches by 10 inches.The photo is clean with no staining. Bobo Brazil & Bruno Sammartino & Buddy Austin & Pedro Morales: def. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. I dont know if I should allow him to go in the ring. In 1980, he won the tag team titles with Bob Backlund and was the Intercontinental Champion during the early '80s. Soon after, Sammartino and then champion Pedro Morales teamed up for a series of tag team matches. For half of that time he reigned as World Champion, . Bruno's belt was briefly worn by Ivan Kohloff, 3. [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 program will feature commentary by Richert and by Darryl Sammartino, Bruno's son, per the release. Bruno Sammartino is the greatest world champion in the history of professional wrestling. Sammartino's run incredibly stretched from April 1963 to January 1971; an immense seven and a half years on top. Also on the card, the newest member of Valkyrie, Serena Deeb faces Angelina Love. 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. That victory in 48 seconds began a 2,803-day reign that stands today as the longest in history, by far. 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. You couldnt achieve a higher goal than winning the title. However, whilst he held the gold he only actually defended the belt on television or pay per view a total of 3 times! Bruno Sammartino is one of the defining legends from WWE history. "Retiring you cant explain it; it really takes you down. 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. . You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content, including these Sasha Banks matches on theWWE Network. May 17 - USA Event: Buddy Rogers (c) vs. Bruno Sammartino - Singles match Sammartino won by submission at 0:48. In winning the title, Sammartino became the second WWE Champion in the company's history and did so in just 48 seconds. I was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in that territory, and Vince McMahon, Sr. was near bankruptcy because that was how poorly this place was doing. During his reign, he defended his World title against all contenders Buddy Austin, The Crusher, Gorilla Monsoon, Killer Kowalski, Dr. Jerry Graham, Giant Baba, Boris Malenko, Freddie Blassie, Gene Kiniski, George The Animal Steele, Crippler Ray Stevens, Tiger Jeet Singh, and The Sheik were just some of the names to challenge Sammartino during his reign. Despite this, the reign lasted for alengthy 161 days. However, he is currently on a similar run of holding the belt for an exceptional amount of time with minimal defenses. It was during this time Sammartino found out through Angelo 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. Related. California honored the other state's suspension, leaving Sammartino out of work. [10], When the Sammartinos arrived in the U.S., Bruno spoke no English and was sickly from the privations of the war years. He held the World Wide Wrestling Federation title for more than 11 years, from 1963 to1971, and again from 1973 to1977. 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. [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. 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. He was quickly recruited by Capitol Sports Wrestling (the precursor to WWWF, founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt in 1948, and now under control by Jesss son, Vince McMahon Sr.), but in 1962 he left the promotion. Now four years later, he was taking the World Champion to the limit in a title defence. Any working guy could relate to Bruno the way they related to Steve Austin many years later. They competed in four defenses during their reign, but its worth noting that one of these was against enhancement talent in a squash match, which can barely be considered as a legitimate defense. Defeating Stan Stasiak, Bruno became the first-ever two-time WWE Champion. He wrestled then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race to a one-hour draw in St. Louis. Arguably the greatest wrestling champion of all time. After his second reign ended, Sammartino leisurely toured the U.S. and the world. Many other belts would come his way in his long storied career as well. On December 8, 1969, he teamed with Tony Marino to win the WWWF International Tag Team Championship by defeating The Rising Suns (Tanaka and Mitsu Arakawa). 5 Bruno Sammartino WWE Champion, 2803 Days. 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. 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. Morales would lose his World title to Stan The Man Stasiak in December of 1973, only to lose it nine days later back to Bruno for another lengthy reign (1,237 days, from 1973 through 1977). title(s) WWWF MSG Show (Dec '63) Dec 16th 1963: Bruno Sammartino (c) def. He was 82. In 2006, Bruno Sammartino personally commissioned an autobiographical documentary film, Bruno Sammartino: Behind The Championship Belt. The following title matches feature the WWE Championship. 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. Very bad feelings. That takes your density down to a title defense every 37.9 days. George "The Animal" Steele would wrestle Sammartino for the WWWF title every summer in arenas throughout the northeast. Bruno only gave up his championship when he wanted to, and there was one championship belt he decided never to let go. 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? or scroll down to learn more about the history of Bruno's Belt. While nearly all the NWA territories were in favor of the new Champion in the NWA, one promotion was not McMahons Capitol Wrestling. [11] This made him an easy target for bullies at Schenley High School. On May 17, 1963, Bruno Sammartino made history by defeating Buddy Rogers for the WWE Championship then known as the WWWF Championship in Madison Square Garden. Shinsuke Nakamuraheld the WWE Intercontinental Championship for a total of 201 days throughout the latter half of 2019. Battle Royal: Winner: Bruno Sammartino. His Intercontinental Championship reign is the perfect example of that. International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Bruno Sammartino (Title defense by Bruno. 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 mammoth title reign length, Pete Dunne barely defended his belt in televised appearances. WWE commissioned a statue of Bruno wearing his belt, 6. That firstbelt has been missing for over 50 years and, though still considered stolen property, it is unlikely to be recovered. They were grandparents of four grandchildren. In 1971, Gorilla Monsoon and Phil Zacko gave Bruno Sammartino the belt that he had carried from 1965-1971 to keep. [41][bettersourceneeded] Both were only released in Pittsburgh. (Laughs) Yeah, thats how it happened". [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 New York, you go through an extensive physical to get your license, and every night before you wrestled, you had a physical in the dressing room. RELATED: 10 Superstars Who Were WWE ChampionFor One Day Or Less. At 93 minutes, the reimaged . [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. Company policy meant that Sammartino could not hold two championships simultaneously, so he was replaced by Victor Rivera. Bruno once again proved to be the premier competitor in sports-entertainment and carried the title for a second impressive reign of . Page 12, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 18, 1963. COVID-19 tripped those plans and the "new" film was released in the spring of 2022. 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. That works out at one defense every season, which is an astonishingly small number of matches to prove WALTER is still deserving of his championship. He held the company's top title from 1963 to 1971 and again from 1973 to 1977. 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 . Bruno only gave up his championship when he wanted to, and there was one championship belt he . [49], Sammartino underwent heart surgery in 2011. Sadly, Koloffs reign was short-lived. 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. Sammartino ended up in a screaming match with Cimino on Pittsburgh's local Studio Wrestling program, and Cimino suspended him for a month. Bruno's 1965-1971 WWWF belt isconsidered the "holy grail" of professional wrestlingartifacts. In this Nov. 30, 2000, file photo, former pro wrestler Bruno Sammartino, 65, poses with a painting of him in his pro wrestling prime weighing 275 pounds in 1965 at age 35, in his Pittsburgh home. 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. He actually made his WWWF debut on Spectator Sports TV out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, defeating WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino by count-out (the title cant change hands via count-out). Matches. May 17, 1963: Bruno Sammartino defeated Buddy Rogers with a reverse backbreaker to capture the WWWF World title. I was so beat in so many ways; I was never one to even take an aspirin. 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. 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. The championship remained vacant for over a year. "Superstar Billy Graham v. Bruno Sammartino (MSG 1/12/76) 22. Mr. Sammartino, 50, of Allison Park, was the co-owner of the . This match was booked by NWA promoter Sam Muchnick as a preliminary to the forming of the WWWF, to ensure the dominance of the senior organization and its championship.[18]. By using this site, you agree to the legal terms set out in ourDisclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. In the summer of 1960 James M. In the late 1960s, Sammartino was involved in a fight with former Pennsylvania Athletic Commissioner Joe Cimino. Sammartino, an Italian immigrant who ruled the WWE throughout the 1960s and 1970s, died Wednesday at the age of 82. ), 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. Pedro Morales was the champion from 1971 until 1973. non-confrontation at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. 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 . Fortunately for Bruno Sammartino, his time had now arrived. That record will never be broken. . After Bruno defeated Rogers, just one month later, the first official WWWF (WWE) World Championship was designed. Jamie Greer joined LWOPW in 2015 and was the site's Managing Editor from 2016 through 2020. On January 22, 1980, his former student Larry Zbyszko turned on him at the World Wrestling Federation's Championship Wrestling show. Sammartino also engaged in a feud with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper after Piper insulted his heritage on a segment of Piper's Pit at Madison Square Garden. Sometimes, be they world champions, tag team champions, or otherwise, champions have commitments outside of their championship. Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). "Superstar Billy Graham & Ivan Koloff v. Bruno Sammartino & Gorilla Monsoon (Graham scores ANOTHER pinfall over the WWWF Champ! We never spoke again. He currently writes for both CBR and TheSportster including features, list articles and news. [30], Sammartino's highest-profile feud during this run was with "Macho Man" Randy Savage. 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. Also during this time, Sammartino began serving as color commentator for the WWF's syndicated programs, WWF Championship Wrestling and WWF All-Star Wrestling. Once again a bruising Russian supervillain during the Cold War hysteria of the 1960s, he became a top heel with Maple Leaf Wrestling in Toronto. Sammartino teamed with Paul Orndorff in his matches against Piper, while Piper would tag with his "bodyguard", Ace "Cowboy" Bob Orton. Actor: WWE Smackdown!. Over the course of his record-breaking run, Sammartino successfully retained his title 653 times, including 62 defenses in MSG alone. Answer (1 of 3): I don't think there's any actual record of how many times he defended the belt, because back then there were no RAW or Smackdown television shows, I don't think they were even doing pay-per-views at the time, wrestling back then was totally different, I wasn't born in the 60s but. 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. [20] Sammartino held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship for seven years, eight months, and one day (2,803 days). Bruno Sammartino depicts the exciting story of the championship wrestler and his family's narrow escape from the Nazis in World War II Italy. [11] In 1998, he said he had been estranged from David since retiring from wrestling against David's wishes for a tag team.[45]. 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. After handing over ME duties to Alex Richards, he remains a frequent contributor to the site. Although this promotion was big in its hay-day, I can't find some reliable sources that Wagner keeps defending the title. Morales would hold the title for 1,027 days, but it was clear that Pedro was no Bruno. (1965-1971) Bruno Sammartino is the greatest world champion in the history of professional wrestling. After regaining the title in December 1973 . #1 Bruno Sammartino - 2803 days (May 17, 1963 - January 18, 1971) Bruno Sammartino's inaugural reign as WWWF Champion is the longest World Title reign in WWE history. The other NWA members were not pleased with the situation, and this led to the split. Others say Rogers was reluctant to give up the title after being told prior that he . . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. NEXT: 5 Longest & 5 Shortest WCW Title Reigns. The belt first placed on Bruno's waist in 1963 had actually belonged to Buddy Rogers and was defended in other promotions as a United States title before Rogers brought the belt to the newly formed WWWF where it was briefly used as his makeshift world championship. 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. Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? Bruno is way more impressive than Flair if u ask me. The Northeast would soon break away from the NWA to form the World Wide Wrestling Federation (later known as the WWF and WWE today). Sammartino filed suit against McMahon Sr. and his Capitol Wrestling Corporation. Dr. Jerry Graham: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (Nov '63) Nov 18th 1963: . Terry Funk commented that Sammartino "was bigger than wrestling itself". And a packed Madison Square Garden, who had become accustomed to wildly cheering Bruno Sammartino after each title defense, was shocked into complete silence. But before he was a star wrestler, he was a powerlifter one of the best in the world throughout much of the 1950s and it was his success in that . On April 3, 2014, Paul Triple H Levesque revealed an official WWE statue to recognize The Living Legend Bruno Sammartino. 'The Living Legend' held the world title for over 11 . 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. Sammartino is the longest-reigning WWE Champion in history. Man, everything went so quiet, Koloff remembered (again in quotes from Pro Wrestling Stories). He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son. [32][33][34] He appeared in the media in opposition to the WWE on such shows as The Phil Donahue Show, Geraldo and CNN. "Afterwards, there were obviously bad feelings. In that sense, it's easy to see why WWE fans give Reigns' run the title of historic. 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. [5] He trained in wrestling with Rex Peery, the University of Pittsburgh team coach. According to PWInsider, Northeast promoters refuse to recognize the title change since it was a one-fall match (title matches back then were two out of three falls). In 1986, Sammartino competed in a 20-man battle royal at WrestleMania 2 at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago. Sammartino was the longest-reigning champion in the history of what's now known as WWE. HISTORY: : Sugar Ray Leonard was the winner of a gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. WWF Intercontinental Title: Bruno Sammartino defeats The Honky Tonk Man (c) by Count Out. 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