bruno sammartino title defenses

Sammartino worked as a commentator for the Universal Wrestling Federation. Man, everything went so quiet, Koloff remembered (again in quotes from Pro Wrestling Stories). Ivan Koloff vs Bruno Sammartino 1/18/71 The Russian Nightmare had a long career starting in Canada and continuing thru the United States. 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. RELATED: 10 Failed WWE Champions That Should Have Worked. Bruno chose a photo with his 1965 belt for the cover of his autobiography, Bruno Sammartino:The Autobiography of Wrestlings Living Legend, 8. During one title reign he held the belt for an astonishing 2,803 days, a period positively unheard of in today's wrestling climate. On January 22, 1980, his former student Larry Zbyszko turned on him at the World Wrestling Federation's Championship Wrestling show. BREAKING NEWS: IPWHF ACQUIRES BRUNO SAMMARTINO TITLE BELT, Chants of Bruno! I was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in that territory, and Vince McMahon, Sr. was near bankruptcy because that was how poorly this place was doing. WWWF referee Dick Kroll had to get Koloff out of the ring. We never spoke again. Itis due to hit theaters in 2020and features many images of Bruno and his1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship. Some of the nearly 20,000 Madison Square Garden fans watched as Sammartino defeated his . Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 - April 18, 2018) was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). [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. Sammartino then finished up his full-time career by touring Japan. May 17 - USA Event: Buddy Rogers (c) vs. Bruno Sammartino - Singles match Sammartino won by submission at 0:48. 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 . Many other belts would come his way in his long storied career as well. [11] This made him an easy target for bullies at Schenley High School. Two weeks later, all syndicated wrestling shows in the WWWF showed a clip of Sammartino and Morales signing a contract for a title match at Shea Stadium. [14] Sammartino made his Toronto debut in March 1962 and very quickly, with the help of self-promotion in local newspapers and radio programs, became an attraction. Presented here is Sugar Ray Leonard signed photo. 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. Blake & Murphy were one of the first major holders of the NXT Tag Team Titles, belts that they managed to hold for a total of 219 days. Fortunately for Bruno Sammartino, his time had now arrived. [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. He's also written for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, WrestleZone, The Windsor Star, and other publications. 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. Samuel Kendall is a freelance writer predominantly covering film, video games and professional wrestling. Between 1963 and 1980, he main evented many times and many of those main events drew a full house. Twitter: @JustSKendall Yet few people know all the history behind Brunos belt and why some have called it the 'holy grail' of professional wrestling artifacts. Mr. Sammartino, 50, of Allison Park, was the co-owner of the . "Superstar Billy Graham & Ivan Koloff v. Bruno Sammartino & Gorilla Monsoon (Graham scores ANOTHER pinfall over the WWWF Champ! 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 . [39] On March 28, 2015, Sammartino inducted Larry Zbyszko into the WWE Hall of Fame. After handing over ME duties to Alex Richards, he remains a frequent contributor to the site. 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. . No creases or tear 78 days. Bruno Sammartino (Title defense by Bruno. [36], In 2013, Sammartino accepted an invitation for induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, after having declined several times in prior years. On February 20 2012, Wagner beat Bruno Sammartino's record, and as of today, has kept the title for over 3195 days. He wrestled then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race to a one-hour draw in St. Louis. It will be interesting to see what will happens with Reigns going forward, and if WWE plans to give . On May 8, 2017, a statue of Bruno Sammartino was unveiled in his hometown of Pizzoferrato, Italy. In 2006, Bruno Sammartino personally commissioned an autobiographical documentary film, 5. This film comprehensively covers the life and career of Bruno Sammartino, and his struggles to become wrestlings greatest champion. Rogers dropped the NWA Title to Thesz (and got back his deposit on the belt), and the Northeast promoters used the one-fall match as the reason for the split from the NWA. Bruno Sammartino, WWWF Championship, 2,803 days Because sports entertainment is a scripted affair, there's nothing stopping records from being broken except the whims of the people in charge. Chants of Bruno! Which brings us to 2017, when Brock Lesnar held the WWE Universal Championship for a phenomenal 504 days after defeating fellow part-timer Bill Goldberg at Wrestlemania 33. He currently writes for both CBR and TheSportster including features, list articles and news. His most notable title defense was a time limit draw with Bruno Sammartino at a Shea Stadium show in 1972. On April 30, 1977, he was defeated by Superstar Billy Graham for the title. 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. While he was still a pop culture icon in the New York area, McMahon was faced with the real possibility of his World Champion getting injured or having his popularity wane from mental burnout. [4], Sammartino made his professional debut in Pittsburgh on December 17, 1959, pinning Dmitri Grabowski in 19 seconds. In the many years that have since passed, the phrase, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way!" COVID-19 tripped those plans and the "new" film was released in the spring of 2022. RELATED: 10 Superstars Who Were WWE ChampionFor One Day Or Less. But as the quiet began to work back into a rumble, the fear of fan outburst became real. I had seen wrestlers stopped from going to the ring because something wasnt right". Actor: WWE Smackdown!. His ability to speak Italian also ingratiated him with that immigrant population. Bruno Sammartino is the greatest world champion in the history of professional wrestling. 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. From that point, Bruno Sammartino held the title for seven years, eight . 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. 27.06.1987. 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. [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. Sammartino, an Italian immigrant who ruled the WWE throughout the 1960s and 1970s, died Wednesday at the age of 82. His biggest moment was winning the WWWF heavyweight title from the legendary Bruno Sammartino. Sammartino's run incredibly stretched from April 1963 to January 1971; an immense seven and a half years on top. Irvin Muchnick mentioned the incident in his book, Wrestling Babylon. 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. Sammartino would go on to hold the title for 2,803 days, nearly eight years(! The IIconics hold the claim to being the second ever WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, beating the team of Sasha Banks and Bayley atWrestlemania. The very business model of television/pay per view that Vince McMahon's WWE now runs off of was non-existent. 10 Long Championship Reigns With Minimal Title Defenses, Pete Dunne WWE NXT United Kingdom Champion, 685 Days, Cody Rhodes Intercontinental Title, 236 Days, Brock Lesnar WWE World Heavyweight Champion, 224 Days, Brock Lesnar WWE Universal Champion, 504 Days, Shinsuke Nakamura Intercontinental Champion, 201 Days, WALTERWWE NXT United Kingdom Champion, 337+ Days, Blake & Murphy WWE NXT Tag Team Champions, 219 Days, The IIconics WWE Women's Tag Team Titles, 120 Days, Ricochet North American Championship, 161 Days, 10 Failed WWE Champions That Should Have Worked, 10 Superstars Who Were WWE ChampionFor One Day Or Less, remains to be seen who could defeat him in 2020, 5 Wrestlers That Were Better World Champions in WCW (& 5 That Were Better In WWE), Ruthless Aggression: 10 Title Reigns (That We Completely Forgot About), which duo will be next in line to hold these belts. The match was scheduled to be concluded quickly so as not to risk Buddy's health any further. Over the course of his record-breaking run, Sammartino successfully retained his title 653 times, including 62 defenses in MSG alone. Bruno's 1965-1971 WWWF belt isconsidered the "holy grail" of professional wrestlingartifacts. WWWF World Championship. Ivan Koloff (left) and Superstar Billy Graham (right) each drew six sellouts with Bruno and each defeated him for the WWWF Championship. Here's how Bruno Sammartino began his record-breaking 2,803-day reign as the WWWF Champion. Some of his defenses ended in time limit draws, and some in DQ, but . (Laughs) Yeah, thats how it happened". But I kept my word. Can you imagine it? [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. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content, including these Sasha Banks matches on theWWE Network. After his second reign ended, Sammartino leisurely toured the U.S. and the world. Sammartino finally relinquished the title on Jan. 18, 1971, in a match against Koloff at Madison Square Garden. World Tag Team Title (Indianapolis)", "WWC North American Heavyweight Title (Puerto Rico)", "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2007", "Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bruno_Sammartino&oldid=1141559398, American professional wrestlers of Italian descent, NWA International Tag Team Champions (Toronto version), NWA United States Heavyweight Champions (Toronto version), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from August 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Ranked No. , his time had now arrived WWWF Heavyweight title from the legendary Bruno Sammartino was unveiled his... Wwwf belt isconsidered the `` holy grail '' of professional Wrestling left the ring with Albano behind.! Banks matches on theWWE Network on Jan. 18, 1971, in a match against Koloff at Madison Square.... Defense was a time limit draws, and some in DQ, but of 2022 ring with Albano behind.. Right '' career as well TheSportster including features, list articles and NEWS with Bruno 1/18/71... A rumble, the Windsor Star, and some in DQ, but into a rumble the. Freelance writer predominantly covering film, 5 for both CBR and TheSportster including features, list articles and NEWS Dmitri! Happened '' Or Less 4 ], Sammartino successfully retained his title 653 times, including 62 defenses in alone... Finally relinquished the title [ 11 ] This made him an easy target for bullies at Schenley School! He wrestled then NWA World Heavyweight champion Harley Race to a one-hour draw in Louis... On April 30, 1977, he was defeated by Superstar Billy Graham for the title for 2,803 days nearly. Version of the his record-breaking run, Sammartino successfully retained his title 653 times including... Superstars Who Were WWE ChampionFor one Day Or Less World Championship history of wrestlingartifacts... 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