WWE legend Bruno Sammartino dies aged 82
Wednesday 18 April 2018 17:01, UK
WWE legend Bruno Sammartino, who held the company's top title for eight years, has died at the age of 82.
An Italian immigrant, the importance of Sammartino's role in the early days of the then-WWF is second to none and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.
Sammartino began lifting weights as a young man and grew to become one of the strongest men on the planet. After setting a world record in 1959 by bench-pressing 565 pounds, Sammartino caught the eye of Vincent J McMahon, and became a wrestler.
He became an overnight sensation, connecting with not only fellow Italians, but also the Latino, Greek and Jewish communities, successfully bridging the gap in America's melting pot of wrestling fans.
His legend continued to grow on May 17, 1963, when Sammartino defeated Buddy Rogers in just 48 seconds to become the second-ever WWE Champion in front of nearly 20,000 fans at the old Madison Square Garden.
Bruno held the WWE Championship for nearly eight years - by far the longest reign of all time, and a record for all professional wrestling champions, no matter the organisation. A household name all over the country, the beloved hero defended his title in legendary rivalries against WWE Hall of Famers Killer Kowalski, Gorilla Monsoon and George "The Animal" Steele.
In early 1968, Sammartino headlined the first wrestling event at the brand-new Madison Square Garden, just eight days after it opened. The Garden truly was the house that Bruno built, as he sold it out an astounding 187 times.
When he lost the title to Ivan Koloff in 1971, grown men in the crowd were seen weeping, but on December 10, 1973, Sammartino became the first two-time WWE Champion and held the title for an additional three-and-a-half years.
On August 9, 1980, Sammartino defeated his former protege, Larry Zbyszko, inside a steel cage at New York City's Shea Stadium in front of more than 35,000 people. The heated grudge match broke box-office records for wrestling events, and Bruno retired from the ring the following year.
Bruno returned to WWE in the mid-80s as a broadcaster alongside Vince McMahon Jr and as a mentor for his son David, who was just beginning his grappling career.
Now known as The Living Legend, Bruno also engaged in several rivalries with a generation of WWE's greatest villains, including "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, "Macho Man" Randy Savage and The Honky Tonk Man.
He remains forever enshrined in the legacy of both the WWF and Madison Square Garden.
