He was my mentor." Sammartino and Hulk Hogan the biggest long-term money-making draws in WWE history tagged together in the "Legend's" final . Leave it in the comments below. McMahon knew that a poor showing at the box office could very well bankrupt his Capitol Wrestling Corporation. Hogan wasn't a good champion at all. After all, "Sheiky Baby" is one to nary let a day go by without cursing Hogan's name on Twitter. The Tokyo crowd in attendance threw garbage in the ring and shouted, Money back! On one hand, his popularity transcended pro wrestling and helped spark a tidal wave of success the WWE rode into the 21st century. "The Living Legend" established the brand-new World Wide Wrestling Federation and gave credibility to Vince McMahon Sr.'s new heavyweight championship by building a fan base unlike anyone else until Hulk Hogan. World Bodybuilding Federation Fiasco Where Did It Go Wrong? ", told Sean "X-Pac" Waltman on the "1,2,360" podcast, During an episode of "The Wrestling Shoot Interview" (via EssentiallySports), to let the world know that Hogan was a "phony piece of s***,", nary let a day go by without cursing Hogan's name on Twitter, Greg denied the story in an interview with Sportskeeda, during an interview with "Boston Wrestling. Sammartino detailed his stance on Hogan during an appearance on "Legends with JBL." bench press (competition) (all-division world record ) 5'11, 290 lbs. Ive always enjoyed the process of earning peoples respect and earning my place. However, by the time he was coaxed back into action by Vince McMahon, Hogan was on the top of the wrestling business and ushered in a new boom the wrestling business had never seen before. Philadelphia was way down. Speaking with JBL, Bruno said; Hulk Hogan, look, Im not going to lie. If she felt her life was threatened, why didn't she talk to the cops?". He just didnt have it, so he was okay if you brought him in for a shot here and there. Did you know? Much like Bob Backlund, Sammartino did not approve of Hogan's behavior when the cameras were off . I got along fine with Jesse until Hogan came in. By using this site, you agree to the legal terms set out in ourDisclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. Prior to the Attitude Era, Bruno Sammartino and Hulk Hogan were undoubtedly the top two Superstars in WWE history. I was in my 50s. Bruno went on to tell JBL that Hogan wasn't a big draw in a lot of territories. Below are a few highlights: The Italian-born wrestler was the driving force behind the WWEs success (then known as the WWWF) in the 1960s and the 1970s. The only real period of crossover for the pair came during the 80s. There wasn't much competition back in Sammartino's day. In an interview with Pro Wrestling Radio (via the book The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels), Bruno said he lost respect for Zbyszko after the initial exhibition match."I got mad because what a lot of people don't know is, he really clobbered me with that chair," Bruno said. Bruno Sammartino (born October 6, 1935) is an Italian professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, later World Wrestling Federation, WWF), which is now known as WWE. The ending came when the Sammartinos began brawling with Beefcake and his manager Johnny Valiant. He was a fighting champion and hugely influential on WWE. The good Doctor performed a long-distance lacersphincterostomy (aka tearing one a new hole) on a very startled McMahon. By 1987, Bruno had been relegated to largely working as a sort of standby fill-in on shows. He buried Hogan, sarcastically putting over his technical wrestling ability before segueing into a new feud with Chris Masters. In the shocking declaration, he said that he was never a fan of Hulk Hogan. In March of 2001, I thought it was over with. Bruno Sammartino (1,237 days) After defeating Morales, Stasiak held the title for just nine days before dropping it to Bruno Sammartino, who became the first two-time WWE champion in history. Hulk Hogan (1,474 days) Sitting at No. The two worked together at Survivor Series in 1991 in a match that ended in "The Deadman" pinning Hogan with a Tombstone Piledriver on a steel chair. While record-keeping for that era was less than stellar, its generally agreed Sammartino successfully defended the title approximately four hundred times in that initial reigna more than respectable mark for any fighting champion, and all the while Sammartino remained a respected figure behind the scenes as well. Starring: Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, et al. Related: 9 Things Fans Didn't Know About Gorilla MonsoonNames like Killer Kowalski, Boris Malenko, Freddie Blassie, Gene Kiniski, George The Anmal Steele, and The Sheik are also on the list of challengers Sammartino overcame in that first title reign. Shocking Photos of Long-Haired Wrestlers with Short Hair! $14.43. Backlund and Morales quickly vacated the tag team titles, as due to WWWF rules, any current champion (Backlund) was unable to hold two titles. Now its my chance to sit at the head of the table. However, his animosity towards Hogan would escalate into another incident years, around WrestleMania weekend in 2015. . The Italian immigrant carried the WWWF on his back for more than 11 years and is a product of the McMahon family's championship-centric approach. Bruno, the teacher, transformed into Bruno, the madman. Given Sid's profile as a tall, physical presence in the ring, he was bound to cross paths with Hogan at some point. WWE HULK HOGAN WRESTEMANIA III OFFICIAL LICENSED WM3 ORIGINAL MAGAZINE PROGRAM. The Italian Superman still holds the record for the longest WWE (then WWWF) World Title reign of . Its unbelievable how time flies, and its still a thrill for me. Before "Nature Boy Rick Flair" and "Stone Cold Steve Austin," before Hulk Hogan and the "Executioner," one man dominated championship wrestling like no other. After Bruno Sammartino beat Buddy Rogers to become the second-ever WWE Champion, he defended the title against a laundry list of challengers. I was never a fan of Hogan because I was never impressed with his quality of performance in the ring. On September 30th, 1972, 22,508 fans converged on a cool, rainy Saturday evening for the inaugural Showdown At Shea event. The storyline behind this bout is legendary in the annals of wrestling. It is not known whether or not Hogan has been able to mend fences with the Sheik in recent years, though the two did dress up as one another for Halloween in 2015. "The next week, I was told that Terry [Hulk] would prefer classic heel versus babyface 'like you're in '98.' Who is the most fans in WWE? Stephanie Petit. In his early career, Larry could have easily been mistaken as Brunos younger brother or son, as there were many similarities in both their physique and their wrestling style. Bruno Sammartino and Stan Hansen | The Botch That Broke Bruno, Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant The Truth Behind Their Feud, Muhammad Ali, Antonio Inoki, and the Controversial Birth of MMA. That's why Vince McMahon, Jr. asked me if I'd work Boston. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for WWF BRUNO SAMMARTINO vs RODDY PIPER wrestling ticket stub wwe Jan 1986 at the best online prices at eBay! The finale of this epic Showdown at Shea trilogy featured thirteen matches in front of the then third-largest crowd in American wrestling history: 36,295. WWE had Sammartino as its champ for over seven of its first eight years of existence, and over eleven out of its first fourteen years. As I am sitting here writing this, I wonder why the match would have been billed as a championship match when the championship could not change hands? In his last outing, he wrestled as a tag partner with Hulk Hogan. I never imagined, all these years later, I would still be in the ring and still wrestling. Bruno, at the time a commentator, initially demurred, but due to the overwhelming response of the public (those cards and letters sometimes work, folks! Picture Information. Indeed, Sammartino seven-and-a-half-year reign cemented him as the first true face of WWE. For years, fans had to live with a one-sided account of one of pro wrestling's many mysteries as The Undertaker's commitment to his character knew no equal. Filling in for the likes of Big John Studd when they didnt appear at house shows. Bruno Sammartino (2,803 days) Bob Backlund (2,135 days) Hulk Hogan (1,474 days) Bruno Sammartino (1,237 days) Pedro Morales (1,027 days) Coming in at No. Ive always been fortunate to have a seat at the table, but theres a great deal of pride in being a provider. When Hogan offered to shake Hart's hand, "The Hitman" declined and was whisked away by Steve Austin before he could say anything else. In what was billed as the main event, Antonio Inoki, arguably the greatest wrestler in Japanese history, fought to a draw with World Boxing Association Champion Muhammad Ali, in what was, to put it mildly, a stinkfest. The much-anticipated match took place in Allentown on January 22, 1980, although it would not be seen by the public for several weeks. Bruno Sammartino is one of the defining legends from WWE history. Hulkamania was just becoming the biggest thing in wrestling, with the American Hero persona endearing Hogan to the general audience. The Hulkster went on to play up the injury both in the ring and backstage, leaving The Undertaker mortified with himself that he just injured the WWF's golden goose. By this point in his life, Larry had decided on professional wrestling as his vocation and asked Sammartino to train him and help him break into the business. I know I am way too logical when logic has no place in the mind of a wrestling fan. This inconclusive result enabled the two to take their feud around the proverbial horn, including the hallowed Madison Square Garden. Slaughter. Bruno Sammartino Wrestling Posters, Ric Flair Wrestling Prints, Ric Flair Wrestling Programs, Bruno Sammartino Wrestling Photos, He spoke with Devon "Hannibal" Nicholson in February of 2022 and had very little positive to say on the subject of the Hulkster. A longshot to surpass Bruno Sammartino's whopping 2,803 days at the top of Mount WWE, Reigns has a legitimate chance to move into third place all time, just past the legendary Hulk Hogan. Borne also claimed in a shoot interview (via Boston Wrestling) that he could never look Hogan in the eye or take him seriously as a wrestler due to his phoniness and the way he treated people. "[The selling] was something I did just for my own enjoyment," Michaels told the live crowd. When I went to New York for the very first time, Vince McMahon's Sr. had all these ethnic characters, like Chief Jay Strongbow for the Native Americans, Ivan Putski for the Polish Americans, Bruno Sammartino for the Italian Americans. I also started . This Week in Wrestling 2016 week 34 | Ring the Damn Bell, Black Drop: A History of Black Trailblazers in Pro Wrestling, Downed On The Farm: Top WWE Developmental Prospects That Never Made ItPart 100, Beginner's guide to New Japan Pro Wrestling, History of the WWE Intercontinental Title, Styles Clash: Clash of The Champions Revisited, The Many Failures That 14 Year Old Me Would Never See Coming. Indeed, instances like Triple Hs Reign of Terror or Roman Reigns current run are exceptions, not the rule in WWE lore for this babyface-driven company. However, on three separate occasions (1972, 1976, and 1980), Shea Stadium came to life, as thousands upon thousands of screaming wrestling fans witnessed what would become known as the Showdown At Shea. Zbyszko enjoyed a modicum of success in his early career, wrestling in British Columbia, Japan, and the Mid-Atlantic territory, before returning to his East Coast roots with the WWWF in early 1977. Thankfully, they had experienced a thrilling victory by their hero, Bruno Sammartino, over the Bad Man from Borger, Texas Stan Hansen in the penultimate match. Follow him on Twitter @miketchin. Its hard to walk away. These days, Michaels' resentment of Hogan seems to have waned, as he commented during a Q&A in the UK a few years ago he appreciated the honor of having worked with Hogan. Interference from a DiBiase or Heenan stable causes a no contest, they then go on to face Andre, Bundy, and DiBiase in a handicap match. While John Cena might now be described as the face who runs the place, there is no bigger face in WWE history than that of Hulk Hogan. Father, and My self. Following this playbook, McMahon reached out to the one man who had never let him down, that, of course, being Bruno, to offset the lackluster interest in the closed-circuit contest. First, I will include a brief summary of the results and then expound upon a couple of the contests: Most of these matches were inconsequential and did little to advance existing storylines. He was the world champion, Hogan, and Boston was way down. (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). In the grand finale, Pedro Morales, WWWF World Heavyweight Champion at the time, went to a draw with the former titleholder, Bruno Sammartino. Michael Chin is a writer based in Las Vegas, He writes about pro wrestling for The Sportster and has followed WWE and other promotions for over 30 years. On this night, Mr. Wepner was no match for the Eighth Wonder of the World. And it goes both ways, absolutely, because its the same for me. However, The Undertaker finally opened up to Peter Rosenberg regarding his issues with Hogan. Posted on March 28, 2015. The result was quite graphic and stunning, to say the least. Alas, Hogan never got around to putting Hart over, and "The Hitman" naturally took it personally. A Look Back At Bruno Sammartino's Historic WWE Title Reign, Roman Reigns is currently enjoying a historically long reign as Universal Champion, 9 Things Fans Didn't Know About Gorilla Monsoon, Sammartino remained a respected figure behind the scenes, 10 Worst WWE Wrestlers To Compete For A World Championship At WrestleMania, 10 WWE Storylines Vince McMahon Refused To Book, 10 Things You Should Know About Kevin Nash's Life Outside WWE. Benny J. Scala is a senior writer at Pro Wrestling Stories and co-host of the Dan and Benny In the Ring podcast. I said, 'Vince, what am I making a comeback?' 2015 | NR | CC. No way.. Bruno would hold the then WWWF title for a staggering 2,803 days on his first reign lasting from May 1963 through to January 1971 and then a further 1,237 from December 73 through to April 1977. Bruno Sammartino - When I was a young kid in the mid 80's, the WWF and the Weston mags made Bruno out to be some kind of incredible force of nature. According to "The Deadman," Hogan told him upon impact he had been legitimately injured by the move. Sammartino admitted that he was never impressed with Hogan's in-ring work. Pingback: This Week in Wrestling 2016 week 34 | Ring the Damn Bell, Your email address will not be published. I was never a fan of Hogan because I was never impressed with his quality of performance in the ring. This time, only one problem: Bruno was convalescing in a hospital bed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, trying to recuperate from the severe neck injury he recently sustained. WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan & Bruno Sammartino defeated King Kong Bundy & the One Man Gang when Hogan pinned Bundy (Sammartinos last match). Bruno Sammartino and Hulk Hogan had very little in common from a personality standpoint. Zbyszko then proceeded to retrieve a chair from ringside and clobbered the bewildered and still stunned Bruno. But if youre going to feed him to the public every month in the same place, he couldnt do it. The answer is pretty simple. And probably more of an impact than what Hulk Hogan accomplished because Bruno Sammartino at the time was that example of the true and only pro wrestling hero. While surveillance footage from that day does show Steiner confronting Jennifer, "Big Poppa Pump" denied ever telling her he wanted to kill her husband. In February on WWE Raw, Paul Heyman praised Reigns as better than "any other guy in history", which garnered negative reactions as Heyman stated esteemed wrestling figures, including Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Andr the Giant, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and John Cena, were inferior to Reigns. Brunos PPV appearances were limited, he would be in the corner of his son at the inaugural WrestleMania as the younger Sammartino fought to a double DQ with Brutus Beefcake. Theres an article up at Sports Illustrateds blog where WWE Superstars and Legends talk about WrestleMania and their career. ", his disgust with Hulk over the handling of his son's incarceration after a drunk driving arrest, detailed Steiner's meeting with Carter on an episode of his podcast, "My World. Michaels, who interacted with Hogan throughout the summer lead-up to their match at SummerSlam, grew to be annoyed by Hogan for political maneuvering that had started to become par for the course. They would also team-up to face the likes of Paul Orndorff and Bobby Heenan at various arenas. Recently on WWE Network's Legends With JBL, WWE Hall Of Famer Bruno Sammartino discussed his WWE comeback in 1984. 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