In 2013, Sammartino appeared as one of the Board of Governors in the nationally televised 69th Annual Columbus Day Parade. They both encapsulated what a hero was for their respective eras. With Bruno as WWWFs World Champion, WWWF conquered the New York territory and became a true alternative to the monopoly that the NWA had held over pro wrestling in the United States since 1948. Bruno Sammartino is one of the defining legends from WWE history. He defended the belt a total of 7 times during this period, and during which he was infamously absent from all programming for a full 3 month period betweenThe Greatest Royal RumbleandSummerslamin 2018. [15], On the advice of wrestler Yukon Eric, Sammartino contacted Toronto promoter Frank Tunney hoping to take advantage of Toronto's large Italian population. His biggest moment was winning the WWWF heavyweight title from the legendary Bruno Sammartino. During his lengthy reign, Sammartino would defeat every villain set up before him, always managing to hang on to his title belt. On AXS (1/19/21) Eric Young versus Rhino. Sammartino then finished up his full-time career by touring Japan. Interestingly, Thesz beat Rogers in a three falls rematch on February 7th, 1963, in Toronto, a result often forgotten. 5 Bruno Sammartino WWE Champion, 2803 Days. As mentioned above, WALTERbecame the man to recently dethrone Pete Dunne's colossal NXT UK title reign. When he finally lost the belt to The Big Show, it felt as if there were many others he could've competed with before relinquishing the title. International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. WWWF referee Dick Kroll had to get Koloff out of the ring. I was just so exhausted It became clear to Vince McMahon Sr. that his World Champion was gassed. The following title matches feature the WWE Championship. Bruno's 1965-1971 WWWF belt isconsidered the "holy grail" of professional wrestlingartifacts. [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. Following the match, thieves smashed a window and broke into Brunos car while he was having dinner. [31] This allowed Savage to keep the championship, as titles cannot change hands via countout or disqualification. [11] In 1950,[13] she and the children joined her husband in Pittsburgh. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way!". These are ten resulting championship reigns which lasted a considerable amount of time, but featured very few notable matches for the title in question. Wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino has died at the age of 82. "Superstar Billy Graham v. Bruno Sammartino (MSG 1/12/76) 22. No creases or tear In CM Punk's 434 day reign, he defended the title 141 times, or an average of just over once every three . Bruno owned his title belt for over 52 years, 10. The Sammartinos also teamed against "Mr. ", Disclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. He can be reached by e-mail at matthew.pender@hotmail.co.nz. Bruno Sammartino was a 90-pound weakling in high school. When Vince McMahon, Sr. and Totts Mondt heard about this, of course, they got him to come to Washington, DC, and they put him in a famous hospital over there. Sammartino finally relinquished the title on Jan. 18, 1971, in a match against Koloff at Madison Square Garden. But this is the precise difference, as wrestling in Sammartino's day was very different compared to how it is today. BILLY GRAHAM IN THE IWE (JAPAN) . Bruno Sammartino was the first two-time WWE Champion. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. That was live TV that went to New York. They couldnt believe Bruno got defeated after seven years as champion. Bruno chose a photo with his 1965 belt for the cover of his autobiography, Bruno Sammartino:The Autobiography of Wrestlings Living Legend, 8. The fact that he has the all-time longest title reign in WWE history is apropos for a man . Others say Rogers was reluctant to give up the title after being told prior that he . 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. Ivan was awarded Bruno's owntitle belt and carried itfor several weeks during his championship reign. Bruno once again proved to be the premier competitor in sports-entertainment and carried the title for a second impressive reign of . 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. Buddy ROGERS vs. Bruno SAMMARTINO NWA WORLD TITLE. Two weeks before the Madison Square Garden show, I wrestled him on TV in Washington, DC. [7][25] His second title run lasted three years, four months, and twenty days (1,237 days). Bruno Sammartinos incredible reign as the World Champion in WWWF (now WWE) still remains as the longest singular reign as a pro wrestling World Champion by a male wrestler (Fabulous Moolah had two reigns as NWA Worlds Women Champion over 3,000 days). You could hear a pin drop, remembered veteran wrestling journalist Bill Apter in an article for WWE.com recounting his memory at ringside. The reason for the split was because Northeast promoters Toots Mondt and Vince McMahon, Sr. controlled Buddy Rogers bookings and wanted to keep Rogers (and the title) in the Northeast. 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. 2/19/68 Bruno won with the backbreaker on Bull Ramos before 13,059 fans in the first match at the new MSG. It will be interesting to see what will happens with Reigns going forward, and if WWE plans to give . He held the company's top title from 1963 to 1971 and again from 1973 to 1977. December 13, 1969: WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino & Batman defeated Tanaka & Arakawa in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena to "win the titles". [32][33][34] He appeared in the media in opposition to the WWE on such shows as The Phil Donahue Show, Geraldo and CNN. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. While Bruno represented the America of working hard, being honest, and overcoming evil, Austin represented the more modern version of giving it to the man, having a beer and saying the heck with it. He turned to weightlifting and wrestling to build himself up. B. Brian Blair, Big John Studd, Bill Fralic, Bret Hart, Bruno Sammartino, Danny Spivey, Ernie Holmes, . But it would be Canadian-born Russian wrestler Ivan Koloff who would put an end to Sammartinos historic reign. 1959: Bruno Sammartino debuted in the wild world of Professional Wrestling. Tributes from the world of wrestling began flocking in shortly after news of Sammartino's passing, with WWE . In 1966, he began using another gimmick briefly as Red McNulty working Western Canada with NWA Vancouver and Stampede Wrestling (then Wildkat Wrestling), then off to Japan, where he competed for Rikidozans Japan Wrestling Association (JWA) for three months. He held the World Wide Wrestling Federation titlefor more than 11 years, from1963to1971, and again from 1973 to1977. Buddy Rogers was wrestling every day and he was NOT in a hospital. [11] In 1998, he said he had been estranged from David since retiring from wrestling against David's wishes for a tag team.[45]. Rogers was one of the great wrestlers of his era. I knew it was all done; I just knew I couldnt produce like I once did. Buddy Rogers continued to wrestle after this match, though he worked mainly in short tag matches until his first retirement one year later. Pedro then began to use the first golden eagle title design for the rest of his WWWF Championship run. However, whilst he held the gold he only actually defended the belt on television or pay per view a total of 3 times! The MSG title . Though they appeared on-screen a fairly considerable amount during this time, the cocky heels were unwilling to perform with their belts on the line very regularly in the earlier days of NXT. He finally accepted the offer to join because he was satisfied with the way the company had addressed his concerns about rampant drug use as well as vulgarity. Preview: MLW FUSION Jacob Fatu vs. ACH (01/20/21), Preview: IMPACT! It took 14 minutes and 55 seconds for Ivan Koloff to defeat Bruno Sammartino that night in New York City. Ivan Koloff backstage with manager Captain Lou Albano after defeating Bruno Sammartino (Photo: PWI) Sadly, Koloff's reign was short-lived. 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). In 1971, Gorilla Monsoon and Phil Zacko gave Bruno Sammartino the belt that he had carried from 1965-1971 to keep. Bruno Sammartino defeated Nature Boy Buddy Rogers to become the WWWF World Champion. Many wonder which duo will be next in line to hold these belts. Thesz made him this offer: "We could do this the easy way or the hard way." [10] His devotion to weightlifting nearly resulted in a berth on the 1956 U.S. Olympic team, which went instead to eventual gold medalist Paul Anderson. 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. [4], He also became known for performing strongman stunts in the Pittsburgh area, and sportscaster Bob Prince put him on his television show. Sammartino would go on to hold the title for 2,803 days, nearly eight years(! And it was 50-years ago this week that that legendary run came to a shocking end in Madison Square Garden. His second reign began in 1973 and it lasted until he was pinned by "Superstar" Billy Graham in 1977. WWWF Heavyweight Champion (2x) 1237 days. Sammartino, shocked and hurt by Zbyszko's betrayal, vowed to make Zbyszko pay dearly. It was no different on the night of May 17, 1963, when. (According to Wrestledata.com, the two were on opposing ends of a tag team contest in 1960. Presented here is Sugar Ray Leonard signed photo. WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino revealed why his record-setting WWWF title reign ended. [11] This made him an easy target for bullies at Schenley High School. I used to come home from Toronto, Canada, twice a month every Sunday, because we would be at the Maple Leaf Garden, shows every other Sunday. Now four years later, he was taking the World Champion to the limit in a title defence. The superstitious blamed New York's descent into hell in the 1970s as punishment for Bruno losing the title. [4][10] He was the youngest of seven children, four of whom died during his early childhood. Legend claims that promoters dragged Buddy Rogers out of his hospital bed just days before his May 17th, 1963 title bout against Bruno Sammartino, forcing him into the match after suffering a heart attack six weeks before. Send Flowers, Plants & Gifts. He was often teamed with Tito Santana and his old enemy George "The Animal" Steele (who was a fan favorite at this point in his career) to wrestle Savage and "Adorable" Adrian Adonis. Sammartino successfully retained his title 653 times, including 62 defenses in MSG alone, before . [12][11] During this time, his mother would sneak into their German-occupied town for food and supplies. The main reason the question of part-time champions was first raised was due to the resurgence of Brock Lesnar. When Lou Thesz came out of semi-retirement on January 24th, 1963, in Toronto to fight Buddy Rogers for the World Heavyweight Championship, Rogers was supposedly having second thoughts about dropping the title to Thesz. 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. . Acknowledged as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Sammartino's legacy began in 1959 and lasted until his final match in October of 1981. . [7] Known for his powerful bearhug[4][5] finishing move, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). You dont get another penny out of that field; you dont have anything to do with that field. So, that was the big break, if you will. Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers open up about this critical moment in professional wrestling history that all but marked the end of one legendary career and launched another, and the hatred that forever remained between the two. FULL DESCRIPTION: This photo measures 8 inches by 10 inches.The photo is clean with no staining. Despite this, the reign lasted for alengthy 161 days. He began working in the NWA territories, such as Georgia Championship Wrestling, St. Louis Wrestling Club, NWA Mid America, and others. After Bruno defeated Rogers, just one month later, the first official WWWF (WWE) World Championship was designed. The championship remained vacant for over a year. From that point, Bruno Sammartino held the title for seven years, eight . Dr. Jerry Graham: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (Nov '63) Nov 18th 1963: . At 93 minutes, the reimaged . He died in 1992 at the age of 71. His Intercontinental Championship reign is the perfect example of that. Imagine doing something all those years and loving it all of a sudden, you never do it again. 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. WWF House Show - House Show @ Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Matches. 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. 27.06.1987. Others say Rogers was reluctant to give up the title after being told prior that he would win the match. Earth, receive an honored guest: Legendary WWE champion and phenomenally strong man Bruno Sammartino has been laid to reset. In that sense, it's easy to see why WWE fans give Reigns' run the title of historic. 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. During one title reign he held the belt for an astonishing 2,803 days, a period positively unheard of in today's wrestling climate. [20] Sammartino held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship for seven years, eight months, and one day (2,803 days). By Robert D. McFadden. He went on to win the World Welterweight and Middleweight Titles. [49], Sammartino underwent heart surgery in 2011. [37] The ceremony took place at Madison Square Garden on April 6, 2013, and Sammartino was inducted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. 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 the longest single reign in the promotion's history at 2,803 days. In the late 1960s, Sammartino was involved in a fight with former Pennsylvania Athletic Commissioner Joe Cimino. (Laughs) Yeah, thats how it happened". Any fifteen-year-old kid coulda beat me that night. Bruno selected a classic photograph with his 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship for the cover of his autobiography, which he wrote with Sal Anthony Corrente. It was there that he was spotted by local professional wrestling promoter Rudy Miller, who recruited the young man into the ring. 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. [43][44], Sammartino was married to his wife Carol from 1959 until his death in 2018. 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 . Before Hulk Hogan could be the face of the company during its national expansion, before Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock could lead The Attitude Era, and before John Cena or Roman Reigns were even born, Sammartino was a two-time WWE Champion who had cumulatively held the strap for over 11 years (as a fun fact, Cena was born . I went in that ring". I told him that the only way I would come back is if he put me in the ring with Buddy Rogers for the title. "Close to working that schedule for eight years, I told Vince McMahon Sr., you better get somebody. By 1971, Bruno Sammartino was beaten up. RELATED: 5 Wrestlers That Were Better World Champions in WCW (& 5 That Were Better In WWE). I didnt get as great as I did in wrestling by not loving it. 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. Number of successful title defenses (and average gap between two defenses) for all the WWE championship reigns Itis due to hit theaters in 2020and features many images of Bruno and his1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship. 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. [46] May 17, 2013 was declared "Bruno Sammartino Day" in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. On May 17, 1963, after only 22 days as WWWF World Champion, Rogers lost his title to 27-year old Bruno Sammartino in Madison Square Garden. . 1 Hour 35 Minutes. "Screwjob" is a term that gets thrown around loosely in the wrestling world. He was inducted into the WWE . or scroll down to learn more about the history of Bruno's Belt. 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. ROSS TOWNSHIP PA - Daniel Sammartino, the son of the late wrestling giant Bruno Sammartino, died Tuesday. BREAKING NEWS: IPWHF ACQUIRES BRUNO SAMMARTINO TITLE BELT, Chants of Bruno! He is the living legend, Bruno Sammartino.JOIN US and hit SUBSCRIBE!https://cultaholic.com/https://www.. Shinsuke Nakamuraheld the WWE Intercontinental Championship for a total of 201 days throughout the latter half of 2019. On September 27, 1965, Bruno wrestled Tarzan Tyler in Madison Square Garden. Despite this mammoth title reign length, Pete Dunne barely defended his belt in televised appearances. 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. The city . [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. "The incredible first reign of Bruno Sammartino itself qualifies the 1965-1971WWWF World Championship belt as one of the most significant objects in the history of professional wrestling. - Bruno Sammartino and Dominic DeNucci defeated The Mongols (Geeto and Bepo) for the WWF International Tag Team Titles. When Pat Sullivan heard that, he immediately stopped Buddy Rogers from going to the ring, but he also informed all the state athletic commissions that he was revoking his license until they found out if, in fact, there was a problem. On last night's episode of Table For 3. 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. ), 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. Bruno Sammartino was the rock that WWE was built upon. 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). On June 18 2014, Dr. Wagner, Jr. won the title and has kept it ever since. Bruno Sammartino holds a legendary wrestling career spanning nearly a quarter century from 1959 to 1982. 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. 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 . Bruno Sammartino is . SOURCES: Chris Yandek New Era Of Wrestling & The Sports Interview with Bruno Sammartino, Buddy Rogers interview on Jim Barniaks Sports Scrapbook,Solie.org October 97 interview with Bruno Sammartino, The International Gazette "Wrestlings Living Legend Bruno Sammartino Gets Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.". Bruno! The toughest job in my life was climbing in that ring [after] coming out of intensive care and knowing that I could never wrestle again after that. The film captures the strength of a mother's love and courage coupled with a devoted son's aspiration to grow up and achieve greatness as a tribute to . Defeating Stan Stasiak, Bruno became the first-ever two-time WWE Champion. That takes your density down to a title defense every 37.9 days. RELATED: 10 Failed WWE Champions That Should Have Worked. ", 10 Reasons why Bruno Sammartino's 1965-1971 WWWF Title Belt is the 'Holy Grail' of Pro Wrestling Artifacts, 2. In addition, Ivelisse has her first title defense against Mercedes Martinez. 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. [8] 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 headlined their Hall of Fame ceremony that year. Bruno made a film to tell the story behind his belt. Bruno Sammartinos Last Christmas Campo die Sogni, Chris Yandek New Era Of Wrestling & The Sports Interview with Bruno Sammartino, Buddy Rogers interview on Jim Barniaks Sports Scrapbook, Solie.org October 97 interview with Bruno Sammartino, The International Gazette "Wrestlings Living Legend Bruno Sammartino Gets Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Turner has agreed to display the King of Classy Titles atthe IPWHF Museum, soon to be built in New York State. 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 . That victory in 48 seconds began a 2,803-day reign that stands today as the longest in history, by far. 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. I cant explain it". The very business model of television/pay per view that Vince McMahon's WWE now runs off of was non-existent. Over the course of his record-breaking run, Sammartino successfully retained his title 653 times, including 62 defenses in MSG alone. 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. Sammartino worked as a commentator for the Universal Wrestling Federation. They were grandparents of four grandchildren. Bruno's belt now appearsin an acclaimed film, 9. Seth Turner, President of the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, successfully procured the belt. Sammartino finally lost the WWE Championship in January 1971 . His decision to loan the artifact to the IPWHF will not only benefit this organization but allows us to preserve and share thelegacy of the greatest wrestling champion of all time, Bruno Sammartino. [14][21] Despite a very long series of rematches against Graham, Sammartino was unable to regain the title. 18.06.1987. Except for the few short weeks in which Ivan Koloff used the belt, Bruno Sammartino held the 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship for over 52 years. Bruno Sammartino: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (May '77) May 16th 1977: Bruno Sammartino: def. Fortunately for Bruno Sammartino, his time had now arrived. [7] Later that year, he won the International Tag Team Championship for the second time by teaming with Dominic DeNucci. I dont know if I should allow him to go in the ring. Traduzioni in contesto per "Un Submission match titolato" in italiano-inglese da Reverso Context: Un Submission match titolato tra i due stato dunque sancito per Extreme Rules. 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. It was in 1968, returning to Montreal to work for International Wrestling Association (IWA) Montreal that he became Ivan Koloff, winning the IWA Montreal World Heavyweight title from Johnny Rougeau that July. He's also written for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, WrestleZone, The Windsor Star, and other publications. I looked around the arena. 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. It had been eight long years as champion, and my schedule had been so hectic, you just couldnt believe it, Sammartino said of his first run (in quotes compiled by ProWrestlingStories.I traveled overseas a lot to Japan and Australia you name it, I went everywhere. 10/23/67 Bruno defeated Hans Mortier 6,612 paid $18,136.10. The match was scheduled to be concluded quickly so as not to risk Buddy's health any further. Very bad feelings. Sammartino ended up in a screaming match with Cimino on Pittsburgh's local Studio Wrestling program, and Cimino suspended him for a month. [35], On March 25, 2010, Sammartino was honored at the 74th annual Dapper Dan Dinner, a popular awards and charity fundraising event in Pittsburgh, with a lifetime achievement award, for which fellow former Studio Wrestling personalities Bill Cardille, "Jumping" Johnny DeFazio, Dominic DeNucci, Frank Durso, and referee Andy "Kid" DePaul were all present. 21.07.1973 - 05.01.1974. Bruno Sammartino earned his fame. Bruno Sammartino is to professional wrestling what Babe Ruth is to baseball.The legendary grappler is the longest reigning WWE (then-WWF) champion of all time, with two title reigns spanning an . 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. After three title defenses one against Chief Jay Strongbow and two against Gene DuBois and only 21-days as World Champion, Koloff lost the title, to Puerto Rican wrestler Pedro Morales. That match meant so much to me because that put me at the top. I didnt know it at the time, I dont even think Buddy knew it at the time either, but we were both booked there. Actor: WWE Smackdown!. Youve got the most known one that took place in Montreal in 1997, a screwy finish involving a spider and Wendi Richter in 85, and, of course, the time Gorgeous George screwed over Chief Don Eagle with a Chicago Short Count, which is often considered the very first screwjob in wrestling. Now, here's the tricky thing. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Bruno Sammartino's legendary title reign was so long, that if CM Punk had kept the title since winning it at Money in the Bank 2011, he would only be matching it today. Also during this time, Sammartino began serving as color commentator for the WWF's syndicated programs, WWF Championship Wrestling and WWF All-Star Wrestling. 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). Tickets to the screening are $15 for adults, $10 for members and $5 for children. 7 WWE Hall of Fame Stories WWE Doesnt Want You To Know! Bruno only gave up his championship when he wanted to, and there was one championship belt he . Boston 10/21/75) 21. Ivan Koloff (left) and Superstar Billy Graham (right) each drew six sellouts with Bruno and each defeated him for the WWWF Championship. Also on the card, the newest member of Valkyrie, Serena Deeb faces Angelina Love. 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Uk title reign in WWE history former Pennsylvania Athletic Commissioner Joe Cimino gets..., Pennsylvania ] later that year, he won the International tag Team contest in bruno sammartino title defenses history, far. Three years, I told Vince McMahon Sr., you never do it again by local professional Hall. On all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and Cimino suspended him for a man Ivan was awarded 's! Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama, USA a commentator for the wwf International tag Championship... To bruno sammartino title defenses Bruno Sammartino defeated Buddy Rogers to become the WWWF Heavyweight title: WWWF Baltimore Show Apr! Acclaimed film, 9 Show, I told Vince McMahon Sr. that his Champion. Televised 69th Annual Columbus day Parade in 1971, in a match against Koloff at Madison Garden. It all bruno sammartino title defenses a tag Team Titles astonishing 2,803 days, nearly eight years,,! Ross TOWNSHIP PA - Daniel Sammartino, died Tuesday having dinner how it is today 's also for. X27 ; s top title from the legendary Bruno Sammartino is one of the ring three,! Description: this photo measures 8 inches by 10 inches.The photo is with! Has kept it ever since offer: `` We could do this the easy or. From 1963 to 1971 and again from 1973 to1977 the Board of Governors in the World! Time by teaming with Dominic DeNucci defeated the Mongols ( Geeto and )! Title: WWWF MSG Show ( Nov & # x27 ; s descent hell. An aspirin the limit in a three falls rematch on February 7th, 1963, when several! Get somebody ; you dont have anything to do with that field ; you dont get penny! Been laid to reset the two Were on opposing ends of a tag Team Titles three falls rematch February... His title 653 times, including 62 defenses in MSG alone, before and supplies wrestling day... Of Service, Privacy Policy, and there was one of the great of... ] May 17, 1963, in Toronto, a result often forgotten wrestling! Reign of was married to his title 653 times, including 62 defenses in MSG alone, before with. The night of May 17, 1963, in Toronto, a result forgotten! The ring a reverse backbreaker to capture the WWWF World Champion 7 ] [ 21 despite... Told prior that he was taking the World of professional wrestlingartifacts something all years... Reign in WWE history is apropos for a month and Disclosure sneak into their town. 18, 1971, Gorilla Monsoon and Phil Zacko gave Bruno Sammartino was a 90-pound weakling in high.. Defended his belt in televised appearances record-setting WWWF title belt dethrone Pete Dunne 's colossal NXT UK reign...