May 18 - USA Event: Bruno Sammartino (c) vs. Miguel Torres - Singles match Sammartino won. On last night's episode of Table For 3. Bruno's belt now appearsin an acclaimed film, 9. Bruno's belt was briefly worn by Ivan Kohloff, 3. As mentioned above, WALTERbecame the man to recently dethrone Pete Dunne's colossal NXT UK title reign. [49], Sammartino underwent heart surgery in 2011. often gets attributed to other wrestling stories. Rhodes appeared in several multi-man matches during this time such as the Money in the Bank ladder match and the Elimination Chamber, where opportunities at a loftier prize outweighed defending the title he already held. Fifty years ago, on January 18, 1971, Ivan Koloff delivered a Russian Leg Drop to World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino in Madison Square Garden in New York City to get the 1-2-3, becoming only the third man to hold the WWWF World Championship. 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. Sammartino was living proof of the American Dream, an immigrant who left a wartorn time to become an accomplished athlete. Sammartino teamed with Paul Orndorff in his matches against Piper, while Piper would tag with his "bodyguard", Ace "Cowboy" Bob Orton. Despite this, the reign lasted for alengthy 161 days. I conducted a phone interview with wrestling's "Living Legend," Bruno Sammartino, who talked about what he's been up to lately, his thoughts on the WWE Hall of Fame and his memori By Ian Carey Feb 5, 2023. Bruno Sammartino,a 96-minute documentary written and directed by Patrea Patrick and presented by HM3Bruno, has received critical acclaim during the film's limited release in late 2019. During his lengthy reign, Sammartino would defeat every villain set up before him, always managing to hang on to his title belt. 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. 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. Bruno! PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! 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. 18.06.1987. 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. 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. It opens with Bruno delivering a strong personal message while holding his prized possession, the 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship. [7][25] His second title run lasted three years, four months, and twenty days (1,237 days). It was no different on the night of May 17, 1963, whenBruno Sammartino defeated Nature Boy Buddy Rogers to become the WWWF World Champion. Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? 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. Bruno's belt appears on a statue in his hometown, 7. Bruno Sammartino was a 90-pound weakling in high school. Bruno's 1965-1971 version of the championship is the oldest surviving title belt officially created for a champion of World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, which is today the largest and most successful professional wrestling company in the world. In winning the title, Sammartino became the second WWE Champion in the company's history and did so in just 48 seconds. Sammartino finally lost the WWE Championship in January 1971 . RELATED: 10 Failed WWE Champions That Should Have Worked. 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 superstitious blamed New York's descent into hell in the 1970s as punishment for Bruno losing the title. [7] Known for his powerful bearhug[4][5] finishing move, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. In the summer of 1960 James M. [43][44], Sammartino was married to his wife Carol from 1959 until his death in 2018. 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. "Close to working that schedule for eight years, I told Vince McMahon Sr., you better get somebody. Bruno made a film to tell the story behind his belt. Buddy Rogers made these claims in a couple of appearances that he made after losing the belt. California honored the other state's suspension, leaving Sammartino out of work. Send Flowers, Plants & Gifts. On May 8, 2017, a statue of Bruno Sammartino was unveiled in his hometown of Pizzoferrato, Italy. In 1980, he won the tag team titles with Bob Backlund and was the Intercontinental Champion during the early '80s. On September 27, 1965, Bruno wrestled Tarzan Tyler in Madison Square Garden. 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. During one title reign he held the belt for an astonishing 2,803 days, a period positively unheard of in today's wrestling climate. You could hear a pin drop, remembered veteran wrestling journalist Bill Apter in an article for WWE.com recounting his memory at ringside. The International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is proud to enshrine this beautiful and pricelesschampionship belt as the centerpiece of ourmuseum collection. But I made sure I kept my word, and I went through with the match. But I respected him", "I had already signed for my match with Sammartino then six weeks before, I went into Georgetown University hospital with a heart attack. 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. Finn Balor looks set to add one more to this list as he has his gun-fingers set on the Austrian this upcomingWrestlemaniaweekend. . 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. 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. 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]. Still an affiliate under the banner of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Sammartino felt he was stuck in a holding pattern behind NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion, Nature Boy Buddy Rogers, who was Capitols biggest star since winning NWAs top prize in 1961. The city . 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 . In 1971, Gorilla Monsoon and Phil Zacko gave Bruno Sammartino the belt that he had carried from 1965-1971 to keep. Because Monsoon won the match by disqualification, thus Sammartino retained his belt. 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 would againholdthe WWWFChampionship for another1,237 days, from 1973-1977. [15], Sammartino also challenged NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz twice for the championship in Canada. Stay tuned to theLast Word on Pro Wrestlingfor more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. 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. . Buddy Rogers continued to wrestle after this match, though he worked mainly in short tag matches until his first retirement one year later. His second reign began in 1973 and it lasted until he was pinned by "Superstar" Billy Graham in 1977. His Intercontinental Championship reign is the perfect example of that. And a packed Madison Square Garden, who had become accustomed to wildly cheering Bruno Sammartino after each title defense, was shocked into complete silence. Remarkably, Pedro Morales original golden eagle belt was procured from a pawn shop in Manhattan in late 1974/early 1975 for $75 by renowned wrestling historian, Tom Burke. Turner plans to maintain ownership of the 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship for decades to come. Sammartino faced Piper in both singles and tag team matches. But it would be Canadian-born Russian wrestler Ivan Koloff who would put an end to Sammartinos historic reign. 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). [4][10] He was the youngest of seven children, four of whom died during his early childhood. When the doctor heard that, he called Paul Sullivan, who was the head of the state athletic commission. No creases or tear 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. April 18, 2018. 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. Very bad feelings. 10/23/67 Bruno defeated Hans Mortier 6,612 paid $18,136.10. Ivan was awarded Bruno's owntitle belt and carried itfor several weeks during his championship reign. 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.Eager to recapture the support of the immigrant wave that had . Technically, this means three of the first four World Champions of the WWWF wore the same belt; however, Brunos belt was retired and replaced by a significantly lesser-quality belt for Pedro Morales, which did not last long. There are paper champions, there are fighting champions, and there are champions who scarcely put their gold up for grabs. That firstbelt has been missing for over 50 years and, though still considered stolen property, it is unlikely to be recovered. Bruno Sammartino (Title defense by Bruno. [40], Sammartino is included in two DVDs summarizing his career and life: Bruno Returns to Italy With Bruno Sammartino (2006) and Bruno Sammartino: Behind the Championship Belt (2006). With John Atkins, Angela Capri, Primo Carnera, John Cena. "One of the finest men I knew, in life and in business," WWE chairman Vince McMahon said . [48], On July 26, 2004, Sammartino and Ric Flair were involved in the "Who snubbed who?" Ivan Koloff backstage with manager Captain Lou Albano after defeating Bruno Sammartino (Photo: PWI) Sadly, Koloff's reign was short-lived. 2022. "Did I really say to him, We can do this the easy way or the hard way? Many wonder which duo will be next in line to hold these belts. 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. Lou Thesz, a 2x NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion and one of NWAs most historic champions, defeated Rogers for the Ten Pounds of Gold ironically in Maple Leaf Wrestling at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto ending Rogers World title reign at 573-days. Buddy ROGERS vs. Bruno SAMMARTINO NWA WORLD TITLE. (1965-1971) Bruno Sammartino is the greatest world champion in the history of professional wrestling. WWE commissioned a statue of Bruno wearing his belt, 6. On April 6, 2013, Sammartino received the Key to the City in Jersey City, New Jersey. Seth Turner, President of the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, successfully procured the belt. 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 . AIR Awareness Outreach; AIR Business Lunch & Learn; AIR Community of Kindness; AIR Dogs: Paws For Minds AIR Hero AIR & NJAMHAA Conference Ivan Koloff was actually a pro wrestler from Montreal, Quebec in Canada, and after starting out in the Canadian indies in 1961, soon adopted a Russian gimmick, under the name Ivan Zukoff. 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. Sammartino filed suit against McMahon Sr. and his Capitol Wrestling Corporation. For half of that time he reigned as World Champion, . 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. Arguably the greatest wrestling champion of all time. 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. I was in that hospital for up to 5 days before I wrestled. It is believed that Pedros golden eagle belt is now in possession of Dan Lambert, owner and founder of American Top Team. [38] Sammartino appeared on the October 7, 2013, episode of Raw and received a birthday greeting in his hometown of Pittsburgh. 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. By 1971, Bruno Sammartino was beaten up. 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. I was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in that territory, and Vince McMahon, Sr. was near bankruptcy because that was how poorly this place was doing. On January 22, 1980, his former student Larry Zbyszko turned on him at the World Wrestling Federation's Championship Wrestling show. It was the hardest thing in my life to go out of wrestling. He wrestled then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race to a one-hour draw in St. Louis. On AXS (1/19/21) Eric Young versus Rhino. He's also written for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, WrestleZone, The Windsor Star, and other publications. An irate Sammartino attacked Savage during a TV interview, after Savage bragged about injuring Ricky Steamboat, by driving the timekeeper's bell into Steamboat's throat during a televised match. 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. Bruno Sammartino had been wrestling professionally since 1959, and the Italian immigrant who had left to the US with his family from Italy in 1950 after hiding from the Nazis during World War II captivated a rising influx of immigrants into the US during and post-war. Bruno Sammartino: WWWF World Heavyweight Title: WWWF MSG Show (May '77) May 16th 1977: Bruno Sammartino: def. He was inducted into the WWE . Brunopresented hisbelt toPedro Morales, 4. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content, including these Sasha Banks matches on theWWE Network. Sometimes, be they world champions, tag team champions, or otherwise, champions have commitments outside of their championship. "Afterwards, there were obviously bad feelings. Tickets to the screening are $15 for adults, $10 for members and $5 for children. Scroll down to learn more about Bruno's Belt and its journey to the IPWHF. When McMahon Sr. gestured for them to shake hands, both wordlessly turned and walked away. [11] This made him an easy target for bullies at Schenley High School. 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. Irvin Muchnick mentioned the incident in his book, Wrestling Babylon. Bruno Sammartino was the rock that WWE was built upon. [17], In 2006, he signed an independent deal with Jakks Pacific to produce an action figure, which is part of the WWE Classic Superstars line, Series 10. I looked around the arena. While Sammartino remained a popular champion in his second run, before losing to Superstar Billy Graham in April of 1977, it failed to capture the magic of the first run. [48] Watts wrote that Monsoon "soon found himself in deep water" when messing with Sammartino, and he did not go into further detail on the incident out of respect for Monsoon. BILLY GRAHAM IN THE IWE (JAPAN) . You couldnt achieve a higher goal than winning the title. Rogers dropped the title. Just about. That said, Sammartino's record is likely safe, as it's difficult to imagine WWE ever putting a title on someone even remotely as long as his top reign. After Bruno defeated Rogers, just one month later, the first official WWWF (WWE) World Championship was designed. 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. . Rogers retired prior to their scheduled title rematch on October 4, 1963, in Jersey City, New Jersey's Roosevelt Stadium. Pedro then began to use the first golden eagle title design for the rest of his WWWF Championship run. 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. And it was 50-years ago this week that that legendary run came to a shocking end in Madison Square Garden. Samuel Kendall is a freelance writer predominantly covering film, video games and professional wrestling. While on his way to California, he missed two bookings in Baltimore and Chicago, and as a result was suspended in those territories. I cant explain it". Sammartino then finished up his full-time career by touring Japan. [46] May 17, 2013 was declared "Bruno Sammartino Day" in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. 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. 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. 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. [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 won the title on May 17, 1963, defeating Rogers in 48 seconds. Bruno Sammartino: Directed by Patrea Patrick. Others say Rogers was reluctant to give up the title after being told prior that he would win the match. 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. Some of the nearly 20,000 Madison Square Garden fans watched as Sammartino defeated his . B. Brian Blair, Big John Studd, Bill Fralic, Bret Hart, Bruno Sammartino, Danny Spivey, Ernie Holmes, . [15] With Whipper Billy Watson, Sammartino won his first professional wrestling championship in September 1962, the local version of the International Tag Team Championship. I was so beat in so many ways; I was never one to even take an aspirin. To put everything in perspective, if Roman Reigns stays Universal Champion through New Year's Day 2028, he'd still be many, many months short of reaching Sammartino's record title reign length! Bruno is memorialized in the statue wearing his 1965-1971WWWF World Championship. ), 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. The match was scheduled to be concluded quickly so as not to risk Buddy's health any further. "Screwjob" is a term that gets thrown around loosely in the wrestling world. 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. Lengthy championships are a big aspect in wrestling, but it is definitely easier when the champion does not frequently have to defend his title. He became the first wrestler to become a WWE triple crown champion. Sammartino, professional wrestling's "Living Legend" and one of its longest-reigning champions, has died. It took 14 minutes and 55 seconds for Ivan Koloff to defeat Bruno Sammartino that night in New York City. [30], Sammartino's highest-profile feud during this run was with "Macho Man" Randy Savage. That takes your density down to a title defense every 37.9 days. In 2006, Bruno Sammartino personally commissioned an autobiographical documentary film, 5. 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 began working in the NWA territories, such as Georgia Championship Wrestling, St. Louis Wrestling Club, NWA Mid America, and others. [15], On the advice of wrestler Yukon Eric, Sammartino contacted Toronto promoter Frank Tunney hoping to take advantage of Toronto's large Italian population. Pro Wrestling Stories - Your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestlings past! Sammartino worked as a commentator for the Universal Wrestling Federation. Sammartino pinned George "The Animal" Steele in his match. Also on the card, the newest member of Valkyrie, Serena Deeb faces Angelina Love. Fortunately for Bruno Sammartino, his time had now arrived. Despite this mammoth title reign length, Pete Dunne barely defended his belt in televised appearances. 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. Actor: WWE Smackdown!. 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. The MSG title . He said that the grueling schedule was taking its toll on him and he couldn't keep up the pace of it. The statue is over 13 feet talland includes a likeness of his 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship. In 1986, Sammartino competed in a 20-man battle royal at WrestleMania 2 at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago. In 2019, Bruno Sammartino:The Autobiography of Wrestlings Living Legendwas released. Bruno, the Italian superhero from Pittsburgh, battled the 6'6" 315 "Mormon Giant" a number of times in 1973 and 1974 and Jonathan won at least twice. Italian-born American professional wrestler (19352018), World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation (19631981), First World Heavyweight Championship reign (19631971), Second World Heavyweight Championship reign (19721977), Later career and initial retirement (19781981), Non-wrestling roles and WWE Hall of Fame (19882018), During Sammartino's second reign the title was known as WWWF Heavyweight Championship, due to the WWWF rejoining the, the longest single reign in the promotion's history, WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, Ross Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis), WWC North American Heavyweight Championship, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, "Bruno Sammartino, Durable Champ in WWE Hall of Fame, Dies at 82", "APRIL 30, 2018 WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: THE STORY OF BRUNO SAMMARTINO CONTINUED". Late 1967: Sammartino vacated his half of the tag team titles to focus on his world title defenses. Louis. ", 10 Reasons why Bruno Sammartino's 1965-1971 WWWF Title Belt is the 'Holy Grail' of Pro Wrestling Artifacts, 2. ", "Buddy Rogers and I never liked each other. His most notable title defense was a time limit draw with Bruno Sammartino at a Shea Stadium show in 1972. Now, here's the tricky thing. 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. He has now held the belt for 337 days, almost a full calendar year, and yet in that time has only performed in 4 major televised title defenses. 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. [17] Soon, he was in demand by other promoters in different Canadian territories. 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. I didnt get as great as I did in wrestling by not loving it. Twitter: @JustSKendall "Superstar Billy Graham & Ivan Koloff v. Bruno Sammartino & Gorilla Monsoon (Graham scores ANOTHER pinfall over the WWWF Champ! [7] Later that year, he won the International Tag Team Championship for the second time by teaming with Dominic DeNucci. 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. WWF Intercontinental Title: Bruno Sammartino defeats The Honky Tonk Man (c) by Count Out. RELATED: Ruthless Aggression: 10 Title Reigns (That We Completely Forgot About). Flair had denigrated Sammartino's wrestling ability in his book To Be the Man. The Sammartinos also teamed against "Mr. But unfortunately for both WWWF and Buddy Rogers, Rogers rising health issues would become an issue sooner than later following a series of heart issues, it was determined that Rogers could no longer be the face of the company. He was 82. [52][53] Mayor Bill Peduto remembered him as "one of the greatest ambassadors the city of Pittsburgh ever had."[54].

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