Bruno Sammartino, Hall Of Fame Wrestling Legend, Dies At 82

PITTSBURGH, PA - Bruno Sammartino went from the small town of Abruzzi, Italy to the pinnacle of professional wrestling. The longest reigning champion in WWE history and a WWW Hall of Famer has died at 82, the wrestling organization announced Wednesday.

Life wasn’t easy in Mr. Sammartino’s early days. He and his mother hid in a mountain called Valla Rocca during the German occupation in World War II before eventually joining his immigrant father in Pittsburgh in 1950.

According to his WWW biography, Sammartino’s passion for lifting weights led him to become one of the strongest men on the planet. He set a world bench pressing record of 565 pounds in 1959, which attracted the attention of wrestling promoter Vince McMahon.

By 1963, when Mr. Sammartino defeated Buddy Rogers in just 48 seconds, he became the second-ever WWE champion. He held the championship for nearly eight years, a record for any professional wrestling organization, besting other WWE Hall of Famers such as Killer Kowalski, Gorilla Monsoon and George “The Animal” Steele.

He lost the title to Ivan Koloff in 1971, but regained the title in 1973 to become WWE’s first two-time champion. He wouldn’t relinquish the title again for more than three years.

At New York City’s Shea Stadium in 1980, Mr. Sammartino defeated protege Larry Zbyszko in a steel cage before more than 35,000 fans, shattering box office record records for wrestling events. He retired in 1981, but returned to WWE in the mid-80s, broadcasting matches with McMahon.

"One of the finest men I knew, in life and in business," McMahon stated in a Tweet. "Bruno Sammartino
proved that hard work can overcome even the most difficult of circumstances. He will be missed."

Funeral arrangements for Mr. Sammartino were incomplete.

Photo: Getty Images.

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