WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Bruno Sammartino dies at age 82
 

World Champion Wrestler Bruno Sammartino has passed away at the age of 82

Bruno Sammartino was the World Wide Wrestling Federation's longest-reigning world champion at the time, holding the title for nearly eight consecutive years. Bruno won his title after beating Buddy Rogers at Madison Square Garden on May 17, 1963.





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Those title reigns are indicative of Sammartino's place as the centerpiece of Vincent J. McMahon's WWWF, which later became the WWF and then the WWE.
"The Italian Superman" headlined more than 180 sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden, and he had memorable rivalries against the likes of Superstar Billy Graham, Killer Kowalski, Gorilla Monsoon and George "The Animal" Steele, among many others.
After a falling-out with the company that lasted more than two decades, Sammartino returned to the fold in 2013, when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Arnold Schwarzenegger at Madison Square Garden.
"Being inducted into the Hall of Fame at Madison Square Gardens is the biggest thing in my life," Sammartino said in an interview with ESPN ahead of his 2013 WWE Hall of Fame induction. "Anytime that people feel that you accomplished enough to enter into a Hall of Fame, of course this is a tremendous, tremendous thrill for me. I had a lot of my success due to appearing at the Garden.”
Sammartino, an Italian immigrant who moved to Pittsburgh in his teens, became a cultural icon throughout the Northeast U.S. during his 30-plus-year wrestling career.



http://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/2...no-dies-age-82



Quote: Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino was born on Oct. 6, 1935, in central Italy, in the town of Pizzoferrato. He was the youngest of seven children of Alfonso and Emilia Sammartino. Four siblings did not survive childhood.
After the father left for America in 1939, the remaining family fled invading German forces during World War II and hid in the mountains of Abruzzo for 14 months, subsisting on little food. After the war, they immigrated to the United States and were reunited with the father in Pittsburgh.
Bruno, a sickly 90-pounder who spoke little English, was a target of bullies at Schenley High School and resolved to build his physique with weight lifting and wrestling. He weighed 225 at graduation in 1953.
He went on to work out with the University of Pittsburgh wrestling coach, Rex Peery, competed in locally televised amateur matches, and narrowly lost a spot on the 1956 Olympic weight-lifting team to Paul Anderson, who won the heavyweight gold medal in Melbourne, Australia.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/18/s...ies-at-82.html



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Sammartino at his home in Pittsburgh in 2000. Credit Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press


I know a number of pro wrestlers, some of whom are older and competed with and against Bruno Sammartino. In a world of cartoonish and buffoonish characters, largely the product of marketing, Bruno was a soft spoken gentleman. I had said to a friend of mine who was a former pro wrestler and who was friends with Bruno that I would like to meet him the next time I was in town. I was a fan of Bruno even though I had no interest at all in wrestling because of his strength of character. I now wish I had done so sooner. I had only seen his wrestling matches in reruns as he was well before my time. Bruno was an example of the American dream, having come from nothing and essentially developed his dream, his way. Further, Bruno's name was synonymous with the word champion and symbolized how indomitable the human spirit is, having overcome the rough start he and his family endured.



Vince McMahon, Chairman & CEO of WWE, Inc. had a few words to say of Bruno's passing


https://twitter.com/VinceMcMahon/sta...38590963830784






Rest in Peace Bruno. You will always be a champion.