In a televised match, Professor Toru Tanaka blinded both men with salt and they were maneuvered into fighting each other. 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. 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. If hes willing, then fine., It was funny because Georgiann went and got him, got me, and she stood in the middle. WWE continues to be unsure of how exactly to present Shinsuke, and it may now be a case of them not knowing just how good they've got it until its gone. 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. [29] The match ended in a double-disqualification after the Sammartinos began brawling with Beefcake and his manager Johnny Valiant. He became the first wrestler to become a WWE triple crown champion. At 93 minutes, the reimaged . In this Nov. 30, 2000, file photo, former pro wrestler Bruno Sammartino, 65, poses with a painting of him in his pro wrestling prime weighing 275 pounds in 1965 at age 35, in his Pittsburgh home. However, he is currently on a similar run of holding the belt for an exceptional amount of time with minimal defenses. Now, here's the tricky thing. Buddy Rogers made these claims in a couple of appearances that he made after losing the belt. 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. He would later return for two brief comebacks, and much later as a manager. 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. He said that the grueling schedule was taking its toll on him and he couldn't keep up the pace of it. 1/29/68 Bruno defeated Toru Tanaka in 16:31 Last match held at old MSG 50th Street & 8th Avenue 14,130 paying $42,875.10. I get your point but honestly, I think the amount of defenses should be the #1 criteria. [49], Sammartino underwent heart surgery in 2011. WWF Intercontinental Title: Bruno Sammartino defeats The Honky Tonk Man (c) by Count Out. [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. 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. 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. Bruno Sammartino (Title defense by Bruno. Lonnie Mayne The Glass Eating, Raw Meat Chewing Original Moondog! No creases or tear He particularly criticized the use of steroids and "vulgar" storylines. The Sammartinos also teamed against "Mr. Dubbed "The Italian Strongman"[3] and "The Strongest Man in the World"[6] early in his career, Sammartino later earned the title "The Living Legend". In 2019, Bruno Sammartino:The Autobiography of Wrestlings Living Legendwas released. Rogers pinned Sammartino for the third and deciding fall. Twitter: @JustSKendall He began working in the NWA territories, such as Georgia Championship Wrestling, St. Louis Wrestling Club, NWA Mid America, and others. In addition, Ivelisse has her first title defense against Mercedes Martinez. [4], Sammartino made his professional debut in Pittsburgh on December 17, 1959, pinning Dmitri Grabowski in 19 seconds. HISTORY: : Sugar Ray Leonard was the winner of a gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Buddy ROGERS vs. Bruno SAMMARTINO NWA WORLD TITLE. 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. 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. 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. 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. That made me the number one guy I was going to be the headliner after that, you know? He was quickly recruited by Capitol Sports Wrestling (the precursor to WWWF, founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt in 1948, and now under control by Jesss son, Vince McMahon Sr.), but in 1962 he left the promotion. On June 18 2014, Dr. Wagner, Jr. won the title and has kept it ever since. When the doctor heard that, he called Paul Sullivan, who was the head of the state athletic commission. [43][44], Sammartino was married to his wife Carol from 1959 until his death in 2018. Sammartino, professional wrestling's "Living Legend" and one of its longest-reigning champions, has died. 2/19/68 Bruno won with the backbreaker on Bull Ramos before 13,059 fans in the first match at the new MSG. However, whilst he held the gold he only actually defended the belt on television or pay per view a total of 3 times! 1963 - Bulldog Brower and Johnny Valentine defeat Bruno Sammartino and Whipper Billy Watson to win the Toronto NWA International Tag Team Title in Toronto, Ontario. Brunopresented hisbelt toPedro Morales, 4. WWA World Tag Team Champion (with Dick The Bruiser as Annihilation Inc.) The match was rated 1976 "Match of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.[24]. [32][33][34] He appeared in the media in opposition to the WWE on such shows as The Phil Donahue Show, Geraldo and CNN. [7] During his second reign, on April 26, 1976, Sammartino suffered a legitimate neck fracture in a match against Stan Hansen at Madison Square Garden, when Hansen improperly executed a move and dropped Sammartino on his head. Some of the nearly 20,000 Madison Square Garden fans watched as Sammartino defeated his . [14][21] On January 18, 1971, Sammartino lost the championship at Madison Square Garden to Ivan Koloff. He is overall a two-time world champion in professional wrestling. His final attempt was in Philadelphia, just a few days before Graham was scheduled to lose the title to Bob Backlund. [30], Sammartino's highest-profile feud during this run was with "Macho Man" Randy Savage. BILLY GRAHAM IN THE IWE (JAPAN) . I worked in pain. WWC North American Heavyweight Champion. The city . Head on over to theLWOS Boardsto engage in conversation with fellow fans! Very bad feelings. After the first WWWF World Champion, Nature Boy Buddy Rogers, was hospitalized three times in April 1963 for chest pains, Vince McMahon, Sr. and Toots Mondt made a command decision to make an emergency title switch. His most notable title defense was a time limit draw with Bruno Sammartino at a Shea Stadium show in 1972. [36], In 2013, Sammartino accepted an invitation for induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, after having declined several times in prior years. 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. May 13 - USA Event: Buddy Rogers (c) vs. Bobo Brazil - Singles match Brazil won by disqualification. [49] Flair said Sammartino refused to shake his hand at the event, while Sammartino said Flair saw him coming down the hall, turned, and rushed away. His second reign began in 1973 and it lasted until he was pinned by "Superstar" Billy Graham in 1977. Buddy Rogers & Diamond Jack & Johnny Barend & The Shadow: 8-person tag: WWWF Philadelphia Show (Jun '63) Jun 8th . . It was no different on the night of May 17, 1963, whenBruno Sammartino defeated Nature Boy Buddy Rogers to become the WWWF World Champion. 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. It was dead silence as the new champion left the ring with Albano behind him. Bruno was shattered but more because his body had finally exhausted all its strength after a rugged past decade from fighting for his spot to defending it around the world than at actually losing the title. Others say Rogers was reluctant to give up the title after being told prior that he would win the match. [31] This allowed Savage to keep the championship, as titles cannot change hands via countout or disqualification. Bruno Sammartino was the first two-time WWE Champion. 78 days. Boston 10/21/75) 21. The championship remained vacant for over a year. Bruno had the belt polished andthen maintained personal ownership of his prized possession until he passed away on April 18, 2018. 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. Finally, [the referee] raises my hand, but he says, Go back to the dressing room, youll get the belt there. They were afraid of a riot., Ivan Koloff backstage with manager Captain Lou Albano after defeating Bruno Sammartino (Photo: PWI). He would not be declared champion until April 29th, 1963, having won a fictional tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Hornby had 12,989) WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino revealed why his record-setting WWWF title reign ended. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way!". The Northeast would soon break away from the NWA to form the World Wide Wrestling Federation (later known as the WWF and WWE today). [7] Known for his powerful bearhug[4][5] finishing move, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. 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. Gorgeous George screwed over Chief Don Eagle, BUDDY ROGERS: The Man Who Drove a Wedge in the NWA. Turner plans to maintain ownership of the 1965-1971 version of the WWWF World Championship for decades to come. 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. 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. 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. 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. Let me tell you a little story that happened here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 3.0 3 Ratings. Sammartino actually . A sold-out Garden. You spend your whole life in this particular field, then all of a sudden its no more. [41][bettersourceneeded] Both were only released in Pittsburgh. WWWF referee Dick Kroll had to get Koloff out of the ring. 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