Bio
Bruno Sammartino was an Italian professional wrestler who is considered one of the biggest legends in the history of professional wrestling. He has a record of holding the WWE World Championship for 2803 days and this record is intact even after 53 long years. The Legend passed away in April 2018.
Bruno Sammartino Height, Weight, Age & More:
The billed height of Sammartino was 5’10” and his billed weight was 265 lbs. He had an excellent physique and it was totally natural. He was always immune from alcohol and each and every type of intoxication, he also campaigned against such things throughout his life. He was born on 6 October 1935 and the legend was 82 year old at the time of his death on April 2018.
Bruno Sammartino: Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Net Worth, Family, Injury Details, Tattoo, and Other Unknown Facts
Bruno Sammartino Early Life
Sammartino was born on 6 October 1935 and he was 82 year old at the time of his death on 18 April 2018. Pizzoferrato, Abruzzo, Kingdom of Italy is the place where Bruno Sammartino born. He was born in a family of seven and he grew up in poverty. They also faced great difficulties due to World War II. His family arrived in the United States in 1950 and settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Who is Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Sammartino was an Italian professional wrestling legend who passed away on 18 April, 2018 at the age of 82. He wrestled throughout 60s, 70s, and 80s and he is considered one of the biggest legends in the history of professional wrestling. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
Bruno Sammartino WWE Debut
Sammartino signed a professional contract with WWWF (WWE) in 1963 after having and excellent career outside of the promotion. During that time WWE also crowned their first world champion. But the champion Buddy Rodgers was having health issues and Vince McMahon Sr. had to look for a new World Champion. Sammartino defeated Rodgers on May 17, 1963 to win its first World Championship.
Professional Wrestling Career
Early Career
Sammartino joined the world of professional wrestling in late 1959 at the age of 24. His in ring debut to place in December of the mentioned year when he defeated Dmitri Grabowski. It took him only 19 seconds to pin him. It was really iconic way to start his legendary professional wrestling career. Unfortunately, there is no information available about Dmitri Grabowski apart from being the first ever opponent of the great Sammartino.
MSG Debut
Sammartino made his debut in the famous Madison Square Garden of New York in January 1960 where he defeated Bull Curry. He had been pretty impressive from the very first day of joining the world of professional wrestling as he had several top victories over some of the biggest names in the world of wrestling in different promotions.
Joining WWE
In early 1963 he joined WWE for the first time in his career. The promotion was known as World Wide Wrestling Federation WWWF. The promotion was Crowning their first World Champion during the time and it was the original Nature Boy Buddy Rodgers. But soon after his World Championship win, there was a certain Healthcare of Rodgers and Vince McMahon Sr. had to find a new World Champion for his promotion.
First World Title Reign
In May 1963, Sammartino challenged Rogers for the WWWF World Championship and it took him only 48 seconds to defeat Rogers. He was only 27 year old during the time and it was also his first major championship win. This title win was the beginning of one of the best Championship reigns in professional wrestling history.
Setting a Record
This Championship reign went on for eight long years. He kept on retaining the Championship until January 1971, for 2803 days. Even after 53 long years, the record still stands strong. There are rumours that WWE might be considering Roman Reigns to beat this record. But these are all rumours and it is nearly impossible to break this record ever.
Professional Information Table
|
Ring Name |
Bruno Sammartino |
|
Bruno Sammartino Nick Names |
The Italian Strongman, The Strongest Man in the World, The Living Legend |
|
Profession(s) |
Professional Wrestler |
|
Bruno Sammartino Height |
5’10” |
|
Bruno Sammartino Weight |
265 lbs. |
|
Relationship Status |
* |
|
Bruno Sammartino Net Worth |
$4 Million |
|
Bruno Sammartino Eye Color |
Blue |
|
Hair Color |
Dark Brown |
|
Wrestling Debut |
1959 |
|
Mentor |
* |
|
Bruno Sammartino Signature Moves |
Abdominal Stretch, Body Slam, High Knee, Running Big Boot |
|
Finishing Move(s) |
Bearhug, Canadian Backbreaker Rack, Hammerlock |
|
Theme Song / Bruno Sammartino Song / Bruno Sammartino Music |
Head For Home |
|
Catchphrases |
*
|
Bruno Sammartino Net Worth & Salary
The legendary professional wrestler past away in April, 2018. According to reports from various media sources, he had a reported net worth of $4 million at the time of his death. There are also reports that he earned something around $50,000 as his annual salary from WWE during his late career. Reports also suggest that he signed with the promotion for a reported annual salary of $35,000 at first.
Bruno Sammartino Family
Sammartino was born on 6 October 1935 in Pizzoferrato, Abruzzo, Kingdom of Italy. He was born in a family of seven and he had a very difficult childhood since he had to grow up in poverty. He was the son of Alfonso and Emilia Sammartino. His family moved to United States of America in 1950 and second to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Championships and Accomplishments
Sammartino is one of the most successful figures in the world of professional wrestling in terms of winning championships. He is the longest reigning WWE world champion and it is nearly impossible to ever break his record. He has also won multiple other prestigious championships from all over the world of wrestling.
Championships and Accomplishments Table
| Championships and Accomplishments / Trophy (WWE) | WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (2 times), WWWF United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Spiros Arion, WWWF International Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with The Battman (1, unrecognized) and Dominic DeNucci (1), WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2013), WWE Bronze Statue (2014) |
| Awards & Achievements (Outside WWE) | George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame – Class of 2019
International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame – Class of 2021 International Sports Hall of Fame – Class of 2013 Keystone State Wrestling Alliance – KSWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2012) NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (1 time), NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version) (1 time) – with Whipper Billy Watson NWA Hollywood Wrestling – Los Angeles Battle Royal (1972) Pro Wrestling Illustrated – Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1976), Match of the Year (1972) Battle royal, Match of the Year (1975) vs. Spiros Arion, Match of the Year (1976) vs. Stan Hansen, Match of the Year (1977) vs. Superstar Billy Graham, Match of the Year (1980) vs. Larry Zbyszko at Showdown at Shea, Stanley Weston Award (1981), Wrestler of the Year (1974), Ranked No. 200 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the “PWI Years” in 2003 Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum – Class of 2002 World Wide Wrestling Alliance – Hall of Fame (Class of 2008) WWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dick the Bruiser WWC North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Wrestling Observer Newsletter – Feud of the Year (1980) vs. Larry Zbyszko, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996) |
| Records | Longest reigning WWE World Champion Ever (2803 days) |
Personal life & Lifestyle
Sammartino’s eldest son David Sammartino was also a professional wrestler. He had a three decade long wrestling career and he also worked in WWE during the 1980s. He had a lot of potential when he started wrestling, PWI even selected him as the Rookie of the Year in 1981. But somehow, he got lost in the shuffle.
Personal Information Table
|
Bruno Sammartino Real Name / Full Name |
Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino |
|
Birth Date
|
6 October 1935 |
|
Bruno Sammartino Age |
82 (at the time of his death in 2018) |
|
Relationship Status |
* |
|
Zodiac Sign |
Libra |
|
Birthplace |
Pizzoferrato, Abruzzo, Kingdom of Italy |
|
Nationality |
Italian |
|
Hometown |
Pizzoferrato, Abruzzo, Kingdom of Italy |
|
School/College/University |
Schenley Apartments |
|
Educational Qualification |
Not known |
|
Religion |
Christianity |
|
Bruno Sammartino Ethnicity |
White |
|
Current Residence |
* |
|
Hobbies |
Weightlifting and Wrestling |
|
Bruno Sammartino Tattoo |
* |
Bruno Sammartino Movies and TV Shows
Sammartino never considered acting as a professional career and professional wrestling has always been his primary career goal. However, he has appeared in a number of wrestling based documentary movies. There is also a documentary released in 2019 solely based on him. He will always be remembered as one of the biggest legends in wrestling history.
Bruno Sammartino Wife
Sammartino married Carol Sammartino in 1959. Together the couple lived for nearly six long decades. They lived together the death of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. The couple had three children together. One of them is David Sammartino who was also a professional wrestler and worked mainly during the 80s.
Further Success
Dropping the Title
In January 1971, Sammartino dropped the Championship to Ivan Koloff in Madison Square Garden. Sammartino recalled once that the entire arena was completely shocked after he was beaten and there was pin drop silence. It was the end of his iconic World Championship rain which is still a record and nearly impossible to be ever beaten.
Second World Title Reign
Sammartino won the Championship back after almost 3 years. This time the champion was Stan Stasiak and Sammartino defeated him to win his second WWE World Championship. His second reign was nothing less than a record either. This time he kept on retaining the championship for a stunning 1237 days. This record is recently beaten by Roman Reigns.
On April 1977, Sammartino dropped the Championship to “Superstar” Billy Graham. This match is also considered one of the most shocking matches of the time. Billy Graham also retained the championship for nearly 300 days. He dropped the Championship to one of the rising top stars; Bob Backlund.
Career After Dropping The Title
This was Sammartino’s last World Championship run in WWE and after dropping the Championship to Billy Graham, he could never win the WWE World Championship back. Apart from being the World Champion of WWE, Sammartino had also been an excellent Tag Team wrestler in the promotion as he won multiple Tag Team Championships.
Final Days
Sammartino has also won multiple other prestigious championships outside of WWE. He remained active in the world of professional wrestling until August 1987. He is still considered one of the biggest legends and inspirations in the world of professional wrestling. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. In April 2018, the legendary professional wrestler passed away at the age of 82.
Iconic Quotes From Bruno Sammartino
“Kurt Angle, I knew he was from Pittsburgh and I knew his background very well and his amateur days and, of course, going to the Olympics and all that. When he went into professional wrestling, he was very good at adjusting and displaying a lot of great moves. It was something that the fans could look at a say, hey, that’s wrestling.”
“When I broke my neck, I was told that I came within a millimeter of dying or being paralyzed from the neck down. When it happened, I was numb on one side. In spite of how serious they were telling me it was, I never took it seriously. I kept saying it’s going to be OK, I trained too hard to get hurt. Which is silly.”
“I really don’t understand because I love opera, because I respect the Michelangelos and da Vincis, that it should be shocking because I am a wrestler. Because I am a wrestler does it mean that I am some kind of a robot who only knows to go into the squared circle and pound on somebody?”
“After I retired, I spent a quarter of a century in the business, and when I retired and a new regime took over, Vince McMahon Jr. and that, and in the beginning I went back to help out. I color commentated with him, but then I started to see things that were disturbing to me.”
“Throughout the ’60s and ’70s, I saw many operas in New York and Philadelphia. When people found out about that, they were always shocked, because I was a professional wrestler. Why are athletes any different than any other profession? People have many other interests.”
“Honestly, when I left the business, in time, some people might remember you and some might say they knew the name. But, people move on and there are new interests and all kinds of different things go on all the time. So, it surprised me how people have not forgotten.”
“If I were to tell you that my day was all pure wrestling, I wouldn’t be honest with you. Because there were crooked promoters. There were a lot of guys that knew that they couldn’t even compete with other guys. But to suggest that every match was like that wouldn’t be true.”
Notable Feuds and Rivalries of Bruno Sammartino
Professional wrestling was not as regular during the time of Sammartino as it is right now. But still, Sammartino had some excellent rivalries with some of the biggest names in wrestling. Professional wrestling legend Gorilla Monsoon was one of his biggest rivals it was really amazing to see these two legends working together inside the ring.
WWE Hall of Famer Stan Stasiak had also been a big rival of Sammartino and the two thoroughly feuded for the WWE World Championship. Ivan Koloff, Killer Kowalski, and “Superstar” Billy Graham were also big Rivals of Sammartino. It was Ivan Koloff who ended the epic eight year long World Championship reign of Sammartino.
Bruno Sammartino Injury
Sammartino had a brief rivalry over the WWE World Championship with Stan Stasiak after Sammartino defeated him to win his second WWE World title. They had a series of matches and while defending the title against Stasiak in 1976, Sammartino’s neck was accidentally fractured by Stasiak after he botched a move. This injury kept Sammartino out of action for a couple of months.
Other Details
Sammartino has also appeared in a number of video games. During his prime, video games were still not developed enough and when the first WWE video game released in 1989, he was already retired from in ring action. But he appeared in a number of recent video games. He appeared as a playable character in WWE 2K23 which is also the latest installment in the WWE video game series. He was rated 100 in this video game.
|
Bruno Sammartino Salary |
* |
|
Brand Endorsements |
WWE Merchandise |
|
Sponsors |
* |
|
Charity |
* |
Bruno Sammartino Social Media Accounts
Unfortunately, Sammartino passed away in April 2018, and he does not have any verified accounts on any social media sites like Twitter and Instagram.
Bruno Sammartino Win Loss Record
| Promotion | Win % | Draw % | Loss % |
| AJPW | 2 (66.67%) | 1 (33.33%) | 0 (0.00%) |
| AWA | 1 (33.33%) | 1 (33.33%) | 1 (33.33%) |
| MLW (Canada) | 2 (66.67%) | 0 (0.00%) | 1 (33.33%) |
| NWA | 7 (77.78%) | 2 (22.22%) | 0 (0.00%) |
| WrestleReunion | 0 (0.00%) | 1 (100.00%) | 0 (0.00%) |
| WWF | 21 (84.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 4 (16.00%) |
| WWWF | 116 (73.42%) | 20 (12.66%) | 22 (13.92%) |
| TOTAL | 149 (73.76%) | 25 (12.38%) | 28 (13.86%) |
Bruno Sammartino Manager
During Sammartino’s time, the concept of managers in wrestling was not very popular. Wrestling was not regularized like today’s wrestling either. But during his later career, Sammartino had been managed by a number of names. He had also been managed by some of his Tag Team partners from time to time.
FAQS
Q. When did Bruno Sammartino start wrestling?
A. Bruno Sammartino started working in 1959
Q. How tall is Bruno Sammartino in feet?
A. Bruno Sammartino is 5’10” tall in feet
Q. Who is Bruno Sammartino manager?
A. Bruno Sammartino did not work with any regular manager
Q. What is current Bruno Sammartino song?
A. Bruno Sammartino used the song ‘Head For Home’
Q. Who is Bruno Sammartino mother?
A. Bruno Sammartino’s mother was Emilia Sammartino
Q. Who is Bruno Sammartino father?
A. Bruno Sammartino’s father was Alfonso Sammartino
Q. Who is currently Bruno Sammartino girlfriend?
A. Bruno Sammartino married to Carol Sammartino until his death in 2018
Q. Who is Bruno Sammartino brother?
A. Bruno Sammartino was the youngest of seven siblings
Q. How much is Bruno Sammartino worth?
A. Bruno Sammartino’s net worth is something around $4m at the time of his death
Q. How many times Bruno Sammartino won the WWE World title?
A. Bruno Sammartino had been a two times WWE World Champion