The life of Bruno Sammartino won’t soon be forgotten.
Sammartino died today (April 18) at the age of 82. WWE made the announcement this morning. Sammartino leaves behind his wife Carol and their three sons.
It’s almost an understatement to call Sammartino a legend. He is the longest reigning WWE champion and nobody comes close to the length of his combined reigns. He held the championship for 2,803. His second reign was shorter, but he still maintained gold for a whopping 1,237 days.
This record is unlikely to be broken as times have changed. During his prime, Sammartino carried the World Wide Wrestling Federation on his back. He eventually had a falling out with Vince McMahon over the direction that the industry was going in.
To the surprise of many, Sammartino accepted a WWE Hall of Fame invitation in 2013. The WWE made numerous attempts in the past for obvious reasons. It isn’t much of a pro wrestling Hall of Fame if Sammartino isn’t inducted.
The timing couldn’t be any better. The 2013 Hall of Fame ceremony was held inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was in that building where Sammartino tore the house down with many other wrestlers who would also become legends.
We here at SEScoops.com send our condolences to the family of Bruno Sammartino.
