Bruno Sammartino

World champs still reign supreme at fanfest

By STEVEN JOHNSON - SLAM! Wrestling  PRINCETON, NJ - Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. If the testimony of four former world heavyweight wrestling champions is any indication, the body is not very steady, either.
 A quartet of immortals came together Saturday as Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, Harley Race, and Nick Bockwinkel brought a combined 30-plus years of championship reigns to a wrestling reunion in suburban New Jersey.

Aug. 29, 2004: Full story

Website woos Sammartino fans

By STEVEN JOHNSON -- SLAM! Wrestling   TOTOWA, NJ -- Of the nearly two dozen vendors at August's FAN SLAM! wrestling convention, the one that garnered much of the attention was the one with the fewest items to sell. Chalk up that phenomenon to the unflagging popularity of long-time WWWF champion Bruno Sammartino.
  FAN SLAM!, held in suburban New Jersey on August 23rd, was a coming-out party for www.brunosammartino.com, an information and merchandise website devoted to the longest-reigning world champion in history.

Sep 11, 2003: Full story

Sammartino no fan of McMahon

By JOHN MOLINARO -- SLAM! Wrestling  During his two reigns as WWF World champion, Bruno Sammartino defended his title against some of the biggest stars in wrestling. Longtime fans recall his epic tilts with Gorilla Monsoon, "Cowboy" Bill Watts and Pedro Morales. He took on all comers in arenas across the U.S, Canada, Australia and Japan.
 But for all the battles he had in buildings like Madison Square Garden, Pittsburgh Civic Centre and Philadelphia's Spectrum, it's the current feud he is involved in that is the most memorable. Far away from the confines of a wrestling ring, Sammartino has been embroiled in a 15-year feud with WWF owner Vince McMahon Jr. in the ring of public opinion.

Oct 20, 1999: Full story

Sammartino admired Monsoon

By JOHN MOLINARO -- SLAM! Wrestling  Bruno Sammartino turned 64 years old on Wednesday. The former two-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion had plans to go out with his wife and visit his grandchildren. It was going to be a birthday he would never forget.
  And it was, but for all the wrong reasons. Sammartino received a phone call on his birthday that Gorilla Monsoon had passed away. Sammartino was devastated over the passing of one of his contemporaries.

Oct 8, 1999: Full story

Sammartino the Living Legend

By CHRIS SCHRAMM -- For SLAM! Wrestling  Larry Zbyszko is known as the 'Living Legend,' but few remember where that nickname came from.
  When Zbyszko was trying to make a name for himself in wrestling during the late 1970s, he went under the guidance of Bruno Sammartino. Sammartino was known as the 'Living Legend' based on his dominance of wrestling during the 1960s and 1970s.

Sep 15, 1999: Full story