Bruno Sammartino Dies At Age 82

[Jack-Hammer]

It's being reported that WWE Hall of Famer and legendary powerhouse Bruno Sammartino passed away at his home in Philadelphia following a recent hospitalization. There aren't any details available as the initial reports seem to just be coming out.

Sammartino was really the first example of someone being the face of the company as a two time WWWF Champion with a cumulative total of 4,040 days. Sammartino was also freakishly strong, especially during a period of time in which weightlifting in general was extremely uncommon and was fanatically anti-drug to such an extent that it caused a major rift between himself and his son David. Sammartino also held the world record in the bench press from 1959 through 1967 with an official lift of 565 lbs., or roughly 257 kilos.

Sammartino also had a huge falling out with Vince McMahon that lasted decades but said rift was mended, at least to a huge degree, due to Triple H's involvement. Whatever Trips helped do, it mended things enough so that Sammartino finally accepted a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 and had been a member of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame since 2002.

So long Bruno and thanks for the memories. :wave:

[FunKay]

I've been somewhat harsh on Bruno in discussions about his popularity and contributions to wrestling compared to others, but there's no denying he was the man in the company that grew to become the WWE. His physique, his power and his relatability as an immigrant really made him a people's champion in the North East and his drawing power there is legendary. I'm glad he got to sell out the Garden one more time at the Hall of Fame in 2013 and I'm glad he was able to mend his fences and take his deserved place there within.

Rest in Peace Bruno.

[Elky]

RIP to the original GOAT

[SSJPhenom]

This is sad. My father's favorite of all time is Bruno Sammartino. My father used to tell me all the time when I was a kid, "If you think so and so is good, you should've seen Bruno!". I never could see Bruno until YouTube came around and one day my father and I sat down and watched Bruno feuds and matches the whole day. Made me really come to appreciate how good and how huge of a star the man really was. Bruno, at one point in time, was just as over as anyone has ever been in the business.

Thanks for the memories. Rest in peace.

[#AbsoluteUnit]

RIP.

[Echelon]

A true loss to the professional wrestling world. Bruno was more than just a territorial wrestler. He was an international icon. He was as integral to the growth and prosperity of the WWE as Hogan or Austin. RIP champ.

[Slyfox696]

I saw this on ESPN today. It's weird because of all the wrestlers I thought would go, he never seemed like he'd be one of them anytime soon. He seemed reasonably healthy and unlike other old wrestlers, didn't see overly broken down either.

[Fallout]

This is not at all what I wanted for my birthday.

RIP.

[Jack-Hammer]

I saw this on ESPN today. It's weird because of all the wrestlers I thought would go, he never seemed like he'd be one of them anytime soon. He seemed reasonably healthy and unlike other old wrestlers, didn't see overly broken down either.

I get what you mean. Whenever I saw something with Bruno in it, he just always seemed to be this picture of health and energy. The man had tremendous genetics, no question, as most people 20 his junior didn't seem a fourth as healthy and vigorous.

[smarkmouth]

Honestly, that's how I want to go. Old age, while still having enough vitality that my last years aren't a debilitating struggle just to get up and move. It's sad and unexpected, but in my own estimations, that's better than just sad.

I'm too young to have appreciated Bruno outside of archived tapes, but there's reasonable doubt to say that wrestling would be very different, possibly non-existant today, without him. Thank you, Bruno.