Bruno Sammartino
| Bruno Sammartino | |
|---|---|
Bruno Sammartino at Celebrate the Season Parade in Pittsburgh, 2005
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| Birth name | Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino |
| Born |
October 6, 1935 Pizzoferrato, Kingdom of Italy |
| Residence | Ross Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Carol Sammartino (m. 1959) |
| Children | 3; including David Sammartino |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bruno Sammartino |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Billed from |
Abruzzo, Italy Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Trained by | Ace Freeman Rex Peery |
| Debut | 1959 |
| Retired | 1987 |
Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (born October 6, 1935) is an Italian-born American retired professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, later World Wrestling Federation, WWF), which is now known as WWE. There, he held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (WWWF Heavyweight Championship during his second reign) for over 11 years (4,040 days) across two reigns, the first of which is the longest single reign in the promotion's history at 2,803 days. Dubbed "The Living Legend", Sammartino is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
Sammartino's wrestling style was more mat-oriented which was typical of wrestlers from his era. His brawling, power moves, and personal charisma helped him become the most popular American wrestler in the 1960s through the mid 1980s. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 6, 2013, by his longtime friend, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Born in Pizzoferrato, Abruzzo, Italy on October 6, 1935, Sammartino was the youngest of seven brothers and sisters. Four older siblings died during his time in Italy. During his childhood, Sammartino's family hid from German soldiers in a mountain called Valla Rocca, during the latter stages of World War II. During this time, Sammartino's mother, Emilia, would sneak into their German-occupied town for food and supplies. In 1950, he moved to the United States and settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where his father had already lived for several years.
When Sammartino first came to the United States, he spoke no English and was sickly from his experiences of surviving during the war years. This made him an easy target for bullies in school. Sammartino wanted to build himself up physically and became devoted to weight training. Sammartino's devotion to weightlifting nearly resulted in a berth on the 1956 U.S. Olympic team. He was edged out by Paul Anderson – who outweighed Sammartino by 70 pounds. In the early years of Sammartino's career, he was measured at 5'10" and weighed around 280 pounds.
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