Post date: Apr 24, 2018 9:47:32 PM
On April 18, 2018, Bruno Leopold Francesco Sammartino, one of the greatest innovators of professional wrestling, passed away. I want to look back at his influential career and his legacy in modern professional wrestling.
Born on October 6, 1935, Sammartino faced struggles in his early life that formed him as a wrestler. As a child, Sammartino and his family were forced to escape to Mt. Valla Rocca after a Nazi invasion of their southern Italian village, Pizzoferrato. During this time, his father had immigrated to America to find work, and his mother had to sneak into their Nazi occupied town to steal food and supplies.
Eventually, after miraculously surviving scarlet fever, Sammartino was reunited with his father in 1950 in Pittsburg, PA. However, America was far from the dream that he has hoped it would be. Speaking no English, Sammartino was mercilessly mocked and bullied by his classmates. Being previously emaciated from his time in hiding, Sammartino turned to weight lifting and wrestling to build himself up.
In 1959, his training paid off when he set a world record, bench-pressing 565 lbs. This feat launched his career, and he soon began working as an Italian professional wrestler for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). His brawling technique and skill in power moves skyrocketed him to the top of American professional wrestling from the 1960’s to the early 1980’s. In his debut in Pittsburg, he pinned his opponent, Dmitri Grabowski, in just 19 seconds.
To win his first world heavyweight championship, he defeated “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers, pinning him in 48 seconds. He kept his title for seven years, eight months, and one one day. During this time, he was known as the strongest man in the world. He had such a high resiliency and tolerance for pain that he broke his neck and three months later was competing again. He continued to battle wrestling’s top athletes, fighting people like Killer Kowalski, Waldo von Erich, Tarzan Tyler, etc. He made these titans submit with his infamous moves: the Canadian Backbreaker (his signature) and the Bearhug (his finisher).
When he finally retired in 1981, Sammartino was remembered for so much more than his success in the ring. He became a role model to thousands of people. He was a family man. He was known as the Italian Stallion. He even met the Pope. He was John Cena, Sr.’s favorite performer. He fought for all of his fans. He was a master of the promo and smack talk. He was the first two time champ. He was a hero who stood against injustice. He brought together all of his fans regardless of race, culture, gender, etc. He represented the American dream to its fullest.
May he rest in peace forever.
-Allen Raja '20