Bruno Sammartino obit

WWE wrestler Bruno Sammartino dies at 82

He was not on the list.
Bruno Sammartino has passed away at 82. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) announced the Italian

hall of fame wrestler's passing in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

The WWE called Sammartino's story and rise to fame "the American dream." He lived in Italy during the German occupation in World War II and later immigrated to the United States in 1950. His family resided in Pittsburgh.

Sammartino set a world record in 1959 for bench pressing 565 pounds which caught the eye of Vincent J. McMahon.


"His legend continued to grow on May 17, 1963, when Sammartino defeated Buddy Rogers in just 48 seconds to become the second-ever WWE Champion in front of nearly 20,000 fans at the old Madison Square Garden, the WWE said in a statement. "Bruno held the WWE Championship for nearly eight years — by far the longest reign of all time, and a record for all professional wrestling champions, no matter the organization."