Bruno Sammartino/WWE Hall of Fame

[LWPD]

I'm pleasantly surprised this came about. Major props to Triple H for closing this deal, and congrats to a very deserving Bruno Sammartino!

Courtesy of wwe.com
Press Release

STAMFORD, Conn., February 4, 2013 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) announced today that Bruno Sammartino will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at Madison Square Garden.

Sammartino, nicknamed “The Living Legend,” is a two-time WWE Champion and the longest reigning WWE Champion in history, holding the title for a combined 11 years. His first title reign began on May 17, 1963, where he defeated “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers at Madison Square Garden. After losing the Championship in 1971, he regained the title on December 10, 1973, defeating Stan Stasiak at Madison Square Garden, holding the Championship until April 30, 1977. When he retired from the ring, Sammartino became a color commentator for WWE’s syndicated Superstars program and stepped back into the ring on special occasions. After his departure in 1988, Sammartino was openly critical of WWE, and for many years declined the offer to be inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame, citing concerns with WWE’s content and culture.

“For my fans around the world, I am pleased to be joining the WWE Hall of Fame, especially at Madison Square Garden,” said Bruno Sammartino.

“Having sold out more than 200 shows at Madison Square Garden and being the longest reigning WWE champion in history, Bruno Sammartino is truly ‘The Living Legend,’” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman and CEO. “This is an extraordinary and historic moment to have Bruno take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.”

Tickets for the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are currently available through all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. All tickets are subject to service charges and facility fees. For more information on Bruno Sammartino, please visit www.BrunoSammartino.info.

[The B-Mack]

Let's get this guy signed to the game now as it seems he might be mellowing in his old age. If he can say yes to Vince, why not Tom

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[Bazzy]

I get the feeling , Bruno hasnt wanted to go in the HOF for years . Whats his problem with it ?

[allnitelong]

Bruno was a favorite of mine when I was growing up...dating myself here..ha ha..still his reign will never be broken in this era of wrestling...Bruno had issues with the way Vince was going with WWF...HHH must of sold Bruno real good...To get him to come around...IMO he should have been the first to go in.

[LWPD]

Feb 5, 2013 4:23:18 GMT -5 Bazzy said:

I get the feeling , Bruno hasnt wanted to go in the HOF for years . Whats his problem with it ?

There is bad blood between Bruno and Vince that dates way back to the National Expansion era. Bruno was staunchly against the culture change with-in the industry, and was often a public critic of the controversies that surrounded the WWF after his break from the organization. Another lingering issue was Bruno's son David having 'allegedly' been used as leverage during his brief run with the company, which ultimately ended in termination and family estrangement.

Nevertheless, a classy video announcing his induction:

[Big Bri]

Could there have been a spoiler alert placed on this thread title? I'm thrilled to hear that Bruno is going in but would've liked to been surprised by seeing the announcement on RAW.

Anyhoot, I hope Bruno replaces Foley as the headliner. Seeing that Foley went to so many old school cards at MSG and probably knows full and well the legend Bruno is, he'll step aside and allow (let's hope he demands) Bruno to headline.

Wouldn't it be cool for Foley to get inducted, give his speech, and then go right into inducting Bruno?

[todd]

Feb 4, 2013 19:59:39 GMT -5 The B-Mack said:

Let's get this guy signed to the game now as it seems he might be mellowing in his old age. If he can say yes to Vince, why not Tom

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That's an excellent point and I have a feeling eventhough it hasn't been mentioned that money might have had to something to do with Bruno changing his mind. In a lot of interviews I've seen over the years Bruno mentions the amount of money current WWE wrestlers earn giving me the impression he's pretty bitter about it. I've known quite a few old school wrestling fans over the years who shared Bruno's dislike of modern wrestling and especially the WWE. I have to wonder how they feel about this and if they consider Bruno sort of a sell out. I remember seeing an interview from last year where Bruno criticizes Brett Hart for coming back to work for Vince after saying he wanted nothing to do with him ever again. Bruno has been saying the same thing and a lot more for years and years

[Kamala]

Feb 5, 2013 22:25:11 GMT -5 Big Bri said:

Could there have been a spoiler alert placed on this thread title? I'm thrilled to hear that Bruno is going in but would've liked to been surprised by seeing the announcement on RAW.

Anyhoot, I hope Bruno replaces Foley as the headliner. Seeing that Foley went to so many old school cards at MSG and probably knows full and well the legend Bruno is, he'll step aside and allow (let's hope he demands) Bruno to headline.

Wouldn't it be cool for Foley to get inducted, give his speech, and then go right into inducting Bruno?

Bruno is the headline not even a question!

[cruefan68]

I am so happy that this has happened. Kudos to Triple H for getting it done and there isn't a more deserving member of the WWE Hall of Fame than Bruno Sammartino as he was pretty much the foundation of the company.

[Spider Kid]

I'm glad he is going in but he may end up getting mad again like Billy Graham, and selling his stuff he got from it.. Vince did do him wrong, and it is a shame that Vince will pay millions for a non-wrestler, then pay a true legend who worked hard for this sport and pays them couple hundred. Very shamefull.