The WWE announced Monday night that Bruno Sammartino will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, reports Pro Wrestling Examiner Kevin Kellam. The revered Italian wrestling champion will be honored at Madison Square Garden the night before Wrestlemania 29.
But wrestling fans who want to hunt for his work on video and DVD will find that trail is pretty slim. The WWE has “The History of the WWE Championship, Vol. 1” on DVD that includes some footage of Sammartino mixed in with that of others.
But there are few full-length videos of his career. An entry of “Greatest Sports Legends” only available on VHS is probably the best bet since it's a full tape of wrestling highlights by Sammartino. “The Best of the WWF, Vol. 1," also on VHS, features Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Gorilla Monsoon, Cyndi Lauper and more. But that about does it. Hopefully, the WWE will do something, but a spokesman Tuesday said he didn't know of any plans, but anything would be announced on WWE.com.
Though a lot of writers speculated this year that Sammartino should be in the WWE Hall, Pro Wrestling Examiner Kevin Kellam nailed it with his prediction in early January that Sammartino would be inducted.
Sammartino, who had turned down offers to become a Hall of Famer in the past, was quoted by the WWE as saying wrestler Triple H had been the turning point in him changing his mind.
"Triple H contacted me and started telling me all the things that had changed and everything that was going on with WWE. I started watching it after talking to him and when I saw it, I was very, very impressed," he said.
We were lucky to see Sammartino wrestle at Madison Square Garden on two occasions. His legendary status back then is something a few so-called “superstars” nowadays would certainly envy.
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