Never having been much of a pro wrestling fan, I knew next to nothing about Bruno Sammartino, outside of his name, when he passed a little over three years ago. However, I was stunned at the time to see the outpouring of love and affection for the man when it happened, and it led me to seek out more information into who he was.
When I say I’m not a fan of wrestling, that characterization only applies to watching the matches themselves. I often find documentaries and biographies on the wrestlers themselves to be fascinating and irresistible…and the tale of Pittsburgh’s own Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino is no exception.
From his earliest days as a young child, on the run from Nazis in his native Italy, to his rise to mega-stardom as a professional wrestler, where he is still the longest-tenured heavyweight champion, to his post-career advocacy for cleaning up the sport and better protecting its athletes and performers, to just his astounding physical appearance…he was a mountain of a man! Upon his passing, Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto referred to him as “one of the greatest ambassadors the city of Pittsburgh ever had.”
Who could argue?
ROB ULLMAN
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