THE LEGEND LIVES FOREVER! BRUNO SAMMARTINO’S GREATEST MAGAZINE COVERS
BRUNO SAMMARTINO’S PASSING on April 18 was a blow to fans around the world. Legends are supposed to live forever, right? We have news for you: They do.
It’s now time to celebrate the “Living Legend” and his fabulous career. But how best to do it? Our magazine covers, of course! These covers present Bruno in all his glory, making headlines and projecting the physical image of a champion.
In 2013, the 50th anniversary of his first heavyweight title victory, Sammartino was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden. During his speech, he graciously credited his worldwide popularity to the New York-based wrestling magazines, most of which were created by our founder, Stanley Weston. “When you’re so fortunate, as I was, to headline Madison Square Garden for all those years, the Garden gave me publicity worldwide,” Sammartino told the audience in attendance and watching on USA Network. “Here in New York, this is where all the magazines were published, as many as 10 magazines published in a month. Because of headlining in the Garden, I appeared on as many as six or seven of those magazines each month, and those magazines would go all over the world.”
Taking newsworthiness and overall image quality into account, we have selected Bruno’s top 25 magazine covers, presented in chronological order. Most are 1960s and ’70s covers from our sister publications The Wrestler and Inside Wrestling, but a few are from the 1980s, including two from Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Behold Bruno Sammartino, the “Living Legend”!
WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED: JUNE 1965
EYE-CATCHER: Appearing on the cover of Wrestling Illustrated, the 1960s forerunner of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, this was basically a fabulous fight poster of a match that didn’t happen: WWWF champion Bruno Sammartino vs. NWA champion Lou Thesz.
THE STORY: This article harkens back to those controversial events during the first half of 1963, when Lou Thesz won an unprecedented sixth NWA title from Buddy Rogers on January 24 in Toronto … yet Rogers showed up at New York’s Madison Square Garden on May 17 wearing a new world-title belt (allegedly won in a tournament in Rio de Janeiro). Sammartino used an over-the-shoulder backbreaker to force Rogers into submission in only 48 seconds. Two and a half years later, both Sammartino and Thesz were claiming to be the one true world champion. This story depicts negotiations between Thesz’ representatives (led by St. Louis promoter Sam Muchnick) and Sammartino’s group (led by Northeast promoters Vincent J. McMahon and Willie Gilzenberg) to hold a world-championship dream match at Yankee Stadium.
QUOTABLE: “To make this match, a man would have to have the wisdom of a King Solomon, the diplomatic skill of a Winston Churchill, and the muscle of an Al Capone.”
—Unnamed West Coast promoter
AFTERMATH: Apparently none of those guys showed up for the negotiations because this dream match never took place. Thesz would lose the NWA title to Gene Kiniski the following year, and the incredible Bruno would reign for six more years.
THE WRESTLER: APRIL 1969
EYE-CATCHER: This issue of The Wrestler depicts a fight-poster style cover with WWWF champion Sammartino vs. NWA champion Gene Kiniski set for “The Match Of The Century.” Sammartino, in his physical prime, is the more imposing figure, while Kiniski seems ready for a backyard tussle with his grandkids.
THE STORY: This article claimed negotiations were already underway for a title-unification bout between Kiniski and Sammartino. Kiniski’s promoter, Sam Muchnick of St. Louis, and Sammartino’s representative, Vincent J. McMahon of New York, had already agreed the match would need to take place in a neutral city, such as Chicago, Atlanta, or Detroit. Interestingly, this story features quotes from all the top matchmakers of the time, including Frank Tunney of Toronto, Abe Ford of Boston, Jules Strongbow of Los
