Vince McMahon Shares Sincere Comments After Death of Bruno Sammartino

The news of Bruno Sammartino’s death swept the wrestling world in a matter of minutes as the most prolific names in the sport paid respect to the Italian Superman. And now Vince McMahon has made his sincere remarks.

The WWE Chairman posted the following to Twitter in light os Tuesday’s sad news.

“One of the finest men I knew, in life and in business. Bruno Sammartino proved that hard work can overcome even the most difficult of circumstances. He will be missed. #RIPLivingLegend.”

Sammartino came up in Vince J. McMahon’s WWWF setting the precedent for Vince Jr. mold of Hulk Hogan. Sammartino’s contributions to WWWF were beyond comprehension as he served as the company’s champion a combined 4040 days. However, despite the lucrative success, Sammartino and WWE would have a falling out that wouldn’t see a resolution until Sammartino’s induction into the Hall of Fame in 2013.

WWE.com shared the following on his storied career:

Bruno became an overnight sensation, connecting with not only fellow Italians, but also the Latino, Greek and Jewish communities, successfully bridging the gap in America’s melting pot of wrestling fans. 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.

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. A household name all over the country, the beloved hero defended his title in legendary rivalries against WWE Hall of Famers Killer Kowalski, Gorilla Monsoon and George “The Animal” Steele.