Bruno Sammartino 1935-2018

I couldn't let this day pass without paying tribute to the late, great Bruno Sammartino. How could I have missed the sad news about his passing last April 18th? Sammartino was my first wrestling hero; I can't recall how old I was when I first came across this wrestling legend. As a young child growing up in the 1960s, I would watch a weekly black-and-white broadcast of pro wrestling on television and it's very likely I noticed him in one of those matches (I was maybe 5 years old, too young to know the names). When they stopped airing pro wrestling in the early 70s (thanks to Martial Law being declared in my country), I was still able to get my fix from pro wrestling magazines like Pro Wrestling Illustrated and The Wrestler and that's how I reconnected with Bruno Sammartino. I don't know exactly what it is about him I'm drawn to. On a physical level, I'm in awe of his size. He's not overly muscular, but he's thick, brawny and beefy, the epitome of what a wrestler in the co-called Golden Age of Wrestling looks like. But I think it's his in-ring persona that impressed me most. He was just a straight-up tough-as-nails wrestler who fought the bad guys until he was bloodied and beaten yet he never gave up. I admired his toughness and resilience. I guess as a kid, this was the kind of hero I looked up to. Someone who was upstanding, strong, unafraid, willing to take on all challengers, even those who were notorious cheaters. That's the kind of man we should all look up to. Farewell, Bruno. And thanks for the memories.