It’s been an exceedingly tough week in the wrestling business, with the untimely passing of two legends – the iconic former WWWF champion Bruno Sammartino and Paul Jones, one of the biggest stars in the NWA during the 70’s and early 80’s. I’d like to take this opportunity to now pay my respects to our two fallen warriors.
I’m not sure if some of today’s fans fully appreciate or comprehend the contribution Bruno made on modern day wrestling, particularly the WWE, but was of epic proportions. When Vince McMahon Sr. launched the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), which would evolve into today’s WWE, Bruno quickly became the face of the franchise, reigning as their world champion for most of the 60’s and 70’s.
While Bruno primarily wrestled in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and the North East, (as opposed to NWA world champions, such as Lou Thesz, the Funks, Jack Brisco and Harley Race, who defended their belts across North America and other parts of the world), he, nonetheless, raised the bar for the whole WWWF promotion, with consistently solid title defences and also by conducting himself as a great role model – particularly for Italian Americans, who worshipped him.
Bruno’s long and glorious title run in the WWWF would help set the stage for Hulkamania and the eventual domination of pro wrestling, by Vince McMahon and company in the 1980’s. Unfortunately, he and Vince seemed to have an acrimonious parting of ways around that time and he was conspicuously absent from the WWF and WWE scene for several years, which was unfortunate – about like excluding Gordie Howe or Wayne Gretzky from the NHL.
Fortunately, he and Vince apparently reconciled their differences a few years ago, which paved the way for him to finally be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 – something which was long overdue.
I had the privilege of crossing paths with Bruno on a number of occasions and he was one of the most dedicated and genuinely nice guys I’ve met in the wrestling business – a true gentleman and a great ambassador for our sport.
I also had the pleasure of meeting Paul Jones at the Cauliflower Alley Club reunion in Las Vegas a few years ago and he also struck me as a nice guy who had a great deal of passion for the wrestling business. During his heyday, Paul was one of the top babyfaces in territories such as the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida and had epic matches with the immortal Ric Flair.
While the wrestling world is poorer for their loss, it’s infinitely richer for them having been part of our business. I’d like to offer my condolences to their families and to congratulate them for their legendary careers. Rest in peace, my friends, and God bless.
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