page_title: Bruno Sammartino
section_title: Championships and accomplishments
hierarchical_section_title: Bruno Sammartino / Championships and accomplishments
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Couverture d'une édition spéciale d'un magazine papier. Le prénom Bruno est inscrit en lettres capitales blanches sur fond rose en haut et le texte Living Legend en bas en blanc sur fond bleu. La photo d'un catcheur torse nu tenant une ceinture de champion.
context_page_description: Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino was an Italian-American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation. There, he held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship for more than 11 years across two reigns, the first of which is the longest single reign in the promotion's history at 2,803 days. He is overall a two-time world champion in professional wrestling.
  Dubbed "The Italian Strongman" and "The Strongest Man in the World" early in his career, Sammartino later earned the title "The Living Legend". Known for his powerful bearhug finishing move, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. Sammartino became a vocal critic of the drug use and raunchier storylines that became prevalent in the professional wrestling industry after his retirement but he reconciled with WWE in 2013 and headlined their Hall of Fame ceremony that year. Wrestler Terry Funk commented that Sammartino "was bigger than wrestling itself".
context_section_description: George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  Class of 2019 
  Keystone State Wrestling Alliance
  KSWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2012)
  Maple Leaf Wrestling
  NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version) (1 time) – with Whipper Billy Watson
  NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (1 time)
  NWA Hollywood
  Los Angeles Battle Royal (1972)
  Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1976)
  Match of the Year (1972) Battle royal
  Match of the Year (1975) vs. Spiros Arion
  Match of the Year (1976) vs. Stan Hansen
  Match of the Year (1977) vs. Superstar Billy Graham
  Match of the Year (1980) vs. Larry Zbyszko at Showdown at Shea
  Stanley Weston Award (1981)
  Wrestler of the Year (1974)
  Ranked No. 200 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
  Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  Class of 2002
  World Wide Wrestling Alliance
  Hall of Fame (Class of 2008)
  World Wide Wrestling Federation/WWE
  WWWF International Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Dominic DeNucci (1) and Tony Marino (1)
  WWWF United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Spiros Arion
  WWWF World Heavyweight Championship/WWWF Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2013)
  WWE Bronze Statue (2014)
  World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis)
  WWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dick the Bruiser
  World Wrestling Council
  WWC North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  Feud of the Year (1980) vs. Larry Zbyszko
  Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
caption: Sammartino is a two-time and longest-reigning WWWF World Heavyweight Champion
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