Wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino, age 82 following an illness.
I'm from the Midwest, so when I was young (during what was Bruno's second run as WWWF champion), we never saw him in action; we had the AWA, with Nick Bockwinkel and Verne Gagne. But watching tapes in later years, it is easy to see why Bruno is a huge legend in the business, a huge influence to many and why he is so revered.
One has to wonder what might have been had Bruno (grudgingly, given his distaste for the what today would be seen as softball angles, and opposition (no one could blame him there) to steroids) agreed to remain with the WWF in the late 1980s and into the 1990s, and possible feuds with guys such as the Undertaker, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Diesel, Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
I am glad he was able to make peace with the WWE and able to give some pointers to the new group of stars who will entertain us for years down the road, long after his passing.
This is a huge loss for professional wrestling. Indeed, as someone has stated, "the champion has left the building."
RIP to the Living Legend.
Brian
