3. Ivan Koloff Defeats Bruno Sammartino May 17th, 1963
There is a reason the WWE Hall of Fame wasnt legitimized until Bruno Sammartino was inducted. The man carried the World Wide Wrestling Federation on his back during its infancy. After dispatching of inaugural WWWF Champion Nature Boy Buddy Rogers in 48 seconds, Sammartino embarked on a 2,803-day reign with no foreseeable end in sight. Bruno defeated anyone who dared step up to him at The Garden. Some matches were worked traditionally while some competitors attempted to shoot on the champion, but it didnt matter. Bruno was in charge. That is until he met The Russian Bear Ivan Koloff. The 300 lb. bruiser took Sammartino to the limit, crushing his skull with a devastating knee drop from the top rope. He went for the pin and Bruno didnt kick out. The run was over. Koloff was the new WWWF Champion. The crowd sat in a stunned silence. They couldnt wrap their head around what they had just witnessed. It was so quiet that Bruno has later stated that he thought he lost his hearing during the match. Only one moment since then has elicited a similar reaction from a crowd.