Up until being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2013, Bruno Sammartino was directly opposed to the direction pro wrestling had taken. More specifically, Sammartino really hated what Vince McMahon Jr had done to the industry, feeling it to be more like a circus than a sport. This led to arguments between both men, shortly before Sammartino decided to step away in the late-80's. Retiring from the ring in 1986, the longest-reigning WWE Heavyweight Champion in history continued working as a commentator for several years. It was during this time that Sammartino started really disliking where the WWF was going, and he decided to make a stand and leave. After doing so, he appeared on national television slamming his former employer, McMahon in particular. It wasn't until Triple H contacted Bruno that he and Vince were able to patch things up. Time proved to be the ultimate healer on this occasion, as Sammartino spoke candidly about mellowing with age. After he did leave, McMahon did little to honour Sammartino's amazing accomplishments, apparently seething over his attitude.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
