10 Binge-Watch Worthy Wrestling Stories
4. Bruno Sammartino
One of the most underrated immigrant success stories, Bruno Sammartino’s life should have been plastered across the silver screen by now.
The youngest of seven siblings, Sammartino overcame insurmountable odds of war and death before entering his teenage years. His village in Italy was occupied by Nazis during World War II, forcing he, his mother, sister, and brother to take refuge in a mountain top called Valla Rocca. They struggled to survive up there for 14 months, enduring hunger, treacherous weather, and constant fear. Sammartino’s mother was actually captured once and shot in the shoulder another time during her travels down the mountain and into their town for food and supplies.
After living in these unbearable conditions, Sammartino was stricken with rheumatic fever. The doctor didn’t expect him to make it, but his mother used leeches to nurse him back to health. After the war ended, he moved to the U.S. and embarked on an incredible pro wrestling career.