10 Longest Matches In WWE History

10. Bruno Sammartino Vs. Nikolai Volkoff (4 March 1974): 53 Minutes

It should come as no surprise that Bruno Sammartino occupies multiple spots on our list. He was WWE's biggest star in an era when average main event match runtimes were at an all-time high, and starred in many a marathon WWWF Title showdown, including this Madison Square Garden clash with Nikolai Volkoff.

Sammartino was the ultimate babyface. An Italian immigrant who'd grafted his way to the top through good old-fashioned hard work, he was the perfect star for his era. On the other side was a hated Russian menace who helped lay the groundwork for what would eventually become one of wrestling's most common character types. Essentially, it was the ideal of the American Dream against a feared foreign menace, and it went 53 full minutes.

There was no winner. The only reason the bout came to an end was because Volkoff and Sammartino ran out of time, with the main event hitting the building's curfew. Their issues went unresolved, but only for a few weeks, as Bruno pinned his opponent in a WWWF Title rematch at another MSG event on April 1st.