10 Most Jaw-Dropping Wrestling Giant-Killings
2. Ivan Koloff Beats Bruno Sammartino - Madison Square Garden 1971
In the 1960s and early 1970s, people were convinced that Bruno Sammartino would be buried wearing the WWWF Championship.
The Italian Stallion led the World Wide Wrestling Federation (the company that would one day be known as the WWE) as its top champion for over seven-and-a-half years, fighting off all comers as the immovable heroic babyface.
Then, one faithful evening in Madison Square Garden, the wrestling world changed forever.
Ivan Koloff, known as The Russian Bear despite being born in Canada, had already made several attempts at Sammartino's title over the years. However, on the 18th January 1971, he was finally successful.
Koloff pinned the World champion to end his 2,803 days with the gold. The crowd were so silent when this happened that Sammartino legitimately thought he had gone deaf during the match.
Whilst Koloff wasn't a nobody, few people expected him to be the one to topple Bruno.
He ended up as merely a transitional champion, dropping the title just 21 days later to Pedro Morlaes, but he will always be known as the man who brought a hush over the greatest arena in the world.