10 Things You Didn't Know About Bruno Sammartino

1. His Kayfabe Approach Saved Freddie Blassie's Life

Kayfabe is considered an outdated concept in pro wrestling today. It's not uncommon to see Stephanie McMahon, for example, appear as a heel in one segment on Raw and then as a sympathetic, charity-supporting babyface in the next.

That would never have happened back when Bruno Sammartino was in his prime.

One of the most legendary examples of kayfabe came from "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Several years before his death in 2003, Blassie said during one media appearance that Bruno saved his life by convincing the Italian mob that he should be the one to beat the heel up.

Blassie had wandered into the wrong dressing room after a match against Sammartino (during which he punched Bruno in the balls) and, to his horror, was confronted by the mafia.

They were eager to tear into him, but Sammartino told them he'd "take care of things in the ring". In other words, had Bruno not interjected or happened upon the scene, Freddie Blassie may have been killed right there and then.

What else do you know about Bruno Sammartino? Let us know down in the comments section below!