10 Things You Didn't Know About Bruno Sammartino

7. His 2,803 Day World Title Reign Started With A 48-Second Win

Bruno Sammartino held the WWE Title (then called the WWWF Title) twice. The second time, he'd clock in an impressive 1,237 days as champ between 1973-1977, but it's the first reign between 1963-1971 that people still talk about today. On that occasion, he carried the strap for 2,803 days straight.

One thing that's often overlooked when analysing Sammartino's epic first title reign is that he won the thing from Buddy Rogers in just 48 seconds inside the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden. Rogers, the initial champion, had only held it himself for a mere 22 days.

That kind of thing was unheard of in the 60s, and it cemented Sammartino as the man.

Wrestling fans wouldn't see a title match that short for years. Bruno's style called for longer matches against strong heels, meaning the Rogers squash was a one-off designed to paint Sammartino as the strongest champion in the world. It worked.