7. Bruno Sammartino - The Madison Square Garden Era
Figuratively speaking, wrestling arenas dont get any bigger than Madison Square Garden. The New York City venue has become synonymous with the industry, and much of that is due to the work that Bruno Sammartino did with the then-WWWF in the 1960 and 70s. The Italian-born star headlined the prestigious venue more than any other wrestler, with 187 sell-outs from his 211 appearancesthe kind of record that will likely never be broken. Some of his highlights in the esteemed building include becoming the first and only man to bodyslam the 640lb Haystacks Calhoun (Hulk Hogan eat your heart out), winning the WWWF Championship in just 48 seconds and retaining his WWWF Championship despite having to wrestle 15 minutes with a fractured neck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbSrTRO5HbY Oh, and theres also the small matter of his record 2,803-day title reignyet another Sammartino record that will likely remain intact forever. While hes also created some memorable moments outside of MSG, such as his 75-minute draw with Pedro Morales at Shea Stadium, its what he achieved at the Garden that sets Sammartino apart from the rest. As the most renowned star of the most renowned arena, its only fitting that he features on this list.
