10 Wrestlers Who Went To War With Vince McMahon

3. Bruno Sammartino

Vince McMahon Bret Hart
WWE

Bruno Sammartino took decades of persuasion to enter the WWE Hall of Fame, and only did so after Triple H - and as much jesting as this author page engages in, this was an altruistic gesture on his part to celebrate the man and legitimise the institution - convinced him to.

Sammartino went to war with Vince, Jr. - philosophically - because he loathed what had become of the house he had built.

Sammartino's life story is almost stunningly impressive; he conquered so much tribulation in a screenplay that would require no artistic license to get over with the Academy, and did so cleanly. His internal strength was far more powerful than that which is injected; accordingly, Bruno loathed the transformative, ruinous effect steroids had on the wrestling business, lamented the death that swept through it from a moral perspective, and publicised his war in an American mainstream media that soon stopped caring; institutions don't merely erode through outcry, particularly when they exist as a law unto themselves.

Sammartino relented on his stance some several years after WWE rehabilitated its image under duress.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!