20 Most Iconic WWE Wrestlers Of All Time

5. Bruno Sammartino

Like certain others on this list, Bruno Sammartino is somebody who is synonymous with a certain period of wrestling. The achievements of Bruno are there for all to see. As well as having the longest ever World Championship reign in the history of the WWWF/WWF/WWE (at a huge 7 years, 8 months and 1 day!), this is a man whose popularity in wrestling was so huge that he actually had a private audience with The Pope (and no, that doesn't mean Elijah Burke). Sammartino drew massive, massive numbers for Vince McMahon Snr.'s WWWF, and his name on a card was the sole reason that many wrestling fans of the time would attend a show. In an unheard of move, there was even a time when the NWA began talks with the WWWF to merge the two companies' World Championships and for the gold to be put on Bruno, such was his drawing ability. A survivor of World War II and an Italian immigrant, Sammartino was a hero of his day, with his story mimicking that of those watching. A hard working, honourable, bull of a man who was legit tough, there's a strong debate that can be made to say that Bruno is the most popular and iconic wrestler of all time.
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.