40 Greatest Stories Wrestling Ever Told
27. Larry Zbyszko Is Sick Of Sammartino’s Shadow (WWF, 1980)
Larry Zbyszko probably needed to be shepherded to safety following a match vs. Bruno Sammartino on 22 January 1980. The pair had been fast friends and developed a mentor (Bruno) coaching student (Larry) relationship, but Zbyszko's frustrations over an inability to break free from Sammartino's shadow caused him to meltdown.
People were steaming mad at Larry for attacking Bruno with a chair and bloodying their hero up. How could he?! Especially after Sammartino had graciously agreed to take Zbyszko under his wing and turn him into the WWF's next true great. There was nuclear heat on Larry, and he must've been secretly loving every second of it.
Things boiled over towards a steel cage grudge match between the former running buddies in August. That event, affectionally titled 'Showdown At Shea', saw Sammartino score the win to gain some measure of revenge on Larry for his treachery. However, Bruno notably didn't pin Zbyszko on that occasion, which meant the heel still maintained some bragging rights in promos.
Boy, did Larry ever promo. He proved himself to be a fine talker. WCW fans who only saw Zbyszko as a colour commentator didn't know the half of it. He had plenty to say about Bruno, and about who his old mentor really was away from the bright lights and screaming fans.
No-one bought it, but that was hardly the point to Larry. He lived in 'Larry Land', and really should've become one of the federation's top stars for years to come after the Sammartino feud. Sadly, that wasn't the case, but Zbyszko did etch his name into the history books by turning on a 'Living Legend'.