Ranking All 50 WWE World Heavyweight Champions - From Worst To Best

3. Bruno Sammartino

WWE Champions
WWE.com

'The Living Legend' was only truly lionised by WWE after he died, with a 2013 Hall of Fame induction coming mostly as a result of then-new exec Triple H rightfully looking to mend as many fences as possible between Vince McMahon and scorned ex-performers.

Few that saw him in his pomp remain vocal, but the facts, figures and forefathers tell the stories that cement his legend. Two four-figure runs (2,803 and 1,237) between 1963 and 1977 tell the story. For two decades, Sammartino was a ticket-selling triumph when big gates were all that really mattered for companies and territories to truly prosper.

Before all the rest, there was only Bruno.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett