Valentine fought valiantly, but was worn down by Rogers and Barend. Please remember to vote for every match and thanks for participating. In his autobiography, Bruno Sammartino claims Rogers was no longer drawing and McMahon needed someone new, but by most accounts, Rogers’ health was an issue. He continued his career in Houston, where he assumed the name Buddy Rogers. After putting over Sammartino, his health problems forced Rogers to wrestle in only a limited number of short singles matches that lasted a minute or two. On June 30, 1961, Rogers took the title from Pat O'Connor in front of 38,622 fans at Comiskey Park, which set a new North American professional wrestling attendance record that stood until the David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions in 1984. SHARE. Haystack Calhoun (William Dee Calhoun) faces Buddy Rogers (Herman Gustav Rohde Jr.) in a 1 fall match with a 20 minute time limit. Sammartino won the title on May 17, 1963, defeating Rogers in 48 seconds. Rogers had one of the longest consistent top drawing periods of any main eventer (15 years) and the ability to draw in several different territories successfully. However, it was announced that Rogers was retiring and Gorilla Monsoon, who had won a tournament, got the title shot that night. Fellow professional wrestler Ric Flair from early in his career to the present day, adopted the "Nature Boy" gimmick from Rogers as a tribute to him. In 1966–1967, Rogers wrestled in 18 short matches in Canada. Wrestling fans on the East Coast didn’t know that Blassie had lost the title, so Sammartino vs. Blassie could be billed as champion vs. champion. In the early 1950s, Lillian Ellison (under the moniker Slave Girl Moolah) worked as his valet. Bruno Sammartino is widely considered to be the greatest professional wrestler of all time. I used to come home from Toronto, Canada, twice a month every Sunday, because we would be at the Maple Leaf Garden, shows every other Sunday. Ultimately, Thesz won the match and the title. Buddy Rogers vs Ed Carpentier. News. Imagine doing something all those years and loving it – all of a sudden, you never do it again. Bruno Sammartino’s Last Christmas – ‘Campo die Sogni’, Chris Yandek – New Era Of Wrestling & The Sports Interview with Bruno Sammartino, Buddy Rogers interview on Jim Barniak’s Sports Scrapbook, Solie.org October ’97 interview with Bruno Sammartino, The International Gazette – "Wrestling’s Living Legend Bruno Sammartino Gets Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. In the many years that have since passed, the phrase, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way!" [7] Every NWA World Heavyweight Champion was required to pay a $25,000 deposit to the NWA Board of Directors, before winning the championship belt. "Afterwards, there were obviously bad feelings. In 1994, he was posthumously inducted into the World Wrestling Federation Hall of Fame class of 1994. Buddy Rogers vs. George Strickland … (broadcast live on channel 11 at 6:00) … (announcer: Bill Cardille) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Monday, November 5, 1962 (Civic Arena) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Buddy Rogers and Bruno Sammartino drew (after both wrestlers had won a fall, Sammartino beat Rogers in 4:07 to capture the In today’s story, we hear from both Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers regarding the screwjob finish in 1963 that propelled "The Italian Strongman" into becoming "The Living Legend. Rogers was instrumental in helping turn Jimmy Snuka into a fan favorite, leading to Rogers managing Snuka for his feud with Lou Albano and Ray Stevens. He was athletic, and took up wrestling at age nine at the local YMCA, joining the Camden YMCA Wrestling League and winning its heavyweight championship. The quotes made from Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers were originally compiled by Matt Pender and shared here with thanks to our friends over at ‘Wrestling’s Glory Days’ Facebook page. Here's the second round.... Verne Gagne vs Ivan Koloff Bob Backlund vs "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd Dory Funk, Jr. vs SuperStar Billy Graham Bruno Sammartino vs Andre the Giant Buddy Rogers vs Jack Brisco Bobo Brazil vs Gorilla Monsoon Nick Bockwinkel vs Jimmy Snuka Harley Race vs Freddie Blassie. often gets attributed to other wrestling stories. [6] The contest, which was a two out of three falls match, was billed as the "Match of the Century", during which both men had gained a pinfall. "Did I really say to him, ‘We can do this the easy way or the hard way’? I was in that hospital for up to 5 days before I wrestled. The second safeguard was his threat to give Rogers's bond away to charity, rather than returning the deposit to the dethroned Rogers. They had a show at the Civic Arena, but those were the days of the Buddy Rogers era, and Vince McMahon Sr. was trying to get me to come back because he saw my success in Canada. [10] WWE.com currently cites April 25, 1963 as the beginning of Rogers's reign. He was an actor, known for WWE Smackdown! Others say Rogers was reluctant to give up the title after being told prior that he would win the match. Bruno Sammartino was in the middle of an epic 7.5-year run as the WWWF champion. Buddy Rogers. 61: [11] Rogers was a top draw, but his reign was ultimately cut short by a mild heart attack which greatly hindered his endurance and in-ring performance. The situation is the same regarding Rogers's reign with the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship. During his prime years, he was known as much for his distinctive peacock-like strut as for his wrestling performance. St. Paul, Minnesota: ... - NWA International Heavyweight Champion Giant Baba fought WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino to a draw in a two-out-of-three falls match to retain his title. He is one of three men in history to have held both world titles, along with Ric Flair and AJ Styles. 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