Bruno Sammartino & Vince McMahon
 

2013 WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino recently appeared on The NB Show and talked about meeting with Vince McMahon during WrestleMania 29 weekend:

“The private meeting that took place was at MSG that evening [of the Hall of Fame],” Bruno said. “His son-in-law Triple H and Stephanie [McMahon] came to my dressing room, I had my own dressing room, and they asked me, you know, Vince is waiting in his dressing room down the hall and if I minded going over there. I went. Stephanie opened the door and I went in and she shut the door so Vince and I were alone.

“He was standing toward the back of the room. And as I came in I was waiting for him to make the first move to see what he was going to say before I responded. And actually as I walked in he looked at me and he smiled and said ‘Bruno, welcome home’ just like that. And I said ‘Well Vince I’m glad to be home, but we both know the situation and what brought me back home. I have been very critical of you.’ I told him right to his face, ‘You know I have been very critical of you, but I also will recognize the fact that you have made drastic changes and for that I applaud you. But for all these years, I did not like what happened to the business that I spent 25 years in and the turns it took; drugs, nudity, etc.’ Vince said, ‘Well Bruno, I know you were always very outspoken about what you believed, I hope now you are satisfied of the changes. They are in the past, we want to go forward and we want to do a better and better product. And we are very happy that you are back.’

“He did say this to me which I appreciate, ‘When it was the World Wide Wrestling Federation you were the main reason for this organization to become as big as it did. So we want this (HOF Induction) to happen and we’re thrilled that it has happened.’ And that was it. So I said, ‘Thank you. As long as things stay that way and keep moving forward with improving the product. At this stage of my life there is not much I can do to contribute, but if there is something, especially with young talent, I’d be willing to do that. As long as the product gets better and better.’ And that was it basically.”

Cool beans

Nice little read there sir.

Sammartino takes his rasslin, very, very seriously. He must have been beside himself during the attitude era. He probably is just mad b/c his son was garbage and Vince Wouldn't want crap like that in his ring.

So BECAUSE OF BRUNO, I WONT BE ABLE TO SEE KAITLYNS TITS ON WWE TV EVER?

Fuck him! Rassle Rassle! Wooooo!

On Mark Madden and Superstar Billy Graham:

“They’re both a couple of pathetic idiots, especially this guy Madden, who never has anything good to say about anything or anybody.”

Particularly for the Madden aspect here, I love Bruno with a mad passion after reading this.

Still don't get why they paid a fortune, reportedly, to get Bruno into the HOF. I get having him in adds legitimacy to a predetermined sports biased HOF but I don't see him making them money in any capacity.

Yeah, if there was an actual building to charge admission to and sell things at it'd be different.

He gives Trips a hard-on, that's why, now shut up and get to the Batman debate.

He is the foundation for the empire Vince built on after bought from his father. For the WWE, Bruno Sammartino is a huge deal and has to be in their Hall of Fame. It'd be like Babe Ruth not being in the Baseball Hall of Fame because of politics.

JUST SAYING.

Would love to see him on the Legends Roundtable if they decide to do it again.

Who Pete Rose? Yeah that would kick ass. :shifty:

Just don't get why they paid him a huge fee, why not wait till he's dead, not like he's still a draw.

It may not have been special or important to us, but I imagine several in WWE and long-time NY territory fans felt that Bruno being inducted in Madison Square Garden was a special moment like few others.

I hope Lanny Poffo pulls his head out of his ass and lets them induct Randy Savage next year.

I think seeing Sammartino go in might help that, especially seeing the kind of money on the table, although the big issue was he wanted in as well supposedly.

I thought he wanted his father to go in. Either way, neither of them are Hall of Famers. Macho Man is one of the biggest stars of all time.

Remember reading the Poffo family was to go in as a group or not at all.

Which is fucking stupid. It was stupid that Terry and Dory Funk went in together and that was on the other end of the spectrum.

Terry and Dory deserved their own inductions because of their individual legacies (especially Terry). Randy and his father are the only ones in the family who really deserves to go in the Hall of Fame. Lanny accomplished fuck all. Randy is such a big star that he deserves to get all the spotlight on him during the induction. Angelo Poffo would be somewhat of a stretch for the WWE Hall of Fame.

Did Lanny accomplish less than Cokehead B. Ware?

Yes, yes he did.

How sad :nono:

Thanks for your take?

Koko B Ware was in WWE for 8 years and was actually over. He was also a major star in his old territory. He was the mid 80s/early 90s version of Kofi Kingston.

Never got the 'but Koko is in it already' bit.

I understand it. Koko never really stood out anywhere. I'm sure he was a solid worker to have on your roster, but when he was still wrestling and you were about to watch a show he was advertised to wrestle on did you ever think "man I can't wait to see Koko B. Ware!" I certainly didn't, maybe you did, to each his own I guess.

Not every guy in the HOF is a main event guy, Koko was a draw, both in the WWF and the territories.

Bingo.

Yeah I know not all of them are main eventers, but I just can't think of one match that I was really looking forward to when it comes to Koko. I can think of something I wanted to see from everyone else in the HOF not in the celeb wing.

Brush me up on some great Koko moments and memories since I'm not well versed on him.

James Dudley, "Baron" Mikel Scicluna and Antonino Rocca. You can think of something you wanted to see from those three HOF inductees but not Koko?

You're right I haven't watched them, dunno the Dudley guy. But I just looked him up and it looks like he was really the benchmark for African American managers in wrestling, so I can see why he'd be in there.

I can tell you when I'd be at my grandpa's as a kid watching wrestling in the 90s that my grandpa would tell me what garbage it was, wasn't the good ol' days and he'd always mention Antonio Rocca as his favorite. And he's also talked to me about Baron Mikel Scicluna on occasion (obviously not just talking about him since you gotta breakdown every word I say, he'd come up when talking about old wrestlers I'd never heard of that he enjoyed watching because they stood out.)

So no, I didn't wanna see anything from then, but I know my grandpa wanted to see them wrestle, so I can see why they're in there too, because I'm sure if one old person's talking about them that there are quite a few other old people talking to their kids about them.

Exactly, everyone's in there for a reason. Koko had a parrot.

Jake Roberts had a much more memorable snake and he's not in there. :roll:

Jake is also a barely functioning crack head 90% of the time so there's that.

jake the snake is better than koko b. ware even at his most cracked out.

Not anymore.

Yeah, a few months under constant supervision doesn't make him a changed man, same reason Scott Hall isn't in yet or even getting the nostalgia appearances on Raw.

Scott Hall is nWo, he'll get appearances before Jake.