Heartwarming / Bruno Sammartino

• Despite a nasty real-life feud where they repeatedly declared they had no respect for each other, Bruno Sammartino and Ric Flair finally buried the hatchet behind the scenes at Wrestlemania 29 (That Other Wiki says that Bruno expressed his condolences for Reid Flair's death). They posed for a picture after a "friendly breakfast" which can be viewed here.◊
• In the early 1990s, Pro Wrestling Illustrated published a photo of Sammartino and Larry Zbyszko shaking hands, apparently burying the hatchet of their longtime feud. For context, this was the equivalent of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart ending their feud on Raw, although the Zbyszko/Sammartino feud might have been more intense. Fan reaction was basically, "I never thought I'd see it!"
• Bruno finally agreeing to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013, thanks to the efforts of Triple H, finally giving him the respect he deserved. Considering what a pivotal component he was of the company's success in its formative years, it was a long-awaited homecoming.
  James Ferrarella: Bruno was never supposed to go in the WWE Hall of Fame. He was the impossible and most deserving inductee. The fact the WWE did it means that it is now finally serious about the WWE Hall of Fame. It has finally become an intergral important aspect of the organziation.
  • Additionally, when it was announced that Bob Backlund (his successor as babyface champion) would be inducted alongside him, effectively making it a double bill, Bruno showed no ego whatsoever. He simply stated surprise that Backlund had not already been inducted, and made it clear he was honored to enter the Hall of Fame alongside him.
• Bruno's importance to his adopted home city of Pittsburgh can't be overstated. On the day he died, sports talk radio, which never devotes any time or coverage to anything involving wrestling, devoted a full hour to callers who wished to express their memories and admiration for him and all three local newscasts (WTAE, WPXI, and KDKA) devoted several days worth of segments to him.
  • Before his death, the Pittsburgh suburb of South Oakland planted a sign that welcomed visitors to the home of Andy Warhol and Dan Marino. Marino told the story that every time they'd go past it, his father would say "Why the hell is Bruno's name not on there too?" This was rectified in 2016 with the addition of Bruno's name to the sign.