Theo hitman Mays said-Bruno should and probably will win, but I'm going to vote for Booker for the sake that it isn't too onesided.
That worked out well.
Big Sexy said-I'm still waiting for a legitimate reason of why Sammartino should win other then "He was champion for a really long time so he must be good." I realize there isn't one so it hasn't been posted yet but at least give it a shot.
Because he was great in the ring. Because he could power or mat wrestle. Because he was a big draw not only in the northeast but also Canada, California, Japan, Austrailia and Europe. Because he has had memoriable bouts that are still remembered today against the likes of Stan Hansan, Ivan Kololf, Billy Graham, Haystacks Calhoun, Larry Zysbzko, Pedro Moralas, Roddy Piper and Randy Savage. Because he is on the MSG Walk of Fame. Because he was so charismatic and so over with the crowd that they did not anounce Kololf as the champ for fear of a riot.
Mighty Norcal said- Yea, Sammartino is shit, and dominated in a weak assed era.
And it was weak assed why?
Mighty Norcal said- i get sick of people voting on someone whom they have never seen, been influenced by, or gave a fuck about.
And I get sick of people only voting for the ones they know without taking the time to learn about the ones they don't.
Mighty Norcal said- Sold out MSG, whatever. So has Booker T.
Bruno sold out MSG more then any other wrestler ever. When did Booker T sell it out?
Big Sexy said- If Ivan Koloff can beat Bruno then I'm sure Booker T could beat him
Kololf was a big huge heel when he beat Bruno, not Uncle Ivan from the 80s. And Booker was pinned by the Boogeyman and submited to The Shockmaster. Who wins that one. Oh, and he submited to a bearhug. Didn't Bruno win matches with a bearhug?
Mr. TM. said- Not sure why Bruno is winning this, he held the region WWE belt for a long time, when it was more regional than it had been, and has never been as regional as when Bruno had it.
Because Bruno was better. And if you are going to call the WWWF title regional then you must call the NWA or AWA titles regional at the time. Bruno defended the title all over. Mainly in the northeast, but also out west and overseas. Here is a portion of an interview Bruno did with the Baltimore Sun( Booker ever interviewed by a real paper? )
When I was champion for the first eight years, they had me on such a ridiculous schedule. I was hurting from head to toe. I was wrestling every single night. Two Sundays out of the month, I would go to Toronto because I had spent two years there and I had promised [promoter] Frank Tunney who gave me a break and was a good man that when I went back to [the WWWF] that I would still come in when he wanted me for the Maple Leaf Gardens. So, two weeks out of the month I would wrestle seven days a week, and the other two weeks I would wrestle six days a week and get to go home on Sunday. I was also making tours to Japan and Australia. [Vince McMahon Sr.] would not run Madison Square Garden without me, so he would always arrange my trips so that I would wrestle in the Garden on Monday and leave Tuesday morning for Japan or Australia. And Id have to be back for the next Garden show. When I got through with a tour, I wouldnt even go home. Id be flying in from Australia or Japan to New York to be there in time for the Garden.
But you know it was not because he was great that he was needed all over. It was he was just a big face is all.
The Ronination said- I tend to agree with the Booker side of the argument. Booker was a star when there wasn't just one star. Sure there were other stars around in Bruno's day but, compared to the star power Booker has wreslted, it is piss all.
Booker was a star of a dying company. Bruno was the star that carried a company.
Big Sexy said- Sammartino at that point in time fit the bill. It doesn't change the fact that he wasn't entertaining at all.
Now it is your turn for an answer. How did Bruno rule the WWWF, draw more then anyone in (W)WW(F)E history, sell out MSG more then anyone, hold the title longer then anyone, be voted by the NWA to go over Thesz for the NWA title in 65, wrestle a 70 minute time limit draw vs Moralas at a sold out Shea, finish a match with Hansan with a broken neck, come back and wrestle the rematch with his neck still broken and kick Hansans ass, headline other shows including the Showdown at Shea, be so beloved that the WWWF was afraid of riots when he lost to Kololf, and he be no good at all?
Big Sexy said- Once a guy did come along in Pedro Morales the switch was made for a while.
No. Bruno decided to take a break as his schedule was killing him. Bruno was allowed to hand pick his successer. He chose Moralas. To help get Moralas over he wrestled a rare face vs face match at Shea with him. Once Bruno was ready to come back Moralas dropped the belt and it was put back on Bruno for another 3 years. Are you saying that from 63 to 77 there was only one other man good enough to be WWWF champ? Or is it that there was no one better then Bruno?
These results amaze me. Bruno is the Living Legend. He was an innovater. He 'Hulked up ' years before Hogan. He flipped people off years before Austin. He whipped Rogers and carried an upstart company for 17years. He is in every wrestling Hall of Fame( except the WWE ). He is in the Italion/American Hall of Fame. He is one of the biggest draws ever. One of the most beloved stars ever.
And he is losing to a guy whose biggest claim to fame is the Spin a roni and a best of 7 for a TV title. Sad.