Larry Zbyszko Was Instrumental In Helping WWE Land Big HOF Induction
The WWE Hall of Fame includes some massive names WWE has showcased over the years, but there is only one longest-reigning WWE Champion of all time and his name is Bruno Sammartino.
While on Facebook with "Captain's Corner", WWE Hall of Famer Larry Zbyszko revealed he was instrumental in landing his mentor, Bruno Sammartino, a WWE HOF induction.
"I was kind of instrumental in talking to Bruno," Zbyszko said. "WWE approached me in 2012 because they always wanted Bruno in the Hall of Fame, and Bruno said he would never go in the Hall of Fame years before. But then, you know, they came to me and they asked me if I could talk to him ... I wanted Bruno in the Hall of Fame and [Madison Square] Garden was perfect, and then Bruno, I talked to him for some months and then he talked to some other people and he realized the WWE became a great company.
"... His only thing was, 'I don't want people to think that I'm a hypocrite'. I said, 'A what?' He said some years before that he would never do it. I said, 'Well, Bruno, no one will think you're a hypocrite. Everyone wants you in the Hall of Fame' ... Bruno said, 'Okay, I'll do it'. So it all worked out great and it was a happy ending for everybody."
In 2013, Sammartino entered the WWE Hall of Fame and was inducted by his protégé, Zbyszko. The two had a legendary feud, with Zbyszko turning on Sammartino in 1979. Sammartino sadly passed away on April 18th, 2018 at the age of 82.
Sammartino had a legendary career, becoming the second-ever WWE Champion, defeating Buddy Rogers in 1963 and then holding it an extremely impressive 2,803 days which tallied up over seven years long. Sammartino lost the championship to Ivan Koloff in under 15 minutes. Sammartino would win the gold back in 1973 by defeating Stan Stasiak, holding it, this time, for over three years — still a very lengthy and impressive run with the title before dropping it to Superstar Billy Graham.
Zbyszko didn't find as much singles success as Sammartino did. However, the Living Legend was able to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship in the latter days of his career in 2008. Zbyszko last wrestled in April of 2015 at an independent event after his 40+ year career.
In 2015, two years after his mentor went into the WWE HOF, Zbyszko found himself placed in the same position, as he was inducted into the HOF during WrestleMania 31 weekend.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Captain's Corner" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.