Bruno Sammartino: The Autobiography of Wrestling's Living Legend - B Paperback – Import, 4 March 2019

This is a must read for any fully fledged or budding Wrestling Historian. The stories of growing up during WWII are incredible. Bruno was one in a million!

Whether you are a wrestling fan or not, this book is captivating. I did not know who Bruno was until I met Sal. Bruno and Sal take you on a roller coaster ride through Bruno's incredible life and every step of the way I asked my self "how did he survive?". Yes, Bruno was a wrestler, but this book is so much more than wrestling. It is a book about a man who loved his family, friends and always stood for what was right. The book had me laughing, crying and left me with hope. The pictures throughout the book tell their own story as well. Bruno's legacy will live on because of this book. Well done!

I have read many a book on wrestling and even have reviewed a few and I must say as much as I enjoyed the first edition of this work I always felt there was much more to tell from Bruno. Now in this revised edition we are taken deeper inside the back story of Bruno’s professional and private life. With Kayfabe long gone, you will read just how some of Bruno’s matches really were planned and executed. Mind you, none of that info will take away from the magic of those days. In fact, you will be privileged to feel like you were back there along side the champ. What sacrifices this man and his family made to bring all us fans those great bouts many of saw in Madison Square Garden. Sal Corrente brings us time and time again to a venue of a man who was built on integrity, humility and heart right to his last days on this Earth. There are also many anecdotal tributes to the late Champ. Indeed his heart was his biggest muscle. To me, he will always be “The Living Legend”. To me I still follow his advice given to me back in the 70’s on how to better weight train. The world would be a far better place if we could all be just a little bit more like Bruno. Strong, confident, charitable, humble, to name only a few qualities he had. An inspiration to millions. There will never again be another Bruno. If you want to know how a real champion is like you will get this book. Bruno was the real deal in what a champion should be in and out of the ring. He looked after other wrestlers and made sure promoters treated them fairly. JJ Dillon tells you this in the book and Jim Meyers ( George The Animal Steele) told me this personally a few years back.

I would like to begin the review of this wonderful book with a story of my own. About a year and a half ago, I posted a tribute to Bruno for his birthday on Facebook. I had been friends with one of Bruno’s close friends, Mike Migut, for a while, and he read it and asked me if he could read it to Bruno, as he was taking him out to dinner for his birthday. Would I mind? I told him I’d be honored. At the time, I was working for a Nissan dealership in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. I remember the next night, right at about 6:00, my cell phone starts ringing…it was Mike. Thankfully, there was a lull in the action, and I was able to answer the phone. Mike says to me ‘there’s someone who wants to say hello to you’, followed by a ‘Hello Benny’ in that voice that could only be Bruno’s. I instantly went from a confident, well spoken guy to a 12-year-old scared kid…It was surreal. I am thinking to myself ‘I’m on the phone with Bruno!’. I was so nervous that I don’t remember much of the conversation, although Bruno was asking me questions about myself and my family. The one thing I do remember more than anything was Bruno asking me ‘where did you learn to write such beautiful words?’ to which I replied, ‘It’s easy when they come from the heart.’I guess the point of that story is, when you deeply admire and care for someone, the words and the feelings are as natural as breathing. Sal Corrente (who I have developed a friendship with via Facebook) does a phenomenal job showing Bruno not just as the Champion wrestler and public figure. This book shows Bruno as the husband, the father, the son, and the friend. And just like his wrestling career, he was a Champion at every single one of them. The book focuses on Bruno’s early childhood, his experiences being bullied upon his arrival in America, and his legendary career. It also focuses on his life after wrestling. Finally, there are many tributes written by his friends and family. All of them written with love and respect.I could not begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this book. To me, it had a special meaning, as I was blessed enough to not only meet Bruno, but to have Christmas dinner with him, his family, and some of his friends. Although I am old enough to get the Senior discount in most places, I became that 12-year-old kid all over again. Here I am, sitting about 10 feet away from my lifelong hero, but in true Bruno style, he made me feel like I belonged. That was Bruno.I was initially going to say that I would recommend this book to every wrestling fan. Of course, I would, but that would be a slight to the rest of the world. I would recommend this book to anyone; young, old, in-between, avid wrestling fan, or a complete stranger to the world of wrestling. Because this is a story about a man who overcame all odds, rose to the very top of his profession, became a true legend (this word is used very loosely these days, but no one deserves this title more than Bruno), but never forgot his roots, and never wavered in his love or appreciation for his fans. Not for one second. I urge you to order this book, and maybe a box of Kleenex as well. Your life will be better for having read it and learning about a one in a million man.

I am a wrestling fan and have been for decades, however, you don't have to be a wrestling fan to enjoy this book. The stories about Bruno as a child in Italy and coming to the United States with his family are wonderful. There are a lot of "behind the scenes" stories about his wrestling career that are really interesting as well as the stories about his family and his home life. Each chapter just flows into the next and keeps you reading. The book is hard to put down once you start. Bruno tells you who he likes and who he doesn't like in the wrestling world and in the entertainment world. He pulls no punches. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this book!