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Bruno Sammartino is the longest-reigning World Champion in the history of WWE. Sammartino is considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. The legendary Italian sold out the Madison Square Garden a record 188 times. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. Wrestling journalist Bill Apter spoke about the time when Samm...

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I try to touch all the bases when it comes to various heritage months or holidays and their ties to Oklahoma State wrestling. One I’ve yet to hit is October’s Italian-American Heritage Month. Folks up in New Jersey would probably try and make the claim that Rutgers would grab the title of wrestling’s Italian program. But when you dig into the legac...

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When NXT started rolling out introductory videos for Tony D’Angelo, an Italian-American from Chicago whose family has interests in the waste management business, many an eye was rolled. Some probably even exclaimed, “oof, Madon’!” But when the amateur wrestler from the University of Buffalo debuted with a win over Malik Blade on the Oct. 5 episode,...

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Beaver County lost a champion, charmer and mentor last week. Domenic DeNucci, a three-time World Wide Wrestling Federation title-belt holder, and longtime resident of New Sewickley Township, personified the American Dream say friends of the Venice, Italy, native who died Thursday at UPMC Passavant Hospital in McCandless Township. He was 89. As toug...

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Pat Pecora recently was officially inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Chapter, his ninth hall of fame induction. The Pitt-Johnstown wrestling coach and athletic director had to wait a year for the induction ceremony as the 2020 event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Joining Pecora in the class was...

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When Santino Marella debuted in 2007, he was a "fan" in Italy who, on a fluke, won the Intercontinental Title. Fans didn't really take to him as some underdog, so WWE turned him heel. What really worked was him embracing his image as a nutty Italian, slaughtering the English language, and being a total goofball. For a long while, Santino could alwa...

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Ross Township honored Bruno Sammartino on Friday by renaming a park in honor of the late pro wrestling star, who lived in the northern Pittsburgh suburb for more than 50 years. "My dad would be ecstatic about this, so it's a very, very nice honor for us. Very humbling," said Darryl Sammartino, who attended the ceremony at the former Sangree Park wi...

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AJ Ferrari joined a rare brotherhood in the most historic college wrestling program in the country. The Allen, Texas, native became just the third true freshman in Oklahoma State history to win a national championship – the first one since Pat Smith in 1990. “The legacy, having that history, it’s crazy,” Ferrari said. “To idolize these dudes, like...

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Lou Giani’s love affair with wrestling began as a junior at Robert L. Simpson High School as Huntington High School was then known. On the horsehair filled mats in that dusty old room in the building’s basement, the sport took hold in the teenager’s life, propelling him to the 1960 Olympics and a National Wrestling Hall of Fame coaching career. Gia...

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Bruno Sammartino was the grandfather of sports entertainment. Before Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan, there was Bruno Sammartino. WWE would not be what it is today without the star power that Sammartino brought with him every time he performed. Fans across the country would gather to watch him defend his prestigious WWWF Championship, and he did so in fr...

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