One of our readers Jay DeChellis sent me a link from wrestlingclassics.com with a thread on how many times Bruno Sammartino sold out Madison Square Garden.

http://wrestlingclassics.com/.ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=092855

First let me list an email I received from my friend Chris Cruise about Bruno's record.

Bruno and I figured he was in the main event at MSG about 220 times from 1960-1980, an average of 11 times a year. Some years he wrestled 6 times a year, other times 15 times a year.

He figures 85-95% of the time the Garden sold out. At 85% that is 187.

Those are the numbers we came up with.
                                                                                                               
Christopher Cruise

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Secondly, Bruno was featured in the 1985 Greatest Sport Legends (Award Winning Series) interviewed by Tom Seaver in a 30 minute video.  The only wrestler to be honored.  They researched his background and came up with 187 sell outs of 211 appearances.

Greatest Sport Legends: Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Sammartino reigned as World Champion of Wrestling for an astounding 10 years.  His agility, quickness, and resourcefulness in the ring made him universally known as professional wrestling's "Living Legend".  Bruno's physical strength was legendary. So impressive in fact, that early in his career, the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers tried to lure him away from wrestling. Taking all comers in a sport filled with both good and evil, Bruno  was always the man of consummate class.
No wonder Bruno Sammartino is the most popular wrestler in history.

Also the WWE stated that Bruno Sammartino's first championship reign from 1963 to 1971 lasted for 2,804 days.  And his second championship reign lasted from 1973 to 1977, a total of 1,238 days.  Making it a total of 4,042 days.  No other wrestler in the history of this business has come anywhere near this record.  Nor will they, IMO.  No promoter would leave the belt on one wrestler that long unless he was selling out arenas, many them money. 

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As many of you know, I put together the Bruno Sammartino Record Book over the years, adding to it each year.  When I was younger, I didn’t record which shows were sell outs, but so many were but not noted by me.  But I will give you a good idea of Bruno’s schedule at Madison Square Garden, with the results and figures that I did make note of because I was at the show, or the newspaper reported it the next day.

I have also asked my dear friend and historian Fred Hornby to check his records for me, he said he will get back to me in a day or two.  We both consider that 18,000 or better would be considered a sell out.  He will be able to give me a better picture.  (Fred just called me and said he will send me his list, but he said Bruno had about 127 sell outs out of about 170 appearances)

Here is just a very small list of the results of Bruno Sammartino, just so you can see the schedule of the Garden years ago.  Now we are lucky if there are two shows a year at MSG.

1/2/1960  Bruno debuted at Madison Square Garden defeated Bull Curry in 5:09 with a backbreaker.  Bull Curry substituted for Killer Kowalski

1/25/60  Bruno defeated Skull Murphy

2/22/60  Bruno had a Draw with Killer Kowalski

3/7/60  Bruno defeated Argentina Zuma

3/19/60  Bruno defeated Karl von Hess

5/21/60   Bruno over Haystacks Calhoun (Bruno was the first wrestler to lift 601 lb. wrestler, small photo below)

6/4/60   Bruno & Tony Rocca defeated Pampero Firpo & Great Antonio

7/16/60   Bruno & Ilio DiPaulo beat the Tolos Brothers (John & Chris)

8/6/60  Bruno & Tony Rocca defeated Pampero Firpo & Jerry Graham

8/27/60   Bruno & tony Rocca defeated the Tolos Brothers

10/1/60   Bruno & Ilio DiPaulo defeated Jackie Fargo & Larry Hamilton

10/24/60   Bruno lost to Tony Rocca via DQ.

11/14/60   Bruno DRAW tony Rocca

2/27/61   Bruno over Haystacks Calhoun  Attendance 20,400

3/25/61   Bruno over Haystacks Calhoun  

5/17/63   Bruno defeated Buddy Rogers before a sell out of 19,649 paying back then $58,966.00

6/21/63  Bruno defeated Great Mortier in 20:36 Attendance 18,552

8/23/63   Bruno defeated Killer Kowalski 20:58  SOLD OUT

9/16/63  Bruno & Bobo Brazil DRAW over Gorilla Monsoon & Hans Mortier  Attendance 17,576

2/17/64  Bruno won over The Giant Baba IN 13:38  SOLD OUT (according to MSG flyer below)

3/16/64 Bruno defeated Dr. Jerry Graham in 8:33  SOLD OUT

6/6/64  Bruno defeated Gorilla Monsoon in 26:12  SOLD OUT

7/11/64  Bruno lost to Freddie Blassie via DQ. in 23:36 Attendance 18,981

10/19/64   Bruno defeated Waldo von Erich  in 14:57 before a SRO sell out according to newspaper.  18,722 paying $59,440.29

11/16/64  Bruno defeated Gene Kiniski in 17:21  SOLD OUT

8/2/65   Bruno lost to Bill Miller via DQ.

8/23/65  Bruno defeated Dr. Bill Miller  SOLD OUT

10/20/65  Bruno defeated Cowboy Bill Watts  SOLD OUT

9/27/65  Bruno over Tarzan Tyler  SOLD OUT

1/29/68   Bruno defeated toru Tanaka in 16:31  Last match held at old MSG 50^th Street & 8^th Avenue   14,130 paying $42,875.10

2/19/68   Bruno won with the backbreaker before 13,059 fans in the first match at the new MSG.

3/11/68   Bruno defeated Kentucky Butcher in 14:53   Attendance  13,148

8/23/68   Bruno defeated Bill Miller in 48 seconds.

10/21/68   Bruno lost via DQ to Original Sheik

11/18/68   Bruno defeated Original Sheik via DQ.

12/9/68   Bruno defeated the Sheik in a Texas Death Match

6/15/70   Bruno lost to Crusher Verdue when referee stopped the match due to Bruno’s eye bleeding. In 22:43.  Attendance was 20,819.

1/18/71  Bruno lost the belt to Ivan Koloff in 14:55  Attendance 21,166  $85,554-

2/8/71   Bruno won with backbreaker on Geto Mongol in semi main event.  Koloff lost the title to Pedro Morales.  Attendance was 21,812

7/24/71   Bruno over Blackjack Mulligan  before 21,912 fans paying $103, 485-

1/15/73   Bruno defeated Toru Tanaka in 20:17 new attendance record 22,096 according to newspaper.

12/10/73   Bruno defeated Stan Stasiak in 12:14 to regain the WWF title, Newspaper said 15:24 as time.  There was over 22,000, but I don’t have exact figure.

2/17/75  Bruno lost via DQ. To Spiros Arion

3/17/75   Bruno won Spiros Arion in 14:51

4/14/75  Bruno defeated Spiros Arion in Greek Death Match 

12/15/75   Bruno defeated Ivan Koloff in 15 foot steel cage SELL OUT of 26,350 PLUS 4,253 in Felt Forum

2/2/76   Bruno defeated Superstar Billy Graham in 17:55   SELL OUT of 25,600 PLUS 3,100 closed circuit in Felt Forum

3/29/76   Bruno & Antonio Pugliese defeated Superstar Billy Graham & Ivan Koloff before 21,004 fans

4/26/76   Bruno lost via DQ to Stan Hansen with the Lariat before 17,493  (Bruno’s neck broken)

11/22/76   Bruno beat Stan Stasiak before 18,112

12/20/76   Bruno beat Stan Stasiak before 22,090 fans

1/17/77   Bruno lost via COR to Ken Patera in 11:10

2/7/77   Bruno DRAW with Ken Patera

3/7/77   Bruno defeated Ken Patera before 26,492 PLUS 4,400 in Felt Forum

3/28/77  Bruno won via DQ Baron von Raschke

6/27/77   Bruno both DQ’d  Superstar Billy Graham in 18:31, before 22,090 PLUS 4,000 in Felt Forum

I wish I had more time to give you even more, but you get the idea. 

Georgie  [email protected]

Jay, please post the above on wrestlingclassics thread for me.  Thanks.....

If anyone has the exact date of when Bruno lifted Haystacks Calhoun, please send to me.