Bruno Samartino

[Guest Coffey]

That wasn't enough money for King Kong Bundy? Didn't that fat fucker work JCW for ICP?

[Guest Loss]

I actually would consider Hogan a very good worker at his peak.

[Guest Loss]

If Bruno doesn't want to get inducted into a promoter's HOF he only worked for in the twilight of his career, no one should criticize him for it. I wouldn't call Bruno bitter at all, actually, since he has nothing to be bitter about. But anytime someone dares speak up about the alarming number of young deaths or drug problems in wrestling, they're painted as having an agenda. Bruno doesn't want to be associated with a product he considers immoral. It's a bit laughable, considering that pro wrestling was built on a lie, but unlike the rest of us and most wrestlers, he chooses not to sweep Vince's personal shortcomings under the rug. More power to him.

 

Lou Thesz hated today's version of pro wrestling when he died too, but no one ever called him bitter.

[nl5xsk1 0]

You know Bruno should get over it, that the HOF isn't about Vince at all. But about the Fans that grew up and cheered, hell the Fathers of the current fanbase who watched wrestling saw Bruno. Right or wrong no matter how much of a Prick Vince's is, you can at least come out on stage and allow your fans to see you and be recognized.

You know, if the HOF was a real thing for a real sport, I'd agree with you.

 

But since it's chosen by VKM, during a show financed by VKM and will be released on DVD put together by VKM that will pad the pockets of VKM, then I think it makes perfect sense for someone to NOT want to be included.

 

It's not like old-timers are taking their grandkids to a real building (a la the hockey HOF in Toronto, basketball HOF in Springfield or Cooperstown for the baseball one) to show them the greats of yester-year.

[Promoter 0]

Funny, people are ripping on Bruno, yet Piper gets a pass after the way he ripped on Vince for firing him in his last run. Piper has accepted the HOF induction and everyone accepts it, while Vince sent him packing for talking about drugs and death on a national sports show. I also think Vince Mcmahon is more than qualified to choose the inductees for the HOF. I mean it is Vince Mcmahon you know, the man who has seen everything over the years. Yes, he could have an agenda, but what difference would it make if there was a board with multiple agendas?

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

If being a worker is purely about in-ring skills, then sure, Bruno and Hogan weren't that good. But if being a worker is about drawing money, then few are better than Bruno or Hogan.

[Guest MikeSC]

If being a worker is purely about in-ring skills, then sure, Bruno and Hogan weren't that good. But if being a worker is about drawing money, then few are better than Bruno or Hogan.

But would Bruno draw today? Would Hogan draw today?

 

Steve Austin was on TV constantly, worked a ton of matches on TV, and STILL drew like mad. It was for a shorter time, but his exposure was many, many times greater than Bruno or Hogan's.

 

I honestly think Austin is the best draw the biz has ever seen, simply because he never really had the novelty of his appearance as a drawing card --- something Bruno and Hogan had.

-=Mike

[Guest Trivia247]

well you got to imagine the Time frame of where Bruno was wrestling at, or a Hogan or a Dusty Rhodes.... none of these were Wrestling textbook geniuses, but they got over, and in their time frame whatever they did was enough for the fans to enjoy.

 

We are getting way to smarkish on moves in our old age if we discredit people even when they are over just because they can't put together 5 actual wrestling moves together between punches kicks and the like.

[godthedog 0]

what is bruno doing now, anyway? how is he making his living?

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I think Hogan was great at telling a story in the ring, but a terrible *worker*.

[Guest JericholicEdgeHead]

Man some of you guys need to go back and watch some of the old stuff more closely.

 

Alot of the wrestlers back then including Bruno used psychology in the matches that made people want to pay to see them wrestle.

 

That's the big difference about today's product from the 70's and 80's, there is very little to no ring psychology going on right now. Everything today is about hitting a "spot" or getting a cheap pop. Those "old-timers" knew how to work the crowd in other ways than doing flips in the air or going through tables and STILL made them coming back for more. 85% of WWE's roster today hasn't grasped that concept, and it's one of the reasons why WWE is in the spot their in.

[Guest MikeSC]

Bruno didn't have good psychology and couldn't sell to save his life.

 

If he worked today, fans would shit all over him.

-=Mike

[Guest Loss]

I think Hogan was great at telling a story in the ring, but a terrible *worker*.

That's what working is.

[Si82 0]

That wasn't enough money for King Kong Bundy? Didn't that fat fucker work JCW for ICP?

I don't understand it either. The thing that gets me is that he wanted to be on the card for the event. Where does he think he would fit in? Jesus.

 

I don't even think the guy belongs in the hall of fame. Other than a program with Hogan and almost killing some midgets at Wrestlemania III, what did he really achieve in wrestling?

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Bruno didn't have good psychology.

The crowds at his matches tell a different story. When a guy can get crowds going apeshit for him, and he has limited ring skills, you know he's great at psychology. I'd like to know how you define psychology if a guy who can get the crowd going crazy even though he's limited in the ring has, in your eyes, 'bad' psychology.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

You know Bruno should get over it, that the HOF isn't about Vince at all. But about the Fans that grew up and cheered, hell the Fathers of the current fanbase who watched wrestling saw Bruno. Right or wrong no matter how much of a Prick Vince's is, you can at least come out on stage and allow your fans to see you and be recognized.

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

[Promoter 0]

If being a worker is purely about in-ring skills, then sure, Bruno and Hogan weren't that good. But if being a worker is about drawing money, then few are better than Bruno or Hogan.

But would Bruno draw today? Would Hogan draw today?

 

Steve Austin was on TV constantly, worked a ton of matches on TV, and STILL drew like mad. It was for a shorter time, but his exposure was many, many times greater than Bruno or Hogan's.

 

I honestly think Austin is the best draw the biz has ever seen, simply because he never really had the novelty of his appearance as a drawing card --- something Bruno and Hogan had.

-=Mike

Would Hogan draw today? Would Bruno draw today?

 

You know, there are some people who are called "ALL-TIME" greats for a reason. All this Hogan bashing is ridiculous. The guy was over in the 80's and 90's or do people forget his run in wcw with the nWo? Yeah, fans were mocking his ring skills and what did Hogan do? Used it for heel heat and was a heat magnet like no other until Austin rose to power. Hogan knows how to work a crowd. I thought his match with The Rock pretty much cleared that up. You think some of that face heat was NOT by design? Bruno is another case as well. If he knew how to get over in the 60's and 70's he would know what to do to get over today. People are judging things after seeing a whole careeer of a wrestler and comparing to wrestlers today that have not completed their careers. I wonder how Ric Flair still stays over and he doesn't even wrestle well or that often anymore. I bet that he is a student of the game and knows what he has to do to get a crowd to react to him. Hogan did have the novelty of his appearance as a drawing card, but he was drawing before WrestleMania 1. Austin really started to take off in terms of mainstream success when he went up against Vince Mcmahon(who was very over because of the Montreal Screwjob) and the challenge to Mike Tyson that some of the media actually bought. You see, it's easy to discredit what these guys have done, but it doesn't take away the fact that they were successful nonetheless.