Customer Reviews

Bruno Sammartino: An Autobiography of Wrestling's Living Legend

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was very good but also had some negatives. The positive side was a fine, detailed history of wrestling when it was wrestling. Sammartino takes the reader down the now-familiar stories of every wrestler's rough start in the business. In this book you will see wrestling when it was still viewed as being a legitamate competition, so much that sports sections in newspapers carried the results alongside of the NFL and Boxing match results. This brought back pleasant memories for wrestling fans like myself who detest what wrestling has evolved into. The negative side of the book are conspicuous misspellings, typos and other grammatical errors starting with page one and continuing onward. Also, and this may or may not be a "negative," but Bruno NEVER breaks kayfabe in the book. He actually goes to great lengths to support the legitamacy of wrestling--so much as to even deny that razor blades were ever used to draw blood. His exact quote (regarding the use of "blading" in the ring) is "Again, if such a thing has happened, I don't know about it." He then defends his answer saying there is no way a wrestler could smuggle a blade into the ring and cut himself during a match without anybody seeing it. He makes the point that he never even wore tape on his wrists to hide a razor blade. This, of course, is irrelevant as some men (Bruiser Brody, et. al.) hid them in their inner lips. Others (Hogan, et. al.) hid them in their tights. He also makes painful efforts to deny that matches are ever predetermined. This book was written in the early 90s--when wrestling was still somewhat protected. Also, before people like Superstar Billy Graham (who took the title from Sammartino) as well as Ventura, DiBiase, Hogan, etc. openly admitted that razor blades were always used to draw blood and that the outcomes of matches were always predetermined. I find it hard to believe that everybody was in on the angle except the World Champ at the time! (Can you imagine Graham pulling Bruno aside and saying, "Bruno, I gotta let you in on something--I was just playing the whole time. We all were. We were going to tell you, but it was like spilling the beans about Santa Clause to a 3 year old!") To Sammartino's credit, wreslters were and are wonderful atheletes and no matter how much "kayfabe" Bruce puts into the book, I would still strongly recommend it to any fan. It gives a glimmer of hope into the mind of a genuine old-school wrestler. I just wish wrestling was like it used to be in the early 80s and before. I will always be a fan of Bruno Sammartino!

Brunos' book is the most realistic autobiography you could ever read. I should know because I'm a close personal friend of the family. The book not only deals with wrestling but it also tells of his personal life. He is a great role model for people of all ages. The book tells of the sacrifices that his family had to make for him to become the Legend that he is. It will inspire both young and old to overcome all obstacles to achieve thier dreams. There are few role models left of his stature, this is a must read for all who wish for genuine people.

The other reviewers are absolutely correct. This is the best book of its kind; Bruno and his co-authors are to be thanked for putting into print not only a great life-story but perhaps the best overview of 20 or so of wrestling's greatest years. Brono's story contains informative, interesting glimpses at mat legends like Killer Kowalski, Primo Carrera, and Gorilla Monsoon, and thrilling blow-by-blow recaps of some of his legendary matches. Add to that the very enlightening and often touching scenes of life-on-the-road, away from family, and the blood-boiling indictment of today's wrestling and promoters' throat-cutting (guess who?) of their stars, makes this THE book on wrestling.

Bruno Sammartino: The story of Wrestling's Living Legend is not only a story about the life of a pro wrestler, it also is a story about the quest for the American Dream. Sammartino came to America from Italy and found that "the roads were indeed paved with gold." The beginning of the book deals primarily with his life in Italy during World War II.

When he became a professional wrestler, Sammartino rose to fame rapidly. But unlike most athletes of today, Sammartino never forgot about his fans. He never took the image of a "bad guy" in his career.

Sammartino talks honestly about his dealings in the World Wrestling Federation, where he ruled as champion in two reigns that stretched over an 11-year period. The author also talks frankly about the state of wrestling today. This makes for some very interesting verbiage. If you are a wrestling fan, as I am, and if you watched Bruno Sammartino wrestle, as I did, you will truly enjoy this book. If you are not a wrestling fan, you will enjoy a true look at how someone from another country achieves the American Dream.

I was very disappointed and the lack of candor in this book. After reading the (auto)biographies of such wrestlers as Lou Thesz, Freddie Blassie, Roddy Piper, and larry zbyszko, i felt downright cheated by Bruno's lack of honesty as to the real workings of Professional Wrestling. When events in his book have been documented in other books with an entirely different approach (breaking of the wrestling omerta - called kayfabe) - either Bruno refuses to admit to the reader that decisions were pre-determined - or that wrestlers cut themselves for blood - or perhaps he has convinced himself that things never happened to him - in that case he needs psychiatric help. Did i enjoy any of the book? yes - his disparagement of the McMahons <haha> - all in all I can not recommend this book to anyone who wants an honest look at a career of a pivotal wrestler.

When you look at wrestlers (male or female) today, it looks completely staged. Then I read how the sport of wrestling was fought years ago, it gives you a whole new outlook on the sport. I thought wrestling was always a circus act. Thats not so. When you read Bruno Sammartino's autobiography it very interesting to learn that wrestlers truly earned their world titles as a result of their hard earned talent. I can not watch today's actors in the ring.

I love bruno Sammartino but for bruno to not mention and deny that razor Blades were used back then is just bolderdash.If your going to write a book thats fine and I understand that bruno does not want to break kayfabe but in todays world Wrestling fans are some of the smartest people there are and know through books like Jimmy valiant and Interviews from people like Abdullah the Butcher,fans know razor blades were used and alot.Bruno himself had to have used a razpor blade at some time because he bled greatly in his matches with killer kowalski,Billy Graham and Stan hansen,and even hansen in interviews has stated that bruno bladed in there matches in MSG.So even though I love bruno he should come clean if hes going to write a book.

Great gift for Wrestling Lovers. Bruno Sammartino is one of the most heralded and respected Heavyweight Wrestling champs of all-time.

Hardcore wrestling fans will love to read this book and newer (and younger) fans should be introduced to one of the all-time greats who wrestled in supremacy through the 60's and 70's (one of the longest running WWF champs of all-time)

I have read this book several times and recommend it to any "true" wrestling fan. If you think wrestling began with Hulk Hogan in the 1980's, don't read this. If you know that wrestling existed before Ric Flair, Hogan, et al came on the scene READ this book. It tells a great story of how one man was able to overcome adversity to attain "the American Dream."