Bruno Sammartino had a lengthy hospital stay prior to his death, Larry Zbyszko remembers his mentor

By Jason Powell, Prowrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

Bruno Sammartino was hospitalized for two months prior to his death, Chris Cruise told Dan Gelston of the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Larry Zbyszko told the AP about the heat that he had for turning on Sammartino. “I was getting my car smashed, I had to hide in trunks,” Zbyszko recalled. “I was going down the highway in a new Cadillac with the windows smashed, the mirrors hanging, the lights are out. It was a different time, a different day. My god, the riots… People hated me for 20 years after that match. Everything I learned was from Bruno. He was my mentor.” Read the full story at APNews.com.

Powell’s POV: Sammartino died on Wednesday morning at age 82. The story notes that WWE opened its house show on Wednesday in South Africa with a ten bell salute for Sammartino. Zbyszko also spoke about the appeal of Sammartino and his popularity, and the story includes public statements from Vince McMahon, Paul Levesque, and the mayor of Pittsburgh on Sammartino’s passing.