Bruno Sammartino already had one statue, a barrel-chested bronze sculpture that was presented to the WWE Hall of Famer during WrestleMania Week three years ago. Now, The Living Legend has another in his native land.
The former WWE Champion traveled to his hometown of Pizzoferrato, Italy, where he was immortalized with a 10-foot statue that was unveiled during a local ceremony this past Saturday. In addition, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Sammartino’s childhood home was reformatted into a museum that commemorates his storied career, and the main wing of the new local medical center will display the name of his mother, Emilia — a dedication that seems to mean more to Sammartino than all the other honors bestowed upon him by his countrymen.
“Everything that I am, everything that I’ve done, everything that I hope to be is because of my mom,” Sammartino told Post-Gazette writer Ron Cook. “How could I say no to this trip? If you have to put me on a stretcher to get me there, I’m going. I’d regret it the rest of my life if I didn’t go.”
Watch the unveiling of the statue below in this YouTube video from a spectator at the ceremony.