I really don't understand because I love opera, because I respect the Michelangelos and da Vincis, that it should be shocking because I am a wrestler. Because I am a wrestler does it mean that I am some kind of a robot who only knows to go into the squared circle and pound on somebody?

Bruno Sammartino

Respect Love Wrestler

My jaw has been wired and rewired. It's incredible to think people would fake that.

Bruno Sammartino

Would Wired Wire

Professional wrestlers are human beings like anybody else.

Bruno Sammartino

Wrestlers Wrestler Wrestle

In 1959 I had broken the bench press record by lifting 565 pounds, and I could lift 715 pounds from a squat.

Bruno Sammartino

UN Tin T

I could never imagine myself living anywhere but Pittsburgh.

Bruno Sammartino

Where T Self

There were promises made to me as far as if I became a professional wrestler, that I was going to be given every opportunity to be a headliner... and that's the only reason why I accepted.

Bruno Sammartino

Wrestler Wrestle Why

Ivan Koloff was great. I had a lot of great matches with him.

Bruno Sammartino

Great Wit Van

If I were to tell you that my day was all pure wrestling, I wouldn't be honest with you. Because there were crooked promoters. There were a lot of guys that knew that they couldn't even compete with other guys. But to suggest that every match was like that wouldn't be true.

Bruno Sammartino

Pet You Wrestling

Anybody who sees me in person will see the worst cauliflower ears I think you have ever seen.

Bruno Sammartino

You Worst Will

I only survived because of my mother's love and care.

Bruno Sammartino

Love Car Use

The things that Billy Graham says, I really have no idea why he says them. He talks about things without really knowing all the facts. I just think there's something wrong with the man.

Bruno Sammartino

Wrong Without Wit

I knew a little bit about training and what it took to transform your body into something impressive looking.

Bruno Sammartino

Your Body Your You

They said Babe Ruth built Yankee Stadium and Bruno Sammartino built the Garden. It always was my favorite place.

Bruno Sammartino

Art Ya Ways

I would be a fool to tell you that there was no fixing. You ask if wrestling is for real? Well, I think my own body answers that question.

Bruno Sammartino

You Wrestling Would

Anytime that people feel that you accomplished enough to enter into a Hall of Fame, of course this is a tremendous, tremendous thrill for me.

Bruno Sammartino

Time Men You

The last thing I want to do in Europe is drive.

Bruno Sammartino

Want Thing Thin

Wrestling was my way of making a living. I did the very best I could.

Bruno Sammartino

Wrestling Way Very

I'm an old-school guy.

Bruno Sammartino

School Old Guy

Throughout the '60s and '70s, I saw many operas in New York and Philadelphia. When people found out about that, they were always shocked, because I was a professional wrestler. Why are athletes any different than any other profession? People have many other interests.

Bruno Sammartino

York Wrestler Wrestle

In talking to Paul Levesque, I made it clear, I've had issues with WWE and wrestling in general, because there were other organizations. I didn't like the direction they had taken. It was bothersome to me.

Bruno Sammartino

WWE Wrestling Wit

Besides wrestling, in my younger years, I also competed in Olympic lifting and power lifting.

Bruno Sammartino

Power Pet Younger

When I broke my neck, I was told that I came within a millimeter of dying or being paralyzed from the neck down. When it happened, I was numb on one side. In spite of how serious they were telling me it was, I never took it seriously. I kept saying it's going to be OK, I trained too hard to get hurt. Which is silly.

Bruno Sammartino

I'm an opera lover.

Bruno Sammartino

I busted my nose 11 times. My fingers are all busted. My ribs. Both my arms. I can't straighten them out.

Bruno Sammartino

Franco Corelli is my favorite tenor.

Bruno Sammartino

I never wrestled for the money or the fame. I just wanted to be able to take care of my family. I wanted to be able to educate my children. I wanted them to have it better than I did.

Bruno Sammartino

I complained about the gimmicks. All the nonsense and garbage. After a while I just said I would not wrestle with the guys wearing masks, or guys that had some get-up on. It was demeaning. I refuse to go onto the mat against a Christmas tree.

Bruno Sammartino

I'm not bragging, but my reputation among my peers was Bruno was a horse I never got tired.

Bruno Sammartino

We didn't have shoes until we came over to America.

Bruno Sammartino

I weighed 84 pounds when I was 14. I was an easy target for the other kids.

Bruno Sammartino

I'm totally dedicated to training no one trains harder than I do.

Bruno Sammartino

I wasn't a 97-pound weakling. I was an 80-pound weakling.

Bruno Sammartino

I had a lot of my success due to appearing at the Garden. I wrestled there over 200 times, it's where I won the title, and it's where I picked up 630-plus pounds of Haystacks Calhoun.

Bruno Sammartino

Wrestling is how I made my living and supported my family, but it's over. I don't want anything to do with it anymore.

Bruno Sammartino

I didn't care if I was aching or hurting. I wanted to give the fans their money's worth.

Bruno Sammartino

I sweat an awful lot.

Bruno Sammartino

They call me 'The Maniac' as far as training goes. I'm a fanatic. I run 10 miles every day and I train three hours every other day with barbells. Nobody trains that hard. And that's not bragging.

Bruno Sammartino

I'm very violent in the ring. I don't know if it's the Italian temper, I can get very nasty in there. But outside, I'm the easiest-going guy in the world.

Bruno Sammartino

I would have loved to sing opera, but I have no voice. I used to sing along with records.

Bruno Sammartino

She was absolutely my hero. She would do without if she could help somebody else. My mom showed the courage of the lion to keep her kids alive, and the sacrifices she made were incredible. I don't know if I would have been man enough to do what she did.

Bruno Sammartino

Everything that I am, everything that I've done, everything that I hope to be is because of my mom.

Bruno Sammartino

You look at success and thank God and the fans for the success. It's why I always feel indebted to the fans.

Bruno Sammartino

I was never a fan of Hogan because I was never impressed with his quality of performance in the ring.

Bruno Sammartino

To be honored with the WWE Hall of Fame, I cannot put into words how big it is for me.

Bruno Sammartino

I always used to get goosebumps in Madison Square Garden, because as soon as I started making my entrance, people would be chanting my name. 'BRU-NO! BRU-NO!'

Bruno Sammartino

Stan Hansen was a different ballgame. I broke my neck wrestling him in Madison Square Garden. I spent a month in the hospital and for a while it was touch and go because the doctors told me I came within a millimeter of being paralyzed from the neck down.

Bruno Sammartino

The only thing I like about doing autograph shows is that the people who used to be fans are so wonderful. They'll come over and give such wonderful compliments.

Bruno Sammartino

I lost a brother and a sister, and I came down with rheumatic fever.

Bruno Sammartino

I was never going to do anything that would have brought shame to my family. I owed too much, and I wanted them to be proud to say that they were Bruno Sammartino's mother and father.

Bruno Sammartino

In every city, I had my favorite place. In Baltimore, it was Sabatino's.

Bruno Sammartino

Honestly, when I left the business, in time, some people might remember you and some might say they knew the name. But, people move on and there are new interests and all kinds of different things go on all the time. So, it surprised me how people have not forgotten.

Bruno Sammartino