Many other WWE stars have had short bursts of intense popularity, but Sammartino caused audiences to lose their voices for the better part of two decades. Bruno Sammartino didn't need a gimmick ...

Bruno Sammartino, left, stands with a stautue of the former world ... His gimmick, or lack of one, was pure Pittsburgh. He didn’t dye his hair blond, wear a robe to the ring, have a catchy nickname or ...

He was sure he had found one when he read the 1990 autobiography of wrestler Bruno ... that Sammartino was alive and well and living in Pittsburgh. He’s now 74. That full head of hair is gone ...

PITTSBURGH — Bruno Sammartino remains a mountain ... The men have not spoken since a short phone call in 1988, when Sammartino quit. “We will talk privately, face to face, in Madison Square ...