Roadtrip Music: Sunrise (Instrumental) by SPECTRUM (Stan Hansen)

Violent brawler? West Texas University alumni? Beloved in Japan? One could be forgiven for thinking I’m talking about last week’s edition with Terry Funk – but this man ticks many of the same boxes. It’s Stan “The Lariat” Hansen. Stan Hansen started his career in the territories but it wasn’t long before he hit upward momentum. He debuted 1973 and […]

Bruno Sammartino Profile

Born: October 6, 1935 (Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino) | Birthplace: Pizzoferrato, Abruzzi, ItalyDied: April 18, 2018 (Multiple Organ Failure)Billed Hometown: Abruzzi, Italy / Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Billed Weight: 265 lbs Bruno Sammartino was born in 1935, in the small village of Pizzoferrato, Abruzzi, Italy. The youngest of seven children, only he, a brother and a sister were still alive when World […]

Koloff Topples Bruno (WWWF, January 18, 1971)

January 18, 2021 marked the fiftieth anniversary of an historic title change in Madison Square Garden back in 1971. “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff shocked the wrestling world by pinning Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Title, ending his incredible reign of seven years, eight months and one day.  The photo – taken by veteran wrestling reporter Bill Apter – captures […]