Sammartino was the then-World Wide Wrestling Federation's longest-reigning world champion, holding the title for nearly eight consecutive years. He began his record title reign after beating Buddy Rogers at Madison Square Garden on May 17, 1963.
He would not relinquish the belt until a loss to Ivan Koloff on Jan. 18, 1971.
After regaining the title in December 1973, Sammartino went on to have a run of more than years; that's also one of the five-longest world title reigns in the company's history.
