Nonetheless, David Sammartino tried and he wasn't bad as an in-ring grappler. However, his lack of size and down-to-earth personality didn't fit into the evolving cartoon world of Vince McMahon's WWE.

Beloved babyface Bruno Sammartino reigned as WWWF Champion for an almost ridiculous 4,040 days across two gripping stints at the top throughout the 1960s and 70s. By the 80s, Bruno had soured on ...