Bruno Sammartino Is In; WWE Hall of Fame Matters for Now

The elusive Bruno Sammartino has become the most recent inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame.  Sammartino had a longstanding rift with the WWE of biblical proportions.  His feud with the WWE and Vince McMahon even outlasted that of Bret Hart, whose truculence is Hall of Fame worthy in its own right. 

Sammartino is considered by many as the original WWE headliner.  With an unprecedented WWWF championship reign from 1963 to 1971, Sammartino is the longest-reigning champion in WWE history.

Triple H was reportedly instrumental in the reconciliation between Bruno and the WWE.  The resurgence of the tag team division and the return of the vintage intercontinental championship have also occurred under Triple H's tenure as COO.  Triple H's reverence for WWE history continues to become an ongoing theme as his power within the company increases. 

The Wrestling Observer is now reporting that Sammartino's return to the WWE is not a one-off, and the living legend is expected to make multiple appearances on WWE TV.

CM Punk recently enjoyed the longest WWE championship reign of the modern era, and with his run coming to an end just a month ago, it would only make sense for Punk and Sammartino to come face to face at some point. 

Punk mentioned Sammartino multiple times during his run as champion.  During one particular in-character promo, Punk dismissed Sammartino as a champion who only had to defend his title once a month in Madison Square Garden. 

Poor Billy Graham thought the promo was real.

Before the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame picture came together, it was speculated that the Kliq—a backstage group of friends with no intentional ties to WWE storylines—could be inducted.

With a class consisting of Mick Foley, Bob Backlund, Trish Stratus and now Bruno Sammartino, the WWE may be inducting its most loaded class in history.

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