Bruno Sammartino and Larry Zbyszko

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Teacher and protégé. When Larry Zbyszko unexpectedly turned his back on his mentor, it brought Bruno Sammartino out of retirement and incited one of the greatest rivalries and heel turns in wrestling history.

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Although forgotten or unheard of by many, the young protégé Larry Zbyszko turning on his mentor and friend Bruno Sammartino still serves as the measuring stick for all turns that came afterward.

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[{"selector":"#anim-4804938c-07cb-4504-814d-f739ddc26acf","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1,1,1,0.25,0.25,0.25,1,1,1,0.75,0.75,0.75,1,1,1,0.25,0.25,0.25,1,1,1,0.75,0.75,0.75,1,1,1,0.25,0.25,0.25,0.75,0.75,0.75,0,0,0,0.75,0.75,0.75,0,0,0,0.25,0.25,0.25,1,1,1,1]},"delay":0,"direction":"normal","duration":2000,"easing":"linear","fill":"forwards"}] The student turning on the teacher led to a series of grudge matches and finally to the "Showdown at Shea" in front of more than 36,000 fans. Read More

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He then admitted that he was frustrated at being seen only as Bruno’s protégé and challenged his mentor to a fight. He claimed this was the one way that he could finally get out from under his shadow.

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VINCE MCMAHON: “It became undoubtedly the most bitter feud of all time in pro wrestling.”

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BRUNO SAMMARTINO: "He hit me so damn hard that I was really bleeding bad. I lost a lot of respect… I just had a completely different feeling about Larry after that.”

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STORIES

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[{"selector":"#anim-49d088bf-5da4-4df5-a9da-d2ed181f54af","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":400,"direction":"normal","duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.47, 0, 0.745, 0.715)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-09ac3296-6612-4bad-adcf-bccf0309f73d","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 200%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":400,"direction":"normal","duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7923d6e8-001f-4a13-bfb6-b1eb9d2a72f4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":400,"direction":"normal","duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.47, 0, 0.745, 0.715)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ff34bb17-d4bc-4c87-95f8-e064ab651f08","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 200%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":400,"direction":"normal","duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1)","fill":"both"}] Bruno Sammartino and Freddie Blassie – Too Real for the Mob Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon – 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