Earlier today (Wed. April 18, 2018) it was announced that WWE Hall Of Famer Bruno Sammartino has passed away at age 82.Sammartino is one of the most iconic figures in professional wrestling history. After becoming the second-ever WWE Champion by defeating Buddy Rodgers in 48 seconds back in 1963 from Madison Square Garden, Sammartino was able to hold onto the strap for over 2,000 days.With a reign lasting over eight years, Sammartino is not only the longest reigning champion in WWE - but also in professional wrestling history. Nobody, regardless of promotion, has ever held a title longer than Sammartino.During his title reign, Sammartino defended his strap against names such as Killer Kowalski, Gorilla Monsoon and George “The Animal” Steele. He is one of, if not the, biggest draws in Madison Square Garden history as he headlined and sold out the venue 188 times. Sammartino's WWE Title reign finally came to an end in 1971 from Madison Square Garden when he was defeated by Ivan Kolaf. In fear that a riot would break out, WWE didn't award Kolaf the belt after his win.Some fans in the crowd were so shocked by Sammartino's loss that some fans were even crying. Sammartino would end his wrestling career in the late 80s and did some commentary work for the company as well. He would be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame decades later by Arnold Schwarzenegger (via ESPN):"Being inducted into the Hall of Fame at Madison Square Gardens is the biggest thing in my life," Sammartino said in an interview with ESPN ahead of his 2013 WWE Hall of Fame induction."Anytime that people feel that you accomplished enough to enter into a Hall of Fame, of course this is a tremendous, tremendous thrill for me."I had a lot of my success due to appearing at the Garden."Sammartino was a huge inspiration to many in the professional wrestling business, so his passing hit some WWE stars pretty hard. Several WWE names took to Twitter to remember the former WWE Champion.Here are a few of their Tweets:

What are your thoughts on some of the WWE Universe's comments regarding Sammartino's passing? Do you think that he's going to be honored at an upcoming WWE show or pay-per-view (PPV) event? And where do you tank Sammartino amongst the all-time greats? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Listen to GiveMeSport's Turnbuckle Talk podcast with special guest Matt Hardy on iTunes HERE.

Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://gms.to/writeforgms

Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms