In Memoriam: Wrestlers who passed away in 2018

BRUNO SAMMARTINO

The Italian Strongman defined the WWF for much of the '60s and '70s.

DIED: APRIL 18, 2018, AGE 82

CAUSE OF DEATH: MULTIPLE ORGAN FAILURES DUE TO HEART PROBLEMS

Sammartino was one of the first true heroes in wrestling due to his long title reigns in the 1960s and 1970s.

He had multi-year title reigns including a record 2,803 day first title reign that will never be broken.

Sammartino was also a legitimate strongman, having set a bench press record before entering the world of professional wrestling.

Vince McMahon Sr. built his company off of Bruno's stardom and it helped Vince Jr. build the WWF into the WWE into what it is today.

Bruno stepped away as an active wrestler in 1981 but returned for a four-year stint from 1984-1988 in which he feuded with upcoming stars Randy 'Macho Man' Savage, Brutus 'the Barber' Beefcake as well as the One Man Gang and King Kong Bundy.

He eventually left in the late 1980s stating that he didn't advocate the way that Vince Jr. was taking the company.

He disagreed with the 'vulgar' storylines he saw as well as the prominence of steroids throughout the industry.

As one of the pioneers of pro wrestling, it was strange that Sammartino hadn't been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

That all changed when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 after turning down the honor several times before.

He felt that the company had done enough to rid itself of the rampant use of drugs and overtly sexualized storylines.

Triple H apparently had a big hand in convincing Sammartino to finally accept the nomination after rejecting it so many times before.

Sammartino had heart surgery in 2011 and ultimately died on April 18, 2018 due to multiple organ failure caused by severe heart problems.