David Sammartino

[5.0] "David Sammartino is often rated harshly for his early years when he was put on the grand stage while far too green. He was set up to fail, proclaimed the son of the greatest champion in WWF history when he was a 24 year old rookie. He simply couldn't fill those shoes at the time. His later years were much better. David improved a lot but unfortunately wasn't given the chance to show it and retired at 36. A shame WCW didn't give him a fulltime deal. He could have made his own name."

[1.0] "Ever been somewhere you did NOT want to be? Ever noticed someone is at a party and just...wants to leave, but can't, but they want you to KNOW they HATE being there. That's David Sammartino. What else? This guy was remarkably dull. The term "charisma vacuum" is tossed around and this might be the most brazing example. Put him in the ring with ANYONE and watch the whole aura of the evening just dry up wither & die until the next match. The bearhug submission to Ron Shaw is one of wrestling's greatest moments though, Gorilla Monsoon's brain short circuits like never before or since, its incredible really. But seriously, aside from RON SHAW WINS, you can't find anything good about this guy."

[3.0] "I liked his scoop powerslam but that's about it. He was not as physically large as his father. His natural fighting weight was around 235 but WWF wanted to sell him as a strongman like his father so he hit the juice and bulked up. He was one of those guys with stretch marks on his shoulders and chest. That's normal, right? Saw him live at the LA Sports Arena in 1985 tag teaming with Brett Hart (before he was the Hitman). He botched a press slam, clearly a move that had been too hastily added to his move set. He never got over with fans on his own. WWF really only wanted him to lure his dad back in the ring. But wow, they sure did give him a push, winning 92.4% of his matches in 1985."

[2.0] "He was never going to be his dad. He was too hidden in Bruno's shadow to emerge as his own guy. I thought he had some potential at the first WrestleMania, but then he disappeared and was barely heard from again with a couple of stops in the UWF and WCW. His legacy is as a failed Sammartino."

[2.0] "Three things is what this guy is known for, 1. Going off script in submitting to his own dad's signature hold the bearhug to Ron Shaw. 2. He was the only jobber in WWF got lass creditable when time goes on, hindering his wrestling experience and 3. He sucked hard. Oh and he was Bruno Stammartino son to the surprise of thousands. Unfortunately killing the Sammartino legendary name with him."

[4.0] ""Shoes too big to fill" will unfortunately be the legacy of poor David Sammartino. Just couldn't walk outside of the huge shadow cast by his dad. That said, he wasn't a BAD talent, he just wasn't Bruno."

[3.0] "David Sammartino had so much to live up to, never stood a chance. Kind of like David Flair. Plus he looked like he crashed off the steroids. He looked like a miniature Adrian Adonis."

[3.0] "Another example of talent not being hereditary. David sure wasn't the worst 2nd generation wrestler out there, or even the worst all around as I don't remember him being botchy in the ring. It's just that David had the rotten luck of trying to follow in the footsteps of the monolithic god status of his father, Bruno. David might have been a pretty decent wrestler in the 70's or 80's but I don't think he had the "it" factor for the national expansion and the later years leading up to today."

[4.0] "Sammartino was a decent wrestler who did not succeed due to the expectations based on his father. Basic moveset but he did them well. Not familiar with him on the mic at all."

[7.0] "Think David was better then his father. But still limited in the ring. But he did improve over the years. Definetly not a one hit wonder that some people claim he is. And you also have to look at who trained him. Both trainers were good wrestlers and had good careers."

[2.0] "It is not uncommon that the children of popular wrestlers do not succeed and are in the shadow of their fathers. David was no exception. Not only did he not achieve the same success, but overall he was a mediocre wrestler. 2 points."

[7.0] "A perfectly fine wrestler who ironically never got much opportunity because of his last name, as he was coming us as Vince Jr was trying to transition away from things that would make fans across the country think about WWF's regional roots. I wonder how many have seen David apart from his 'Mania match with Beefcake. If everyone was judged by how well they could carry Beefcake, everyone would have a terrible rating."

[7.0] "When you think of the career of David Sammartino you immediately think of Bruno, and the fact that he had a very similar working style. By the time David was on Wrestlemania, the business and the fan interest was gearing toward shorter matches, less actual in ring selling, and more of a move based offence. David was a kicker, a puncher, a bear hugger. He was quite good at it too. But by that time, people wanted a hulk up, big boot, leg drop pin combo after 9 minutes. Second, Bruno affected any push the kid could have gotten. At least that was my opinion. Bruno was Vince Seniors guy, not Vince Juniors. In a lot of ways it smacks of Vince Jr. making sure that another Sammartino could go nowhere up the card, so as not to have to deal much with Bruno, a legend of being stubborn and set in his ways, still thinking the same thing that sold in the 60s and 70s would work."