By Greg Parks, PWTorch columnist

While his induction doesn't immediately legitimize the WWE Hall-of-Fame, Bruno Sammartino was the name that always came up as THE person missing from the shrine. In fact, when the "Gonzo & The Greg" crew listed their top five wrestlers who should be in the WWE H.O.F, Bruno came in at number one on all three of our ballots.

With today's announcement that Bruno has finally agreed to be inducted this year at Madison Square Garden, shock has turned into elation for many fans who believe Sammartino is finally getting his due after largely being ignored for the last several decades in WWE history, due to his bad blood with Vince McMahon.

Triple H deserves a lot of credit for keeping the dialogue open between WWE and Bruno, continuing Hunter's success at morphing into his backstage role. He was able to convince Bruno that many of his problems with WWE (drugs, vulgarity) have disappeared from the company. The Rock's recent promos notwithstanding, I guess.

The ESPN.com and WWE.com articles linked elsewhere on this site reveal some interesting quotes from Bruno and Hunter, one being that Bruno has begun watching the product again. That, in part, convinced him that WWE had changed for the better.

With two of WWE's staunchest critics (and former wrestlers) over the past several years, Bret Hart and Bruno Sammartino, once again associating with WWE, one has to wonder if Phil Mushnick will be far behind. That may be pushing it. But still, from a fan's point of view, it's great to see Bruno allowing WWE to recognize him as a major part of its history, which of course he was.


Greg Parks has been a columnist for Pro Wrestling Torch since 2007. Follow him on Twitter @gregmparks for live Tweeting during Raw, Impact, and PPVs, as well as other bits of wisdom. Comments, questions and feedback are welcome, and can be sent to g_man9784@yahoo.com.

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