WWE to name Larry “The Living Legend” Zbyszko into Hall of Fame

ByBrandon C. Williams|

WWE will make up for the still-befuddling decision to place Rikishi into their Hall of Fame with the addition of Larry “The Living Legend” Zbyszko. Amen.

A night after lowering their Hall of Fame standards with the announcement that Rikishi will be joining the hallowed halls of WWE glory, Vinny Mac and company are scheduled to redeem themselves by adding Larry “The Living Legend” Zbyszko into the Class of 2015, when it is inducted the on March 28, the night before WrestleMania 31.

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The formal announcement will come on next Monday’s Raw.

Zbyszko had a colorful 40-year career as a professional wrestler, yet he will forever be known in the minds of longtime grappling fans for one of the biggest heel turns in history when he swerved on protege Bruno Sammartino on January 22, 1980.

Tired of being in the shadow of the then-WWF champion, Zbyszko goaded Sammartino into a match where he….

….well, let’s allow the video tell the rest….

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfFB0S-3bq4]

As unexpected as Hulk Hogan’s heel turn at the 1996 Bash at the Beach (which signaled the birth of the nWo), Zbyszko’s swerve rocked the wrestling world, so much so that his car was damaged by fans, while a taxi he was riding in was nearly turned over by irate viewers.

The turn worked wonders for WWF’s bottom line, as Zbyszko and Sammartino embarked on an eight-month feud that ended when the teacher defeated the student in a steel cage match in front of over 36,000 people at Shea Stadium.

The feud with Sammartino solidified Zbyszko as a headliner, which he carried over into the National Wrestling Alliance and the American Wrestling Association for much of the decade. Zbyszko had feuds with future WWE Hall of Famers Nick Bockwinkel, Sgt. Slaughter and Paul Orndorff in that span, furthering his status as “The Living Legend.”

Younger fans probably remember Zbyszko best for his role as a commentator for World Championship Wrestling in the peak of the Monday Night Wars in the mid-1990s. While he wrestled for the company earlier in the decade, Zbyszko gained a new generation of fans for his insight and (still) arrogant personality. He spent four years at Total Nonstop Wrestling before closing out his career in the independent circuit.

Zbyszko signed a legend’s contract with WWE early in 2013 and has served as an ambassador for the company.

So there’s your history lesson on a man who truly deserved the honor of becoming a WWE Hall of Famer, a man whose impact was far, far more important than a man whose defining moments came putting his big butt in the face of his opponents.

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