Schwarzenegger is a big friend of Sammartino and said it was a great honor for him to be there to induct his friend. Arnold talked about the weight lifting the two did and said that recently he bench pressed the New Jersey Governor out of his seat to a large pop from the crowd.

Sammartino came out to two standing ovations from the crowd and peers as fans chanted “one more match,” but the soon-to-be 78 year old was having none of that!

Sammartino talked about the war, coming to America in 1950, being bullied at school, marrying his high school sweetheart, working for McMahon Sr., selling out Madison Square Garden and more.

He thanked his doctors for keeping him in shape, Triple H for making all this possible, and the fans for returning every time he came to Madison Square Garden.

Sammartino’s speech didn’t last that long as the clock hit the three and a half hour mark by the time he wrapped it up.

You can see a video of Bruno’s introduction below.

The Mayor described Sammartino as a living legend and people still love him because he is so humble. The Mayor added that it was an honor for him to pay tribute to Sammartino, someone who he recalled watching when he was around 12 years old.

“I’m so fortunate that you guys thanked me here today,” Sammartino said today at City Hall in comments picked up by NJ.com. “I used to look forward to coming (to Jersey City). I have so many memories.”

Bruno Sammartino will headline the Hall of Fame ceremony tomorrow night and will be inducted by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“Honored to be inducting my friend The Living Legend @SammartinoBruno into the @WWE Hall of Fame April 6 @TheGarden,” wrote the Terminator star on Twitter.

Earlier this month, Schwarzenegger inducted Sammartino into the International Sports Hall of Fame at the 2013 Arnold Classic Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio.

Sammartino and Schwarzenegger are longtime friends and Arnold appeared on WWE television in the past to participate in a couple of angles.

Triple H – who was always addressed by his real name Paul during the interview – said the journey to get Bruno on board is a long story but he said to was destiny as corny as it might sound.

When Madison Square Garden was chosen as the location for the Hall of Fame, HHH said it was the perfect storybook ending for Bruno to be inducted in the house that he built.

You can see the 15 minute interview below.

WWE is sending Triple H to support Sammartino at the Hall of Fame ceremony, probably the best man for the job since it was Triple H’s persistence that led to Sammartino to accept WWE’s invitation to the WWE Hall of Fame.

Former California Governor and Hollywood action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger will be inducting Sammartino into the International Sports Hall of Fame and rumors are that WWE is also trying to get Arnold to do the same for their Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden next month.

“Having sold out more than 200 shows at Madison Square Garden and being the longest reigning WWE champion in history, Bruno Sammartino is truly ‘The Living Legend,’” said Vince McMahon. “This is an extraordinary and historic moment to have Bruno take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.”

Sammartino started his WWWF career in 1959 and within a few months he was headlining shows at Madison Square Garden. After he left the WWWF, he returned to the company in 1963 and defeated “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers to win the WWWF title in under a minute.

Bruno kept the title for 7 years, 8 months, and 1 day, and eventually lost his title in January 1971 to Ivan Koloff at Madison Square Garden. His second title reign came in December 1973, defeating Stan Stasiak, and then lost the title in 1977 to “Superstar” Billy Graham.

He left WWF and then came back in 1984, helping his son David Sammartino and getting involved in some feuds of his own. He left in 1988 after he moved to doing commentary.

You can see the video that WWE presented about Sammartino yesterday on RAW below.

Sammartino and WWE have been at war for decades and he had refused to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for years. Eventually Triple H took over the project to try and convince the longest reigning WWE champion of all-time by having one-on-one meetings over the past few months.

“Being inducted into the Hall of Fame at Madison Square Gardens is the biggest thing in my life,” Sammartino said in an exclusive interview for ESPN Playbook.

Sammartino credited Triple H for changing his mind. He said that he didn’t like the direction the company was going into since he’s an old-school guy.

“I know what kind of a man he is,” Bruno said of Triple H. “And he is a giant in that field, so I take my hat off to WWE because they took such huge steps to make things better for the wrestlers themselves and making sure they are healthy to perform. That was very, very important.”

Triple H said that it was important for WWE to get Sammartino in the Hall of Fame as he’s one of the biggest names ever in the business.

“So for us to not have him in there, for the legitimacy of the whole thing, it was a major issue. He truly is a living legend,” HHH added.

Triple H also revealed that Bruno and Vince haven’t talked yet and he will be arranging a one-on-one sit-down meeting between the two after he shot down the idea of the two talking over the phone.

“Hall of Fame is probably where we’ll make that happen. Vince and Bruno will see each other for the first time in years and officially, in person, look each other in the eyes and bury that hatchet.”

You can read the full story at http://es.pn/Up8dOJ