Iron City Homecoming wrestling event a fundraiser for Bruce and Carol Sammartino Foundation

Heroes get remembered but legends never die, and Friday at Pro Sports in Monroeville, Northeast Wrestling, The Pros of Wrestling and superstars from World Wrestling entertainment will come together to honor one of Pittsburgh’s greatest legends, Bruno Sammartino, with a fundraiser for the Bruno and Carol Sammartino Foundation.

Iron City Homecoming will feature the return of Pittsburgh native and WWE commentator Corey Graves, along with WWE Hall of Famers Mick Foley, Jerry “The King” Lawler and Billy Gunn.

“It’s exciting,” Graves said. “That’s where I grew up. I wrestled at that venue before I made it to the WWE. It’s exciting to return for a more intimate venue because it’s rare to kind of have a conversation with the fans. It’s more exciting that it has somewhat of a personal touch to it.”

Several other wrestling superstars will be making an appearance at the event as they all look to raise money for a good cause.

The foundation is dedicated to helping those in need of life’s basic necessities; the mission is to help serve those who need food, shelter and services to ease the burden of life throughout the Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania area.

Bruno, who was a resident of Ross Township and died last year, was the champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation for a combined 11 years in the 1960s and ‘70’s. Then, in 2013, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Before his induction into the Hall of Fame, Graves said he had the honor of meeting Bruno, which was something special because of how he and his brother both got into wrestling.

“Bruno was my dad’s hero,” Graves said. “I watched his old tapes with my dad, and he always talked about him like a superhero. So, as I grew up I learned kind of about the legend of Bruno and what he really meant to the city of Pittsburgh.”

Corey started wrestling in high school when his dad, Dan, opened the door for him through a promoter he knew. Soon enough, he started traveling all over to participate in events and pursue his goals.

His brother, who goes by Sam Adonis and helped organize the event with Bruno’s son and director of foundation, Daryl Sammartino, did the same. Corey said his brother has chased the same aspirations just in a different way. Now, they will come back together for a special event in their hometown.

Unlike other WWE events, Iron City Homecoming will allow fans to interact with the superstars on a more personal level. Graves said he’d compare the Iron City Homecoming to seeing your favorite band at a bar, while the Monday Night Raw event at PPG Paints arena on Monday would be like a rock and roll show.

“It will be more intimate experience,” Graves said.

A meet and greet autograph session with all of the superstars starts at 6 p.m. Friday. Then, there will be eight matches, starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are available online or at the door the night of the event.