David Lugogo Sammartino is an American professional wrestler. He is the son of former WWE Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino. Bruno was against David going into professional wrestling, as he did not want him to experience the various horrors he went through when he started. He wanted David to get a college education and pursue a different career. Not taking his father's advice, David headed south and began training and wrestling with a few smaller independent wrestling companies, making his debut as a 20-year-old in 1980. In 1981, Sammartino wrestled for NWA Georgia Championship Wrestling. Throughout 1981, Sammartino picked up where his father left off the year before, feuding with Bruno's former protégé, Larry Zbyszko, on the independent circuit.