PITTSBURGH - Bruno Sammartino held the World Wrestling Federation title for 11 years in two separate reigns in the 1960s and '70s, dominated tag team wrestling and captured the hearts of fans.

But if Sammartino has his way, he'll never be inducted into a wrestling hall of fame.

The country's largest wrestling company, World Wrestling Entertainment, recently invited the Pittsburgh strongman into its hall of fame, but the 69-year-old refused because he believes today's wrestling is vulgar, profane and bad for children.

"I've completely divorced myself from the wrestling world. I don't believe in it," said Sammartino, who's been retired from wrestling for 17 years.

He won't be there when the WWE inducts its 2005 class into the hall of fame in April, just as he wasn't in Schenectady, N.Y., in 2002, when the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum inducted Sammartino. He boycotted the ceremony.

It's true that the outcomes of matches are predetermined. The late Vince McMahon Sr., who presided over East Coast wrestling, decided when Sammartino would win the championship title.

But at least pro wrestling was clean enough for children to watch, Sammartino said.

He was sickened to hear younger wrestlers were hooked on cocaine, pain killers and steroids.

Sammartino completely stopped watching wrestling after seeing Stone Cold Steve Austin chugging a can of beer and cursing on television.

"I would wonder where my principles are if I accepted (the WWE's invitation)," Sammartino said. "Anyway, their hall of fame is a joke."

The 40 members of the WWE's hall of fame include Pete Rose, who's ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame because of his lifetime ban from baseball. Rose was inducted after appearing in a handful of wrestling shows.

WWE officials could not be reached for comment.

Wayne Coleman, who was known as Superstar Billy Graham when he was wrestling's best-known villain in the 1970s, tried to persuade Sammartino to accept the WWE's invitation.

Coleman said his wrestling career skyrocketed when he defeated Sammartino in the April 1977 wrestling championship.

"All the wrestling fans want him in, but the hall of fame doesn't mean anything to him," Coleman said.