As far as Bruno, this might not be a popular opinion but I've always thought he was over rated.
I don't care if it's "popular" - I agree! He was over with the fans; that part can't be denied. However, I've always believed that the WWWF glorified him to a great extent. Again, I give him credit because he
was the top guy and he
did carry the territory for a lot of years. Some of his glory was earned, but a lot was "marketing." Regardless, it was a formula that worked for a lot of years.
Vince Jr. used similar tactics with Hogan. In fact, I consider Bruno and Hulkster to be very similar in that respect. They were both physically big, had good characters, and were way over everywhere they went. But, they achieved their greatest success with the McMahon's because "the Vinces" knew best how to market them. Hogan could have worked the top of the card in every single territory, but would never have made the kind of money and fame he did with the Fed.