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(Author’s Note: You can view part one right here.)
To truly understand the existential importance of Madison Square Garden to present day WWE, you must go back to the era of the territories.
In 1948, the National Wrestling Alliance formed. It pretty much aligned all the major promotions within the United States together. While there were regional bookers who had their own clientele of talent, they all had to share one recognized World Champion.
This seemed dandy until two major federations broke away later on.
One of them would be Verne Gagne and the Minnesota-based AWA (American Wrestling Association).
The other would be Vincent J. McMahon and the WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation).
McMahon, the father of Vincent Kennedy McMahon, would run shop in the Northeast. For all the towns and all the venues, only one place would hold the major cards, feud-enders, and everything in-between: Madison Square Garden.
Located in New York City on 34th & 6th Street, MSG held the trials and tribulations of many a superstar over the years.
It’s history is so vast that a singular list of moments would do this invaluable establishment injustice.
In this continuing retrospective, we’re gonna look at just a few of MSG’s greatest contributions to WWE’s history.
One of the reasons why The Garden is so important is because it can link the lineage of WWE with mentions of newly-announced Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino and sooner-than-later Hall of Famer John Cena in the same breath. MSG has always been a hotbed for wrestling, and this is another in a series of small articles to prove it.
So here we are, another sampling of why MSG so great. (Note: These are not in chronological order!)
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Jimmy Snuka Takes A Leap of Faith. October 17th, 1983.
There are some ways the WWE has changed a lot since 1983.
One big example is the treatment of cage matches.
Today, cage matches are nothing more than a no-disqualification match stuck inside four sides of mesh and no blood. They are usually feud-fillers and lead to something greater.
However, back in that era, cage matches were usually the culmination of a feud. Whether that struggle was for weeks, months, it didn’t matter. Cages were usually the last resort.
On that particular Autumn day, Jimmy Snuka did the leap of faith.
Literally.
This cage battleground was a bloody and vicious affair. Both men had the battle scars to prove it.
Jimmy Snuka hit Muraco with a head-butt. Only this tactic unintentionally allowed Muraco to fall out the cage door and win the match.
To say Snuka was unsatisfied would be a general understatement.
By bringing Don’s ass back into the cage, Snuka proved to the world two things.
One: Muraco’s win was a fluke.
Two: SUPA, SUPA, SUPAFLY!
While Snuka had attempted this stunt before, it was usually meant with little fanfare or missed.
This time, THE ROCK hits the spot!
MSG popped in awe over this moment!
Especially one disobedient, hitchhiking Mick Foley. Donned in his now-signature flannel apparel, his jaw dropped to the floor when Snuka performed career magic. From here on, Foley would dedicate his life to the sport of professional wrestling. For the next 20+ years, Foley would execute a career grand enough to be considered an induction into WWE’s Hall of Fame.
Where you ask? Madison Square Garden!
With a little hitchhiking and imagination, one match with one moment can spawn one spectacular career.
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Randy Orton Kicks Mick Foley Down a Case of Stairs. RAW, June 23rd, 2003.
Amongst other moments in the history of Madison Square Garden, smaller moments are usually overshadowed in the grand scheme of things.
Take this little nugget from time.
Evolution (Randy Orton and Ric Flair for this instance) jumped Foley backstage after Flair took insult to a supposed compliment from Mick. It would ultimately lead to Orton and Foley brawling near a set of stairs.
Then Foley was sent down the stairs via a vicious punt to the skull. And no, it was not like the punt Orton would later make his signature.
Off and on for the next several months, Foley would appear to be the thorn on Evolution’s prickly ass.
Whether it was as an interim General Manager.
Or just a guy who got a loogie spat on him.
Foley was waiting for his revenge.
Only problem was that he wasn’t going into WrestleMania XX on his own against three gentlemen.
CUE THE ROCK!
Now it was still a handicap match, but a star-studded one nonetheless. Rock n’ Sock vs. Evolution (with the addition of Batista) was on!
In an ironic twist of fate, Orton was the one who got the duke after scoring a clean RKO on Foley. This would set up a feud-ending No Holds Barred match at Backlash for Orton’s Intercontinental Championship.
While some MSG moments are just that, moments, some are turning points that have lasting ramifications. This was case in point.
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Cactus Jack Debuts in the WWE. RAW, September 22nd, 1997.
Austin stuns McMahon is the moment that inaugural RAW from MSG will be remembered for.
However, I will be completely remiss if this is completely ignored.
This wasn’t exactly a blow-off that Mick Foley was going to have against Hunter-Hearst-Helmsley. As a matter of fact, it felt like a side-step to not only bigger feuds at the time but also matches down the road.
What did transpire before the match is legendary, and definitely is a moment affiliated with The Garden.
Tony Chimmel introduced Hunter, along with Chyna. Both looked focused, determined, and confident to whoop some ass.
Chimmel then announces Dude Love who was supposed to be HHH’s opponent.
NOT SO FAST!
Dude appears on the titantron. His hippie dippie weather man appearance can’t stand the weapons and other miscellaneous warfare.
He then introduces a kind man.
For all of you who didn’t get it, IT WAS MANKIND! Old-school non-Corporate Mankind.
Mankind says as much as he would love to beat up Helmsley again, he knows of someone who not only shares that feeling, but could probably do a better job.
ENTER IN CACTUS JACK!
Armed with a garbage can, Jack ominously threatens Hunter with how this will be the darkest day in his life.
Wouldn’t be the only time that’s happened in the Garden.
With Love signing off as “Ohhh, have mercy,” Cactus came out to the roar of the crowd.
The two would then have the best match of both of their 1997 calendar year.
Chyna even got a few licks in before Cactus gave Triple H a piledriver through a wooden table on the stage! Cactus expressed a disturbed, psychotic smile as he conquered the King of the Ring.
Via some old-school video trickery, WWE pulled off a once-in-lifetime promo that only Mick Foley could execute. Along with a reaction from Triple H likewise.
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Undertaker Returns! Survivor Series, November 17th, 1996
If a feud went any longer than, let’s say, three months nowadays, the internet would be complaining about WHEN WILL IT END??!?!?!
Back in this time however, feuds were allowed to breathe.
And elaborate.
And sometimes procrastinate.
By the time November of 1996 rolled around, Undertaker and Mankind went through several wars together.
Two consecutive PAY-PER-VIEW victories went to the newly-arrived Mick Foley. A shockingly clean victory at King of the Ring, coupled with the steepest of betrayals from Paul Bearer at the Boiler Room Brawl at Summerslam, meant that somewhere down the line, the big guy would get his revenge.
In a way.
Undertaker would face off against Mankind in a Buried Alive match on the gimmick-named pay-per-view.
The Phenom had the deranged one finished off with a Tombstone, and barely covered him in enough dirt to be called the winner.
Post-match, Undertaker was jumped on as if this was the 1994 Royal Rumble casket match again. Several heels came down to partake in a gang beat-down of ‘Taker complete with dirt coronation.
After it was all said and done, Undie laid waste under more than the proverbial six feet of dirt.
In one of the greatest visual tricks the WWE had ever seen, a lightning bolt hit the mound of dirt. Shortly afterwards, a hand rose out of the grave like a freshly incubated zombie. This would set up Survivor Series.
Sure there wasn’t a stipulation applied to the match itself, and sure Paul Bearer was inside of a cage HIGH above the ring, but the entrance is one sadly forgotten amongst time.
You see, Mark Calloway was temporarily the WWE equivalent of Adam West.
He was…
THE BATMAN!
As the above picture can attest, it had wings. Wings that made it look more like Wile E. Coyote’s aerodynamic costume than a wrestling stunt.
What the entrance also portrayed was perhaps a brand new character. ‘Taker was decked out in black leather, an outfit an replaced the shaggy old shindigs of years gone by. It also represented a different albeit more aggressive style in which Undertaker would step up his game tremendously over the coming year or so.
‘Taker and Mankind would brawl as soon as the dead man forcibly put the big fat lardass Bearer inside the cage.
Undertaker would ultimately gain his true first clean pinfall victory over the demented kind man. The joy would be short-lived as once again he had to endure surprise attack. This time it was by a short-lived character known as The Executioner (played by well-out-of-his-prime Terry Gordy RIP).
The less said about that feud the better.
It wasn’t the first or last time Undertaker would battle Mankind.
It wasn’t the only time Undertaker made a dramatic return at MSG.
Hell, it wasn’t the only time a manager would be hoisted up inside of a cage above the ring either.
However, it needed to be said: that entrance was awesome!_________________________________________________
CONCLUSION
That wraps up another installment of Madison Square Garden moments.
Unlike the first list where it was four random moments put together, this list had a running theme to it.
All four moments, one way or another, centered around Mick Foley. Foley as a fan, Foley as Cactus, Dude, or Mankind. Or Foley as the man who wanted to say hello, but got much more than that.
As mentioned earlier, Foley’s inspiration into becoming a wrestler morphed from a chance viewing up close and personal of the bloody war between Snuka and Muraco. Complete with the leap of faith.
The same arena where Foley’s new leash on life began will culminate in a Hall of Fame induction alongside other men and women whose inductions are more than justified.
Foley’s career was spiced by the interactions of other interesting characters mixing with his own. Madison Square Garden’s character was more than great enough to house these special moments.
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