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| The folks at MSG recall the greatest villain (not named Michael Jordan) to perform in its halls Photo via @TheGarden |
Madison Square Garden may not appear to be all that big a deal in today's WWE parlance. Sure, the company runs big house shows there, but it hasn't played host to a televised WWE show since Survivor Series 2011. Costs may have something to do with that, and WWE now uses the Barclays Center as its prestige arena in its home city so to speak. Once upon a time, however, WWE's house show loops would culminate with huge shows at the legendary arena, a practice that seemed to have ended when the venue hosted its final WrestleMania, the ill-fated Mania XX.
Rowdy Roddy Piper was a star performer for WWE back towards the end of the territorial days of the then-WWF and at the nascence of its national expansion. He was in the main event of the most important WWE card of all-time, held at the Garden, the first WrestleMania. While Hulk Hogan could be argued as the company's most important major draw, he wouldn't have been the same dynamic force without his nemesis, Piper, stalking him, prodding him, pushing him. And thus, MSG honored Piper in the wake of his passing. It's nice to see more than just the usual suspects pay homage, even now, when MSG is less and less attached to its most important wrestling tenant by the day.
Rowdy Roddy Piper was a star performer for WWE back towards the end of the territorial days of the then-WWF and at the nascence of its national expansion. He was in the main event of the most important WWE card of all-time, held at the Garden, the first WrestleMania. While Hulk Hogan could be argued as the company's most important major draw, he wouldn't have been the same dynamic force without his nemesis, Piper, stalking him, prodding him, pushing him. And thus, MSG honored Piper in the wake of his passing. It's nice to see more than just the usual suspects pay homage, even now, when MSG is less and less attached to its most important wrestling tenant by the day.