With the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series coming on Sunday, I am quite excited to be a fan again. Not because The Rock will be wrestling after seven years, not because I will be in attendance for the silver anniversary, but because it is taking place in my favorite arena, Madison Square Garden.
MSG has always held a special place in my heart as a fan, and I try not to miss a show there. I remember my first ever WWF show took place on February 7th, 1999 and featured the greats from the Attitude era. I still keep the stub safe from the event, as it is a memory I hold very close.
These people weren’t strangers, these were wrestling fans and we were all sharing the experience of being at a Madison Square Garden show. It was like going to a Woodstock or going to church, we were all there together as one, standing together to chant, to cheer, and to boo, as a unit.
When I left the Garden that night, I knew that I wanted to be a part of the Madison Square Garden wrestling experience whenever the WWF came to town. It was exhilarating. I was only 8 years old but I knew I wanted to be involved anyway I could. I fell in love with the crowd and the atmosphere that night and from then on I made sure I attended every show I could. Watching WWF on television just wasn’t the same after going to Madison Square Garden.
Fast forward to this Sunday and now I am an adult, a 22 year old journalist, hoping to go back to where it all began. Everything has changed though over the past decade. Attitude has died off for PG, Hardcore wrestling is nonexistent, and there are not even any tag teams anymore!
I may be fairly young but with all these changes I feel quite old. After a four year absence due to college commitments and the switch to the Hammerstein Ballroom I am hoping to relive my youth and experience that type of crowd again. I predict that the show will deliver even though the card looks quite light and we will see the NY fans be rowdy and in full effect.
It’ll be 1999 again and I will be hoping to channel my Steve Blackman like cheers for hometown favorite Zack Ryder in his quest to become US champion. It’s also crazy to me that the only remnants of the Attitude era are in the form of Mark Henry and The Rock and they are both in high profile matches.
I can’t wait for this Sunday as I know it will be amazing to go back to MSG for the first time in years. So much history is in that building and the crowd just wants to have a good time. As a special gift to you guys for getting through my first column.
I will present to you 10 gems from Madison Square Garden, that you may not have seen. These matches are stellar and have all taken place at MSG. I am going to try to open up your minds and post some matches that have not been seen. Some you may recognize these matches, some of you may not but this is my gift to you so you can see how important the Garden is to these fans. I hope you enjoy these MSG classics and thanks for reading.
Steve Urena’s Top Ten MSG Classics for the week ( in no particular order)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x648yr_shawn-michaels-vs-goldust-ladder-ma_sport
2. Shawn Michaels vs. The Brooklyn Brawler
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdiw28_shawn-michaels-vs-brooklyn-brawler_sport
3. Bret Hart vs Yokozuna Cage Match
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6e78a_bret-hart-vs-yokozuna-steel-cage-pt_sport
4. Rob Van Dam vs Tommy Dreamer – Last Hardcore Title Match
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxm0TJWK8-0
5. Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MftAzjRElq4
6. Greg Valentine vs Tito Santana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28As0coY90A
7. Bob Backlund vs Stan Hansen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRVvIsktZAA
8. Los Guerrero’s vs Angle and Benoit vs Rey Misterio and Edge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnL6rlC6ZK4
9. Steve Austin vs Bret Hart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czVmYuBnbMI
10. Dudleyz vs Hardyz – Tables Match
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xd_ZdqfiV8
– [email protected]. Enjoy!
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Eric G.
Eric is the owner and editor-in-chief of the Camel Clutch Blog. Eric has worked in the pro wrestling industry since 1995 as a ring announcer in ECW and a commentator/host on television, PPV, and home video. Eric also hosted Pro Wrestling Radio on terrestrial radio from 1998-2009. Check out some of Eric's work on his IMDB bio and Wikipedia. Eric has an MBA from Temple University's Fox School of Business.
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