Ask any wrestler where they most wanted to perform, and plenty will name the same building: Madison Square Garden. For more than a century the Garden has been where New York wrestling history gets made. Here are ten facts worth knowing, whether you’re a lifelong fan or just getting into the business.
1. Today’s Garden is actually the fourth one
The arena on top of Penn Station is the fourth building to carry the name Madison Square Garden. The second Garden, which stood from 1890 to 1925, already hosted boxing and wrestling. The third opened on November 24, 1925, at 49th Street and Eighth Avenue. The current Garden opened on February 11, 1968, with a USO show starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.
2. Bruno Sammartino won the world title in 48 seconds
On May 17, 1963, at Madison Square Garden, Bruno Sammartino beat “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship. It took just 48 seconds, and Rogers submitted to Bruno’s backbreaker. Sammartino had made his Garden debut a few years earlier, on January 2, 1960, against Bull Curry.
3. That reign lasted almost eight years
Sammartino held the title for 2,803 days, or 7 years, 8 months and 1 day. That’s still the longest recognized reign for a men’s world champion in the company’s history. He was also an elite strongman. In 1959 he set a bench press record of 565 pounds (256 kg).
4. The night the Garden went silent
On January 18, 1971, Ivan Koloff beat Sammartino for the title at MSG. The usually deafening crowd went into shocked silence, and Sammartino later said he thought at first that he’d damaged his ears. Just three weeks later, on February 8, 1971, Pedro Morales beat Koloff at the Garden to win the championship.
5. Bruno got the belt back at the Garden, too
Sammartino’s second title reign began where his first one did. On December 10, 1973, at MSG, he defeated Stan Stasiak. His career at the Garden had a scary moment as well: on April 26, 1976, he suffered a broken neck in a match with Stan Hansen there.
6. The Garden crowned champion after champion
Many of the company’s biggest title changes happened inside MSG:
February 20, 1978: Bob Backlund beat “Superstar” Billy Graham.
December 26, 1983: The Iron Sheik beat Backlund after Arnold Skaaland threw in the towel.
January 23, 1984: Hulk Hogan beat the Iron Sheik in 5 minutes and 40 seconds with a legdrop. Hogan became the first man to escape the Sheik’s Camel Clutch, and Hulkamania was born.
November 26, 1994: Diesel beat Backlund in just 9 seconds.
7. WrestleMania was born at the Garden
The very first WrestleMania took place at Madison Square Garden on March 31, 1985. The building drew 19,121 fans, and more than a million more watched on closed-circuit television. In the main event, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T beat “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff. Muhammad Ali served as outside referee, New York Yankees manager Billy Martin was the ring announcer, and Liberace was the guest timekeeper, joined by the Rockettes. The night before, Hogan and Mr. T appeared on Saturday Night Live.
8. The “nine-second” match wasn’t nine seconds
At WrestleMania I, King Kong Bundy’s win over Special Delivery Jones was announced as lasting 9 seconds. The match actually ran about 24 seconds. On the same card, Andre the Giant body-slammed Big John Studd to win $15,000 and then threw cash into the crowd. Wendi Richter, accompanied by Cyndi Lauper, won the Women’s Championship. Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik won the tag team titles, the first title change in WrestleMania history. And Bruno Sammartino was there too, in the corner of his son, David.
9. WrestleMania came home for its 10th anniversary
On March 20, 1994, WrestleMania X returned to Madison Square Garden, and Bret “Hitman” Hart left as WWF Champion.
10. Bruno’s Hall of Fame night was at the Garden
After years away from the company, Bruno Sammartino was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 6, 2013, at Madison Square Garden. Arnold Schwarzenegger inducted him. Sammartino is also honored on the MSG Walk of Fame.
Bonus: a stat to take with a grain of salt
You’ll often read that Sammartino sold out the Garden 187 times. It makes a great story, but Wikipedia notes that surviving records only seem to support about 45 sellouts. Either way, few stars of his era drew bigger crowds to the Garden.
Why the Garden still matters
From Sammartino’s 48-second coronation to Hogan’s legdrop and the first WrestleMania, Madison Square Garden has been where wrestling history happens. It’s also where New York wrestlers, including Johnny Rodz, worked in front of some of the loudest crowds in the business. When people call it “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” wrestling fans know a big reason why.
Edited by Israel Joffe