10 Highest Attended Non-WrestleMania Events In WWE History
9. WWF Showdown At Shea - 36,295
Before Hulkamania took over the World Wrestling Federation in January 1984, WWF was focused around the biggest draw of the 1970s: Bruno Sammartino.
Bruno was the "Living Legend" in every way possible, selling out Madison Square Garden over 100 times and drawing huge crowds all over the northeast. By 1980, his career was winding down and he took newcomer Larry Zbyszko under his wing to launch the final big angle of his WWF career.
Zbyszko felt he was stuck in Sammartino's shadow and, after being dominated in a match against his mentor, Larry snapped and beat Bruno mercilessly with a chair, leaving the former champion in a pool of his own blood and nearly causing a riot.
The score could only be settled in a steel cage match and that took place in August 1980 in New York City's Shea Stadium in front of more than 36,000 fans. Sammartino soundly defeated the young Zbyszko and claimed victory to essentially finish his in-ring WWF career.
Interestingly enough, the card also featured a heel Hulk Hogan challenging the heroic Andre the Giant almost seven years before their showdown at WrestleMania III.