10 Huge Wrestling Moments That Played Out To Silence

8. Lillian Garcia Tears The House Down

Hearing the United States national anthem sung at a WWE event isn't all that notable. Hearing the United States national sung by Lillian Garcia at a WWE event isn't all that notable. But the 13 September 2001 edition of SmackDown saw something that was as unique as it was powerful.

This episode of SmackDown came just two days after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and WWE was the first form of live entertainment or sport seen since the world was left reeling.

As we've seen over the years, the national anthem is usually something that the majority of people in attendance will proudly sing along to. Not on that 13 September night, though.

From the moment that Lillian began singing, Houston's Compaq Center fell silent and were left in respectful awe as Garcia delivered one of the most emotional, brave, defiant, powerhouse renditions of the Star Spangled Banner ever seen.

WWE has so often distastefully spun current affairs into its narrative or marketed themselves as doing things for the greater good, yet Lillian Garcia and her fine set of pipes was a genuine shared moment on that post-9/11 SmackDown.

 
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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.