10 Times The Competition Totally Embarrassed WWE

8. ROH Take Madison Square Garden

Steve Austin Samoa Joe
WWE/MSG

In 2018, Ring Of Honor, red-hot through the meteoric rise of the Elite stable, negotiated with Madison Square Garden officials. They wanted the venue for WrestleMania 35 weekend.

This shouldn't have been a problem; after all, WWE had opted in recent years to run the cheaper Barclays Center in Brooklyn, old traditions be damned.

Only, because Vince McMahon literally has more in common with a toddler than an adult - he likes toilet humour, is incredibly irrational, and gets bad-tempered before a feed - he decided that it was his toy first, pal. Leveraging an old exclusivity arrangement in an attempt to thwart the show, it looked like it wasn't going to happen. But then it did, because when MSG pulled the date under the threat, Sinclair - the group that owns ROH - threatened him right back in the form of legal action. Vince relented in fear of annoying FOX, affiliates of which are owned by Sinclair, only one month after striking the deal to air SmackDown.

Ultimately, ROH embarrassed itself on the night by strapping up Matt Taven in a heat stunt, indulging Bully Ray, and - in a an angle that never gets credit for being plausible, at least - having Enzo Amore invade.

The NJPW part of the show was fantastic, mind.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!