WWE might well be based in Stamford, Connecticut, but every fan knows their real home is Madison Square Garden in NYC, the world's most famous arena. It's so important to them that during the 2001 Invasion angle, WWE performers manned the barricades against the WCW forces, because The Garden was "their" turf. The New York Knicks might have something to say about that, but basketball is just a load of skinny giants playing catch and taking it in turns to score, so if they have a problem, they can play a less dumb sport (yeah, alright, people in glass houses and all that....) This Friday's showing of Smackdown was filmed on the WWE's spiritual stomping ground. Which makes it an appropriate time as any to take a look back at ten of the most iconic moments to take place in the hallowed grounds of The Garden. These are ranked in no particular order, but are all significant in some way...
10. Jimmy Snuka Dives From The Cage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waakFr6PmUw This match celebrated its 30th anniversary late last year, and it's only right that it should be remembered. Fair enough, in the years since with all the chair shots, flaming tables, barbed-wire baseball bats and Shane-O-Mac high dives (WE MISS YOU, SHANE!) this might seem tame by comparison. But you have to remember, this was back in 1983, and things WERE a lot tamer then. In 1983, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and Don Muraco were winding down their long feud over the Intercontinental belt, culminating their feud in a cage match. Long story short, Muraco won the match and retained his title through a sheer fluke, so an angry Snuka dragged his opponent back into the ring, laid him out and climbed to the very top of the cage and hit him with a Suplerfly Splash. Today, this match is mostly remembered for inspiring a young Mick Foley, who happened to be in the audience.
Stephen Maher has been a rock star, a bouncer, a banker and a busker on various streets in various countries. He's hung out with Robert Plant, he was at Nelson Mandela's birthday and he's swapped stories with prostitutes and crack addicts. He once performed at a Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras by accident. These days, he passes the time by writing about music, wrestling, games and other forms of nerdery. And he rarely drinks the blood of the innocent.
