Madison Square Garden - WWE at The Garden

WWE At The Garden

The Garden has hosted many WWE wrestling events over the years including the very first WrestleMania in 1985, WrestleMania X in 1994, and WrestleMania XX in 2004. Other events include the first SummerSlam in 1988 along with SummerSlam 1991 and 1998; three Survivor Series events in 1996, 2002 and 2011; and the Royal Rumble in 2000 and 2008 (and planned for 2014). In 2005, WWE severed business ties with the Garden because WWE felt that increased rental costs would prevent them from making a profit in the building. However, over a year later, the issues were temporarily patched up and the hiatus ended with a September 11, 2006 edition of Raw, ECW and Heat. The Garden is also set to host the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony the day before WrestleMania XXIX.

Though they pulled the twentieth annual SummerSlam, which would have been held at the Garden on August 26, 2007, (it was held at the Continental Airlines Arena instead), WWE continues to make regular appearances. Raw returned to the Garden on a November 16, 2009, television episode, as well as a Raw house show on June 19, 2010, and a SmackDown house show on September 25, 2010; the latter of which featured the return of Bret Hart to the Garden after an absence of more than a decade. A third Survivor Series event was held at the Garden on November 20, 2011, the event sold out in less than 90 minutes. After seven years of his last match at the Garden The Rock made his in-ring return at Survivor Series.

The WWE Championship has changed hands at the Garden sixteen times, more than in any other arena in the world. In addition WWE's other world championship, the World Heavyweight Championship has changed hands twice at the Garden. Both Vince McMahon, Sr. and Vince McMahon, Jr. were inducted in to the Madison Square Garden walk of fame, and altogether four generations of the McMahon family have promoted events at the Garden. Bruno Sammartino wrestled 211 main events in Madison Square Garden & had 187 sellouts.