''WWF on MSG Network'' (also advertised as ''WWF from Madison Square Garden'') was a
professional wrestling television program produced by the
World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It was a monthly television special that aired live from
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
on the
MSG Network from August 7, 1976 to March 16, 1997. The program featured live wrestling matches and
interviews with WWF wrestlers. Updates of current feuds and several major title changes also took place on the show.
As of May 2022, 44 of the 151 total episodes are currently on the
WWE Network, listed in the ''WWE Old School'' playlists.
[https://www.peacocktv.com/watch/asset/sports/wwe-old-school/7197796796765932112]
History
World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) began airing their monthly television special ''WWWF on MSG Network'' on August 7, 1976 after several years of airing their monthly Madison Square Garden shows on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
. Several notable title changes took place on the show including
Bob Backlund
Robert Louis Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is an American retired amateur and professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation from 1976 to 1984 and in the 1990s, wher ...
winning his first
WWWF World Heavyweight Championship by defeating
Superstar Billy Graham on February 20, 1978. The show was renamed ''WWF on MSG Network'' after the promotion changed its name to "World Wrestling Federation" in March 1979. The show was an important event and equivalent to today's pay-per-view events. Many important matches and storyline developments took place on the show, for example,
Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
's rise to stardom began on the show when he defeated
The Iron Sheik to capture his first WWF Championship on January 23, 1984. With the rise of Hogan's popularity and WWF's national expansion, the show lost its significance following the first
pay-per-view event WrestleMania in 1985. With the addition of more pay-per-view events and the introduction of ''
Saturday Night's Main Event'' as a nationally televised monthly special, the ''WWF on MSG Network'' discontinued after 1992. WWF aired one final event on the MSG Network on March 16, 1997.
Title changes
''WWF on MSG Network'' had many notable title changes.
*
Bob Backlund
Robert Louis Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is an American retired amateur and professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation from 1976 to 1984 and in the 1990s, wher ...
defeated
Superstar Billy Graham to win the
WWWF World Heavyweight Championship on February 20, 1978
*Bob Backlund defeated
Bobby Duncum
Bobby Edward Duncum (born August 14, 1944) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances for the World Wide Wrestling Federation, National Wrestling Alliance and American Wrestling Association from the late-1 ...
in a
Texas Deathmatch
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
to win the vacant WWF Championship on December 17, 1979
**Backlund had lost the title to
Antonio Inoki
Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born ; February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name , a homag ...
on November 30 in Japan, but after a controversial rematch on December 6 in Japan, the title was vacated. Neither match was acknowledged on US television. The match against Duncum was referred to on US television as a title defense, even though Backlund was not introduced as champion, nor did he wear the belt during his entrance.
*
Ken Patera defeated
Pat Patterson
Pat Patterson (born Pierre Clermont; January 19, 1941 – December 2, 2020) was a Canadian-American professional wrestler and producer, widely known for his long tenure in the professional wrestling promotion WWE, first as a wrestler, then as ...
to win the
WWF Intercontinental Championship on April 21, 1980
*
Pedro Morales defeated
Don Muraco to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship on November 23, 1981
*Bob Backlund defeated
Greg Valentine to win the vacant WWF Championship on November 23, 1981
**The title was vacated on October 19 when Backlund had successfully defended the title against Valentine but the dazed referee awarded the title to Valentine. The title controversy was not recognized outside New York City and WWF continued to recognize Backlund as champion outside New York City. WWE officially does not recognize this title vacancy and Backlund's reign is recognized uninterrupted.
*Don Muraco defeated Pedro Morales to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship on January 22, 1983
*
The Iron Sheik defeated Bob Backlund to win the WWF Championship on December 26, 1983
*
Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
defeated The Iron Sheik to win the WWF Championship on January 23, 1984
*
Akira Maeda
(born Go Il-myeong (Hangul: 고일명, Hanja: 高日明), January 24, 1959) is a Japanese mixed martial arts promoter, writer and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist of Korean descent. Maeda was also known by the ring name K ...
defeated
Pierre Lefebvre to win the
WWF International Heavyweight Championship on March 25, 1984
*
Wendi Richter defeated
The Fabulous Moolah to win the
WWF Women's Championship on July 23, 1984
*
The Cobra defeated
Black Tiger to win the
WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship on December 28, 1984
*
Leilani Kai defeated Wendi Richter to win the WWF Women's Championship on February 18, 1985
*Spider Lady (The Fabulous Moolah) defeated Wendi Richter to win the WWF Women's Championship on November 25, 1985
Legacy
Although WWF discontinued live wrestling shows on the MSG Network, WWE began airing a new television show in 2006 called the ''
MSG Classics'' which featured clips and matches from WWF's house shows at the Madison Square Garden and the show aired on the
MSG Network from 2006 to 2009.
References
External links
WWF on MSG Network results{{Former WWE programs
Television series by WWE
MSG Network original programming
1980s American television series
1976 American television series debuts
1997 American television series endings