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COMPLETE, UPDATED 12/26 WWE IN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN LIVE REPORT

WWE returned to the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden in NYC tonight to kick off their 2024 Holiday Tour.  The post-Christmas event has been a tradition for decades and tonight's event was the anniversary of the very first pro wrestling show I saw live, headlined by Hulk Hogan vs. The Mighty Kamala in December 1986.  

*Byron Saxton was the ring announcer.  

*The show was not sold out.  The first post-Christmas show not to do so in several years.  It was likely a combination of the ticket prices and WWE having recently been at the Barclays Center and The Nassau Coliseum in recent weeks.  If they run Nassau, there's much less of a reason for Long Islanders to venture into the city.  Still, the fact it wasn't sold out is certainly something to pay attention to.

*Lots of plugs for Raw coming to Netflix during the show.

*LA Knight defeated Santos Escobar with BFT.  Fun back and forth match bookended by Knight mic work, which the crowd loved.

*Xavier Woods defeated Otis.  New Day cut a great promo about how they sacrifice their holidays and left their families behind in order to come and wrestle in a city that smells like piss.  Otis had control until he missed a charge and hit his shoulder on the ring post.  Woods nailed a dropkick from behind.  MSG chanted for Otis.  Woods came off the top but was caught and slammed.   Otis nailed the worm for a two count. Kofi Kingston hit an enziguri from the apron while the ref was distracted.  Woods nailed flying elbow for pin.

*WWE Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker defeated Sami Zayn in a Best of Three Falls bout. Story was power vs. Finesse. Bron caught Sami coming off the ropes and backdropped him. Zayn caught him with a Helluva Kick to score the first fall. Sami scored several near falls. The crowd thought Zayn was going to win with a Blue Thunder Bomb. He went for another Helluva Kick but was speared twice and pinned evening it up. Bron set up for another spear but was booted by Sami for a close near fall. Zayn came off the ropes but was speared and pinned. Good match.

*Seth Rollins pinned Dominik Mysterio. Lots of boos for Dom. They went back and forth and battled to the floor and back into the ring. Mysterio nailed a slingshot splash into the ring for a two count. Chants for Seth and Dom. Dom was in control. A fan threw something in the ring. Dom picked it up and ate it then complained on the mic it was one of the worst chicken tenders he ever had in his life. This allowed Seth to make a comeback and he nailed the DDT. He nailed a clothesline for a two count. The crowd chanted for chicken tenders. Seth hit a sit out suplex for a two count. Dom came back with a flurry of moves. He missed a 619 and was hit with a pedigree. They battled back and forth until the referee missed a low blow on Rollin. Dom hit the 619. Dom went for fog Splash that Seth told the knees up and hit the curb stop for the pin.  Before the match and after, Rollins did CM Punk mannerisms to mock him leading into their showdown on the premiere Raw on Netflix.

*CM Punk pinned Ludwig Kaiser. Punk received the biggest pop of the show thus far for his entrance and fans were chanting his name before his music hit. All Punk early. Ludwig took control briefly but was hit with a clothesline. Punk rained down with punches in the corner. Ludwig escaped to the floor and Punk took chase. When they returned to the ring, Kaiser stomped Punk. Punk came back and hit a running knee in the corner. Kaiser blocked the bulldog and choked Punk on the ropes. Kaiser worked over Punk. Punk came back with Cena's Five Moves of Doom including the Five Knuckle Shuffle.  MSG lost it for that.  Punk came off the top of the flying body print for it to count. Punk Nails a spinning neck breaker and hit the knee in the corner into the bulldog. He called for the GTS but his eyes were raked. Punk nails at GTS and scores the pin.  Punk and the referee made snow angels in the ring after.  Really fun.

*Intermission!

*Umaga's son Zilla Fatu is in the crowd.

*The Wyatt Sicks defeated The Final Testament with Paul Ellering in a eight person mixed tag team bout. Karrion Kross did mic work demanding the "hometown boy" be given respect. He issued an open challenge for anyone in the back. Scarlett started with Nikki Cross. Kross and Dexter Lumis tagged in. Lup1ppmis hit a Thesz Press. The Authors of Pain worker over Lumis. Rowan made the hot tag. He cleaned house but went down when he and Kross nailed a clothesline on each other. Everyone battled. Scarlett and Kross battled.  There was a funny spot where Scarlett went for a variation of The Stinkface but Kross bit her on the rear.  There were kids in the row in front of me literally falling out of their chairs with laughter.  Scarlett powerbombed Nikki. Nikki came back and scored the pin.   This was Dexter Lumis' MSG debut and the first time Scarlett wrestled in MSG.

*WWE Women's World Champion Liv Morgan with Raquel Rodriguez defeated IYO SKY. Morgan got a major star reaction. They battled into the aisle and back. Morgan thought she had IYO beat and posed on the ropes only to be rolled up for a two-count. Morgan scored several two counts. She nailed a Codebreaker for another. The crowd rallied IYO. Liv locked on a choke and IYO went down but fought back. She made a comeback and went to the top hitting a flying missile dropkick for a two count. She set up Liv for a finishing maneuver but Raquel pulled her out of the ring. IYO hit a moonsault from the apron to the floor on both. When Morgan was back in the ring she went for a top rope Moon saw but Raquel got on the apron. The referee ejected her from ringside. All of this allowed Morgan to get behind her and rolled up her up, hooking the tights, for a two count. SKY missed a backflip into a stomp. Liv drilled her and scored the pin with Oblivion. Real good.  Morgan is as much a star at this point as anyone in the women’s division has ever been based on the reactions she gets not just for her entrance but everything she does in the ring and to antagonize the crowd.

They announced a March return to MSG for a Raw taping on 3/10.    The pre-sale code is SOCIAL.

*In a steel cage match, WWE World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER defeated Damian Priest. The last time they were in the Garden Priest (then-Champion) got trapped on a runway in a malfunctioning plane in Florida and didn't end up landing in NYC until well after the show ended so at least he got to make up his Main event. They fought back and forth. Priest walked the ropes but was crotched. GUNTHER worked over Priest for some time, drilling him with a big boot. GUNTHER tried to escape over the top but was prevented from doing so. Priest drilled him and went for the door but was prevented from exiting. Priest was thrown into the cage. Priest finally made it come back and ran the champ into the cage over and over scoring several two counts. We stole them with a big right hand then hit him with a leaping Splash in the corner. Gunther cut him off with some chops and tossed him into the cage. GUNTHER unloaded with hard chops. Priest went for a Razor's Edge but it was thwarted. Priest kicked out of a powerbomb into a pinfall. There are some “This is awesome” chants scattered across the crowd. GUNTHER tried to climb out but was pulled off the ropes into a Razor's Edge for a two count.  Priest climbed to the top of the cage but the champ caught up. They battled on the top rope. Priest hit a top rope rana into the ring. Ludwig Kaiser ran out and closed the door on Priest. GUNTHER locked on a choke. When Priest powered out, huge pop, like Hulk Hogan escaping Roddy Piper’s sleeper generations ago.   It was one of the biggest reactions for anything on the show.  Kaiser entered the cage and they beat on Priest, two to one.   GUNTHER tried to climb out of the cage but ended up being caught by Priest at the top rope.   Priest was fighting them, two to one, but overcame them and made a comeback.  Priest chokeslammed GUNTHER  for a two count that was so close that the crowd was booing and yelling that there wasn't the three count.   Priest went to exit thecage but Dominik Mysterio ran out and slammed the door on him.  GUNTHER nailed and pinned Priest with a powerbomb.

After the match, they worked over Priest until CM Punk, theme music and all, ran out wearing a towel and a plastic net over his hair, to make the save and send everyone home happy.  Punk put over Priest on the mic as someone who grew up loving pro wrestling in New York and now got to main event Madison Square Garden.  He handed the mic to Priest, who thanked everyone for their support to end the evening.

Overall, a solid show.

Notes: There was a massively healthy house tonight as even without the sellout, they certainly made a ton of money.  Ringside seats alone were going for the area of $325 to $700 plus Ticketmaster fees….There were representatives from GCW at the show, promoting their Hammerstein Ballroom event on 1/19/25, including Nick Gage….Drew McIntyre and Rey Mysterio were both advertised for the show but were not there.  In the case of Mysterio, it may have been the passing of his Uncle Rey Misterio Sr. but I can’t say that for sure….McIntyre did not work the other loop in Florida.  There were a lot of fans around me wondering where he was when WWE went to the main event.  They need to be very careful in not making it a habit to advertise names and not deliver, although obviously card is always subject to change.…They were selling a special “I Was There” WWE Winter tour shirt.  They were also selling tons of replica title belts, including the special New York Knicks and new York Rangers belts as well as signed photos for a ton of talents.

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