Wwf at msg

[hulksmash87]

I’ve been watching the wwf at msg cards on wwe network and YouTube and I have a question, the cards were monthly specials but why did they stop I believe in 1993? And are anymore from 1993 on available anywhere that aren’t camcorders?

[horsemen4ever]

The last regular MSG televised show was March 23rd, 1992. They did a one off in March 1997.

[lildude8218]

They had aired house shows for live programming in New York on the MSG Network, in Boston on NESN, and in Philly on PRISM regularly with a few other markets sprinkled in there. WWF was so hot at the time that many of these shows were sellouts so giving people in the area to see it on TV wasn't going to hurt the numbers and might only make people at home more interested in trying to get tickets for the next show. I'm sure the networks paid for the rights to air these events, which helped off-set some of the costs WWF had for running there. They also took those matches to air on episodes of Prime Time Wrestling.

By 1990 only the deal with MSG was still in place but less and less matches from house shows were airing on Prime Time. Instead they were just taping those matches at the Superstars and Wrestling Challenge tapings. I would guess they realized it was cheaper to just tape extra stuff there rather than lugging around equipment on the road. MSG was their "home arena" so that one stuck around out of habit more than anything. Eventually the ratings probably weren't doing as well since wrestling was less popular and MSG either no longer saw a need to keep airing them or it was no longer worth it for the WWF.

[CeilingFan]

Jan 1, 2021 0:31:49 GMT -5 horsemen4ever said:

The last regular MSG televised show was March 23rd, 1992. They did a one off in March 1997.

What's sad is that the main event was Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper vs. Ric Flair and Sid Justice, and the show was NOT sold out 

[polarbearpete]

I remember one more airing on MSG Network in 1997. I believe it had a casket match on it. It was either Undertaker vs. Vader or Goldust.

[horsemen4ever]

Jan 1, 2021 10:38:56 GMT -5 CeilingFan said:

Jan 1, 2021 0:31:49 GMT -5 horsemen4ever said:

The last regular MSG televised show was March 23rd, 1992. They did a one off in March 1997.

What's sad is that the main event was Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper vs. Ric Flair and Sid Justice, and the show was NOT sold out 

Maybe instead of Piper, how about Savage, all of the double main event competitors in one match. Though I think the build up was there was so much heat between Savage and Flair that you don't want them touching each other till Mania.

I wonder what was the next MSG house show line up, the history of wrestling list the next MSG house show in September.

[fw91]

When did the monthly house shows stop? They still ran shows often post tv show. Even when it wasn’t monthly they still ran shows there often well
Into national expansion

[Squirrel Master]

I was at so many of these shows from ‘85 forward. Also I saw Superstar Billy Graham lose the WWWF title to Bob Backlund when I was a preteen. I have so many WWF house shows ripped in DVD from the MSG Network, and I treasure them.

[jason1980s]

As a kid I wished I could go to a MSG PPV. Living in Maryland I figured it wasn't too far from me. It's like 3-4 hours away actually. I passed by it in 2016 and it was pretty cool seeing the venue that many great events were held at. What I always liked about MSG is that WWF showed the backstage entrances of some guys. Even on a Coliseum video release they would show it. But mostly you would see it on PPVs.

[Deleted]

Jan 1, 2021 20:53:42 GMT -5 jason1980s said:

As a kid I wished I could go to a MSG PPV. Living in Maryland I figured it wasn't too far from me. It's like 3-4 hours away actually. I passed by it in 2016 and it was pretty cool seeing the venue that many great events were held at. What I always liked about MSG is that WWF showed the backstage entrances of some guys. Even on a Coliseum video release they would show it. But mostly you would see it on PPVs.

Them showing the backstage entrances might have been an MSG network idea cause the only times they were doing that I can remember was at MSG & Nassau Coliseum shows that were produced and aired on MSG network.

[jason1980s]

Jan 1, 2021 21:48:23 GMT -5 @mrbonezone said:

Them showing the backstage entrances might have been an MSG network idea cause the only times they were doing that I can remember was at MSG & Nassau Coliseum shows that were produced and aired on MSG network.

It may have been. We never saw it at any other venue during the time period.

[CeilingFan]

Jan 1, 2021 12:52:33 GMT -5 horsemen4ever said:

Jan 1, 2021 10:38:56 GMT -5 CeilingFan said:

What's sad is that the main event was Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper vs. Ric Flair and Sid Justice, and the show was NOT sold out 

Maybe instead of Piper, how about Savage, all of the double main event competitors in one match. Though I think the build up was there was so much heat between Savage and Flair that you don't want them touching each other till Mania.

I wonder what was the next MSG house show line up, the history of wrestling list the next MSG house show in September.

According to  thehistoryofwwe.com, the next show was in September and it only drew 9000. The main event was Undertaker vs. Ric Flair.

[Triangle Lancer]

Jan 1, 2021 22:23:09 GMT -5 jason1980s said:

Jan 1, 2021 21:48:23 GMT -5 @mrbonezone said:

Them showing the backstage entrances might have been an MSG network idea cause the only times they were doing that I can remember was at MSG & Nassau Coliseum shows that were produced and aired on MSG network.

It may have been. We never saw it at any other venue during the time period.

I'm watching a Spectrum show (12/13/1980), where the camera man follows certain wrestlers from the back and down the aisle. Larry Zbyszko was one.
Bruno was shown walking backstage and shaking hands with people, then they followed him, too.

[ToyfareMark]

They didn't just air the cards on MSG Network, they also would air some on USA Network. Sometimes live, sometimes after they'd already aired on MSG.

[Deleted]

Jan 1, 2021 1:06:50 GMT -5 lildude8218 said:

By 1990 only the deal with MSG was still in place but less and less matches from house shows were airing on Prime Time. Instead they were just taping those matches at the Superstars and Wrestling Challenge tapings. I would guess they realized it was cheaper to just tape extra stuff there rather than lugging around equipment on the road. MSG was their "home arena" so that one stuck around out of habit more than anything. Eventually the ratings probably weren't doing as well since wrestling was less popular and MSG either no longer saw a need to keep airing them or it was no longer worth it for the WWF.

For the most part absolutely, most Prime Time exclusives were culled from Superstars/Challenge tapings beyond 1990. Usually 3-6 of those per TV taping. '91 had a couple (total) from some Ontario house shows, and most MSG Network matches were shown on Prime Time too.

1992 continued the MSG tapings until those MSG Network shows ended; they also had a bunch of matches from their post-WM8 intl shows which would air on Prime Time into the summer.

Of special note for 1992, though, was a Cornwall Ontario taping in June which was exclusively a Prime Time Wrestling event (4 matches were not; but were filmed for All American and VHS tapes) -- then another in October (the one where Jimmy Garvin showed up and yelled "Are you ready for the Survivor Series?!" for the WrestleMania 93 album, lol) where they taped a ton of Prime Time matches, the SSeries Showdown, and other matches which......may or may not have been taped for other TV? (TheHistoryofWWE.com is vague on that)

The matches that made Prime Time more interesting, IMO, were the ones obviously not shot like the other WWF TV shows. Despite the talent, they felt like you were watching something way different from the norm and made Prime Time more special.


I regret not being in wrestling yet to catch the era of NESN Boston Garden shows; I may have seen 1 or 2 early on before they ended (NESN was very often my dad's TV viewing) but I remember virtually nothing of them.