Graham Cawthon sent this in:
29 Years of Wrestling at the Meadowlands
The History of WWE.com takes a look at all events held at historic venue
A stone’s throw from Manhattan, the Izod Center has been host to some of the biggest moments in wrestling since it opened in October 1981 as the Brendan Byrne Arena, also known as the Meadowlands.
For the then-WWF, it was a piece of their stronghold over the New York City market. For competing promotions facing the WWF’s exclusive deal with Madison Square Garden, it was their best chance of creating a fanbase in the area.
The History of WWE.com, celebrating its 8th year, now offers an in-depth look at each and every wrestling event held at the arena – from what was deemed Bruno Sammartino’s retirement at the initial card to Tommy Dreamer’s last match in WWE, held Dec. 29, 2009.
The Meadowlands section joins similar projects already underway focusing on MSG, Maple Leaf Gardens, Boston Gardens, Philadelphia Spectrum, Atlanta Omni, Greensboro Coliseum, and other historic arenas.
Highlights include:
– A look at others’ efforts to break into the market, from Flair vs. Steamboat in 1984 and the Road Warriors vs. the Freebirds in 85 to Flair taking the WCW World Title from Sting in 1991. As a result of WCW’s partnership with the arena, the WWF protested by not running the Meadowlands for more than a year.
– Pay-per-view events including Summer Slam 89, Summer Slam 97, King of the Ring 2001, No Mercy 04, and Summer Slam 07
– The debut of Demolition, a legends battle royal featuring Lou Thesz, Wargames, an Ironman match, and the break up between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant during Piper’s Pit – which led to their match at WrestleMania III.
For more information, visit http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com.
The best in wrestling and comic book memorabilia
Want to see the matches and events you read about on The History of WWE?
Now you can. Need to find that rare Coliseum Video or LJN action figure at a competitive price? Now you can.
The Retropolis is your online resource to scoop up wrestling footage and publications from yesterday and today. During its nine-year stint on eBay, they have shipped videos, magazines, and figures, to more than 5,000 customers worldwide.
Mention you’re from The History of WWE for an EXCLUSIVE 20% DISCOUNT! (http://stores.shop.ebay.com/The-Retropolis)
About The History of WWE
The History of WWE.com (http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com) was created in February 2002 with the intent of documenting in detail all the in-ring action of the WWE dating back to its inception in 1963. Over the years, the website has grown to include WCW and ECW results, thousands of newspaper clippings and promotional advertisements, match listings for WWE home videos and DVD releases, a thriving message board, title histories, audio interviews, columns, and reviews. As of July 2009, the site has expanded to also feature Jim Crockett Promotions results dating back to 1983.
The website has attracted praise from wrestling journalists (“An amazing and excellent resource that I use almost daily to double check facts.” – Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com), book authors (“Invaluable” – Michael Krugman, Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life), and wrestlers themselves (“We love your site.” – Jimmy “Boogie Woogie Man” Valiant).