WWE held a special edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event at Madison Square Garden on July 18. The show featured several matches and major crossover appearances from outside the professional wrestling industry. Now, a new report suggests that not everyone behind the scenes was fully on board with one major decision.
According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select, several of WWE’s day-to-day decision-makers were “not exactly enthusiastic” about the level of New York Knicks integration throughout the show. The NBA champions were heavily involved throughout the broadcast, playing key roles in two of the night’s biggest moments. Karl-Anthony Towns first made his presence felt during Danhausen‘s match against JD McDonagh. The Knicks star got involved physically, delivering chokeslams to both McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio, helping Danhausen pick up the victory.
Thanks for the submission!
Later in the show’s closing segment, Jalen Brunson joined Roman Reigns in the ring. The OTC presented the NBA Finals MVP with a custom New York Knicks-themed championship belt, but the celebration was interrupted by their respective rivals, Seth Rollins and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. A physical altercation then ensued. Although The Visionary initially gained the advantage, Reigns recovered with assistance from Brunson before putting Rollins down with a spear to end the show on top.
The report noted that WWE officials understood the unique atmosphere surrounding the Madison Square Garden event. The local crowd was eager to celebrate the Knicks ending their 53-year championship drought. Despite understanding the excitement, there was a strong internal feeling that the presentation “went further than many would have preferred.”
WrestleVotes also reported that a source spoke the day after Saturday Night’s Main Event and suggested that part of the internal reaction may simply come down to differing interests behind the scenes. According to the source, some people backstage are not particularly invested in sports, which may have contributed to the mixed opinions regarding the extensive NBA crossover.
Roman Reigns’ major WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event moment was Triple H’s idea
A new report has revealed that one of the biggest moments from Saturday Night’s Main Event was originally pitched by WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H.
According to Ibou of Self Made Sessions, Triple H personally came up with the idea for the show’s closing segment involving Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Jalen Brunson, and Tyrese Haliburton.
“Triple H had an idea for the show. His idea was, quote, ‘What if Haliburton went out with Seth and they just like tried to fight Roman and Jalen?’ And at the time when Hunter pitched this, people were like, ‘I hear you.’ And it ended up happening.”
With WWE SummerSlam around the corner, it will be interesting to see what other cross-promotional segments the sports entertainment juggernaut features on TV.
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Edited by Neda Ali
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