WWE News: Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura to wrestle in Madison Square Garden for the first time
What’s the story?
WWE is attempting to counter poor ticket sales by putting a megacard show on at Madison Square Garden in July. A number of major talent is advertised for the show, but the big news is that Shinsuke Nakamura and Finn Balor will both be making their MSG debuts at the show.
The show was originally intended to be a RAW brand event, but Nakamura and other SmackDown stars will be appearing in a hope to ramp up interest in the show.
In case you didn’t know...
Whilst the WWE Network means that WWE is under less pressure to put on a consistent weekly product in search of pay-per-view buys and TV ratings, that same diminished weekly product continues to impact live event ticket sales.
The house show tours are still an integral part of WWE’s business model, and low ticket sales can be a good indicator of the popularity of certain stars or the strength of certain stories.
Madison Square Garden is WWE’s spiritual home, and it isn’t unusual for the promotion to go all out on live events held in the most famous arena on the planet. The Garden is one of the most important wrestling venues on the planet, and to wrestle there is a dream for many professional wrestlers.
The heart of the matter
Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles and Kevin Owens are being advertised for the July 7th MSG show, in a clear attempt to boost interest in the show. Nakamura will face off against Dolph Ziggler, whilst AJ and Owens will continue their battle for the WWE United States Championship. The Ziggler match will be Shinsuke Nakamura’s first inside Madison Square Garden.
Elsewhere on the show, Finn Balor will also make his MSG debut, as he takes on former Bullet Club colleague Karl Anderson in one-on-one action. Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt will headline the show, in a match that is also being billed as a first for The Garden.
The WWE Intercontinental, Cruiserweight and RAW Tag Team Championships are also scheduled to be defended on the show, which is part of WWE’s SummerSlam Heatwave Tour.
What’s next?
Tickets are already available for the July 7 show, with prices ranging from $26 all the way up to $131. As always, the card is subject to change, but it is unlikely that WWE would pull some of the major stars advertised for a show at their spiritual home.
It is also somewhat unusual that Brock Lesnar is not appearing at the event, as The Beast Incarnate is often used as WWE’s special attraction in an attempt to ramp up sales. There is still time for Lesnar to be added, of course.
Author’s take
All talk of ticket sales aside, getting to wrestle in Madison Square Garden may well be a dream come true for Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura.
Many of WWE’s most famous moments took place inside that most famous building, and it almost certainly sits on the bucket lists of most pro wrestlers. Balor and Nakamura are just six weeks away from being able to tick it off.