Madison Square Garden.
The late Gorilla Monsoon was fond of calling it the "Mecca" of professional wrestling.
Many have referred to it as the most famous arena in the world.
The Garden was the setting for this year's WWE Hall of Fame ceremonies on the eve of WrestleMania 29.
Despite being a wrestling fan for more than 40 years, I had never been inside the Garden for a wrestling show. Never there for a basketball or hockey game or a concert. Would admit to staring at it curiously from the outside on a couple of occasions when my wife and daughter would be around the corner on a shopping excursion to Macy's.
When it was announced the HOF ceremonies would be at the Garden, and that Bruno Sammartino and Mick Foley, two men I have met and admired, were among this year's inductees, the possibility of attending crossed my mind enough to contemplate it out loud at the computer in the kitchen one night. Not being very spontaneous and doing a quick cost/benefit analysis led to my dismissing the idea.
As the event was actually scheduled to take place on my birthday, my wife and kids conspired, with the help of my daughter's boyfriend, to obtain tickets and make a hotel reservation over the Internet. My brother kindly agreed to pinch-hit for me for a Sunday morning commitment and suddenly all systems were go.
Anybody who has driven to New York City would have considerable insight into why many people don't. They now charge $13 for the eerie privilege of driving through the Lincoln Tunnel, but the real challenge occurs when you emerge from the giant tube. My wife, who is an excellent co-pilot and familiar with lower Manhattan, is one of the most patient people I have ever met, but an hour and a half after we got out of the tunnel even she was starting to get frustrated at our inability to get to our favorite Times Square hotel.
By the time we got to the parking garage, it was actually a relief to park the vehicle (even though they wanted $51 for overnight parking) and get on foot to walk over to the hotel across the street. After a little shopping, dinner at a fine Irish pub and a little more shopping, it was time to head down to the Garden with my best friend (my wife) for the show.
Entering the building itself was exciting, though major renovations have probably removed some of the building's historic character. The show began promptly at 8 p.m. with Jerry Lawler serving as emcee. Former NWA champ and WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk came out to induct Mick Foley.
Trish Stratus was introduced by Stephanie McMahon. The youngest HOF member was certainly a favorite with the mostly 20-something male-dominated crowd.
Stevie Ray's appearance to induct his brother Booker T brought Harlem Heat chants. Ray articulately explained the obstacles Booker had overcome to achieve his success and was clearly proud of his little brother. Booker thanked several people who helped him along the way and recognized his wife and daughter in the crowd.
Maria Menounos was clearly thrilled to be there to induct Bob Backlund. Unfortunately, she went on too long during her intro time and some of the rowdies in the crowd turned on her by chanting "We want Bob" in an effort to move things along. Backlund came out and did a bizarre speech in full crazy Bob character. Some people seemed to love it. Others, not so much.
Vince eventually came out to induct Donald Trump, but The Donald never stood a chance. Mercifully, Trump kept it brief and got out of Dodge so there would be some time left for the main event.
Arnold Schwarzenegger got a nice pop when he came out to introduce Bruno Sammartino. The fans, many of whom clearly see themselves as part of the show, stood for each HOF member, but gave Bruno the biggest ovation of all upon his historic return to the Garden.
Sammartino appeared to be clearly touched by the reception and expressed his appreciation to the Garden itself for the role it played in his success all over the world. He told the fascinating story of his survival during WW II and humbly blamed the fans for his career success. Though he spoke for more than 20 minutes, the crowd would have gladly stayed longer. That speaks volumes when you realize the show had gone three hours and forty-five minutes by that point.
All of the members of this year's Hall of Fame class came out on stage with those who inducted them and Vince came over to embrace Bruno and raise his hand in the supreme photo op of the event. It was quite the memorable evening and thanks to the thoughtfulness and generosity of my family, one this wrestling fan will never forget.
(Shamokin's Bill Gilger "arranges" the interview each week with The Insider.)