WWE Survivor Series Returning to Boston Should Pump Up New England Wrestling Fans
Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions or personal experiences.
Wrestling fans in New England will get their first real look at New Hampshire native Triple H’s WWE this November, when the company’s annual Survivor Series event comes to Boston’s TD Garden.
Tickets are on sale to the general public on August 26 at 10 am, but use some high-powered WiFi if you’re buying. According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, most seats sold out during the presale on Wednesday.
This is said to be the fastest a WWE Premium Live Event (or as it was formally known, “Pay-Per-View”) has sold out in years.
Survivor Series became a WWE tradition in 1987, initially pitting teams of four wrestlers against each other in tag team elimination matches. This year’s incarnation, which takes place on November 26, marks the event’s long-awaited return to Thanksgiving weekend.
The event is notable for a number of memorable moments.
Most notably, Hall of Famer The Undertaker made his WWE debut in 1990 at another New England venue, the Hartford Civic Center.
However, the most infamous Survivor Series took place in Montreal in 1997, when Vince McMahon and departing champion Bret Hart couldn’t agree on a match finish, leading to a real-life swerve where McMahon secretly changed the planned outcome on Hart, as documented in “Wrestling with Shadows.”
This will mark the fourth time Boston has hosted Survivor Series, with the most recent shows taking place in 2008 and 2013.
The first time Boston hosted the event was at the old Boston Garden in 1993, featuring the likes of Bret Hart, The Undertaker, Lex Luger, Macho Man Randy Savage, Yokozuna, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, and The Bushwhackers, with McMahon joining Bobby “The Brain” Heenan on commentary.
McMahon stepped down from his role as CEO and Chairman of WWE this year amid revelations he had paid out millions in company funds to cover up an affair with a coworker, among other suspected instances of misconduct, according to the New York Times.
He was replaced as CEO by his daughter (and Boston University alum), Stephanie McMahon.