One of WWE’s most popular storylines took a dramatic turn in Madison Square Garden on Friday night — leaving New York wrestling fans equally shocked and excited.
Wrestling has exploded in popularity over the last year thanks to the new creative vision of Paul “Triple H” Levesque and the ensuing, movie-esque plot line evolving a wrestling family of Samoans in a stable known as The Bloodline. While the rabid fanbase flocked to Friday Night Smackdown to see the likes of LA Knight, Logan Paul, Jade Cargill, and more in action all eyes were on the Bloodline’s unfolding narrative.
Ever since Roman Reigns lost his historic title reign at WrestleMania to Cody Rhodes and vanished from television, fans have been wondering what turn the story will take next, and June 28 didn’t disappoint the capacity crowd. Current Bloodline leader Solo Sikoa, who performed a hostile takeover over the group, attacked manager Paul Heyman after he refused to recognize Sikoa as the Tribal Chief.
The crowd erupted with deafening cheers as Heyman defied Sikoa only to fall silent when he was lifted up and slammed through a table, leading him to being rushed out on a stretcher.
“He’s like Paul Bearer for the Undertaker, he’s one of the icons, you don’t touch one of those managers,” said Thomas Reilly, who attended the show with his 12-year-old son. “Roman Reigns is going to come back and unleash some vengeance because you don’t touch that man.”
As a longtime fan who says he has watched the product since he was a kid, Reilly says sharing the moment with his son means everything to him.
“I’ve never been to a wrestling event ever in my life. I’ve been watching since I was in diapers. And for me and him to be here together for the first time watching something like this together, it’s just something that it’s priceless,” Reilly added.
Other fans agreed, going as far to say they have not been this invested in WWE since the early 2000s.
Matthew Cascone, wearing a bright red Becky Lynch wig and blue Smackdown live t-shirt, said he began watching wrestling during the “Ruthless Aggression” era.
“For me, wrestling there is nothing else like it especially live. When wrestling is bad there is nothing worse than wrestling, but when wrestling is good there is nothing else like wrestling. It’s live performance, athleticism, storytelling, and you get to engage and meet them in person,” Cascone said.
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