The Knicks were everywhere at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Not everyone inside WWE was thrilled about it.
Per WrestleVotes on Fightful Select, the company’s day-to-day decision-makers weren’t exactly enthusiastic about how much New York Knicks integration made it onto the Madison Square Garden show. Those WrestleVotes spoke to understood the atmosphere, with the Garden crowd still riding the Knicks’ NBA Championship win, but the internal feeling was that the presentation went further than many would have preferred.
It was a heavy dose. Jalen Brunson appeared in an on-screen angle siding with Roman Reigns against Seth Rollins and Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, while Karl-Anthony Towns turned up to help Danhausen win his No Disqualification match against JD McDonagh.
Speaking to a source a day after the show, WrestleVotes was told the reaction came down to something simple: some backstage just aren’t that into sports.
The crossover wasn’t accidental. Bryan Alvarez reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that the NBA presence was a one-night play designed to grab ESPN coverage during a packed sports weekend, with the FIFA World Cup final happening in the New York area the following day. Alvarez added that the league isn’t expected to be involved at SummerSlam.
