Usually, if you own a basketball or hockey team that has a legitimate shot at reaching a deep round of the playoffs, you don’t rent out your home arena. Evidently Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke wasn’t too sold on this year’s Denver team, because his basketball team is currently embroiled in a battle of smack talk over who will get the Pepsi Center next Monday night, as both WWE’s “Monday Night RAW” and Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals are scheduled to be there.
(Rocky vs. The Big Show. For the arena, winner take all.)
According to the web site for Denver ABC affiliate 7NEWS, WWE’s Vince McMahon is not the least bit happy about the scheduling snafu, which threatens to send his weekly event to a smaller venue, or outside of Denver altogether, if the NBA doesn’t step in and move the date of Game 4, an outcome which is extremely unlikely at best.
While the Pepsi Center is doing its best to maintain an pseudo-objective front in the middle of the controversy, it’s pretty clear that the Nuggets are going to win out in the scheduling battle. In the list of events on the arena’s web site, WWE’s slot on May 25th is currently listed as “TBD”, while Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals is scheduled to start right on time at 7 p.m.
Put everything together, and it’s awfully clear that the WWE is going to be bumped. The one upside of that is a significantly increased chance of McMahon cold-clocking someone in abject rage. Hey, that’s entertaining, right?
“Even though the Denver Nuggets had a strong team this year and were projected to make the playoffs, obviously Nuggets and Pepsi Center owner Stan Kroenke did not have enough faith in his own team to hold the May 25th date for a potential playoff game,” McMahon said in a statement.
See, that was a statement. Imagine him delivering that edict in person to Kroenke’s face! Bam! The WWE is in heady times, what with challening the NBA playoffs and using Cubs slugger Alfonso Soriano as the butt of a joke in a live telecast. Not that we’ve got a problem with that. Personally, we think all the squabbles should be ironed out with chairs and a ring bound by thick elastic ropes.
6:48 pm on May 18th, 2009
Vince, do something more daring than you're used to doing: Hold Monday Night RAW outdoors. Dick's Sporting Goods Park is open on Monday and can accomodate up to 26000 for the event. Weather.com says it's supposed to be 73 degrees with a small chance of rain.
Otherwise, do what you do most of the time: hold Monday Night RAW in Omaha. And quit bothering us Nuggets fans.
9:48 pm on May 18th, 2009
There is no good outcome to this issue. Either way there will be disappointed fans. My son has been looking forward to seeing WWE in person since the tickets went on sale back at the beginning of April. If the Nuggets owner had faith in his own team there would not be a problem so don't blame Vince McMahon.
4:12 am on May 19th, 2009
Hold the playoff game outdoors. Now that's daring
11:17 am on May 19th, 2009
can’t we all just get along?
1:45 pm on May 19th, 2009
Hmmmm…let's see…a conflict between an organization that uses the building 40+ times a year for a local fan base tht buys season tickets, and a one-off traveling road show that basically can set up and do it's thing in a parking lot if need be…..seems simple to me; Vince, hit the road……
2:59 pm on May 19th, 2009
Its really a matter of a contract…end of story. I like the Nuggets but I also like WWE so pointing fingers back and forth wont…The resolution remains to be announced….but I have a bad feeling about the whole thing.
5:08 pm on May 19th, 2009
I think that Vince should rehire X-Pac for this show only and reunite Generation X to invade the NBA game while Raw is held at a different location.
5:12 pm on May 19th, 2009
Kevin:
Only if Vince also brings back the Road Dogg Jesse James & Bad Ass Billy Gunn - The NEW … AGE … OUTLAWS!
8:54 pm on May 19th, 2009
I think vince should just bring back the xfl and have them go against the nba…what a waste of time and money haha