# WWE Live from Madison Square Garden
**WWE Live from Madison Square Garden** (also promoted as *Live from MSG: Lesnar vs. Big Show*) was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE on October 3, 2015, at [Madison Square Garden](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-square-garden) in New York City and broadcast live on the [WWE Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/wwe-network). It was a converted house show, a date originally planned as a non-televised live event that WWE turned into a Network special, and it was headlined by [Brock Lesnar](https://www.edgepedia.org/brock-lesnar) defeating Big Show and John Cena retaining the United States Championship against Seth Rollins in a steel cage match.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/) • [2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/live-madison-square-garden/preview) • [3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/network-live-msg-lesnar-big-show/2015-10-03/results)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | October 3, 2015, Madison Square Garden, New York City[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/) |
| Announced attendance | 20,224[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/) |
| Format | A planned house show converted into a live WWE Network special, the second such conversion of 2015 after The Beast in the East[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/) |
| Main event | Brock Lesnar def. Big Show, Lesnar's first Garden match since WrestleMania XX in 2004[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/network-live-msg-lesnar-big-show/2015-10-03/results) • [1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/) |
| Title matches | Cena retained the United States Championship over Rollins in a steel cage; Owens retained the Intercontinental Championship over Jericho; The New Day retained the tag titles by disqualification[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/network-live-msg-lesnar-big-show/2015-10-03/results) |
| Card size | Nine matches, two of them dark matches before the broadcast[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/) |
| Corporate listing | Named among WWE's 2015 exclusive live in-ring specials for WWE Network in the company's annual report[4](https://corporate.wwe.com/f/docs/annual-reports/2015.pdf) |
## Background
The special was announced for 8:00 p.m. ET on the WWE Network, with the promotion billing it as an "earth-shattering special event" built around two matches: Brock Lesnar against [Big Show](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-show), and United States Champion John Cena defending against WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins inside a steel cage. The [Dudley Boyz](https://www.edgepedia.org/dudley-boyz) were also granted a WWE Tag Team Championship rematch against The New Day after the controversial ending to their title match at Night of Champions.[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/live-madison-square-garden/preview)
Two circumstances gave the night its framing. It was the first time in nearly four years that WWE emanated live from Madison Square Garden.[5](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2575009-wwe-live-from-msg-results-2015-top-highlights-and-low-points) And for Lesnar, it was his first match in the arena since [WrestleMania XX](https://www.edgepedia.org/wrestlemania-xx) in 2004, a return WWE treated as a homecoming and used as part of his build toward a [Hell in a Cell](https://www.edgepedia.org/hell-in-a-cell) rematch with [The Undertaker](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-undertaker).[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/) Chris Jericho, meanwhile, celebrated the 25th anniversary of his first match by challenging Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/) • [6](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2573919-wwe-live-from-msg-2015-date-start-time-matches-live-stream-ppv-info)
## The card and results
Seven matches aired on the broadcast, with two additional dark matches held before it began.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/) The televised results were:[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/network-live-msg-lesnar-big-show/2015-10-03/results)
1. **Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler def. Sheamus and Rusev.** Ziggler hit a superkick on Sheamus, who turned into an RKO for the pin. Afterward an irate Rusev admonished his partner, who answered with a Brogue Kick.
2. **Neville def. Stardust.** Stardust put on Neville's cape while setting up a move from the top rope; the ploy backfired and Neville won with the Red Arrow.
3. **Team Bella def. Team PCB** in a six-Diva tag match. When [Becky Lynch](https://www.edgepedia.org/becky-lynch) reached for a tag, Charlotte and Paige stepped away, and [Nikki Bella](https://www.edgepedia.org/nikki-bella) pinned Paige with the Rack Attack, deepening the split within Team PCB.
4. **Kevin Owens def. Chris Jericho** for the Intercontinental Championship. After Jericho reversed a Pop-Up Powerbomb with a hurricanrana, Owens poked his challenger's eye and rolled him up for the pin.
5. **The Dudley Boyz def. The New Day by disqualification.** Bubba Ray and D-Von hit the 3D on [Kofi Kingston](https://www.edgepedia.org/kofi-kingston), but Xavier Woods, who was not in the match, jumped in to break up the pin, so the titles did not change hands. The Dudleys put Woods through a table afterward.
6. **Brock Lesnar def. Big Show.** Big Show delivered three straight chokeslams, but Lesnar kicked out, then suplexed his 450-pound opponent around the ring and won with the F-5, adding a second F-5 after the bell.
7. **John Cena def. Seth Rollins** in a steel cage match for the United States Championship. As Rollins climbed over the top of the cage, the Demon Kane waited below; Rollins instead attempted a frog splash from the cage roof, missed, and was pinned after an Attitude Adjustment. Kane then chokeslammed and tombstoned Rollins after the match.
## Reception and assessment
Contemporary reviewers agreed on the show's shape. The Garden itself, Lesnar's return, Jericho's anniversary, and a hot New York crowd drew praise, and Cena versus Rollins received the strongest match-level praise as the bout that best matched the setting.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/) The criticism was equally consistent: several writers described the night as forgettable or closer to a special episode of weekly television than a true major event, with Lesnar versus Big Show viewed as a glorified squash, the tag-title finish repeating an earlier disqualification frustration, and short matches maintaining feuds rather than resolving them.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/) • [7](https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/wwe-live-from-madison-square-garden-lesnar-vs-big-show-review/) The WrestleFile retrospective graded the event C+, 6.9 out of 10, concluding that the venue supplied more than the card did.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/)
**Place in WWE's 2015 strategy.** The special mattered more as a distribution experiment than as a collection of famous matches. It was the second of WWE's planned house shows converted into live WWE Network specials in 2015, after [The Beast in the East](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-beast-in-the-east), and it helped establish that the streaming service could make selected non-pay-per-view dates feel nationally relevant.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/) WWE's 2015 annual report lists it alongside The Beast in the East (produced as *The Beast Live from Tokyo*) and [NXT TakeOver: London](https://www.edgepedia.org/nxt-takeover-london) among the exclusive live in-ring specials that debuted on the Network that year, part of more than 330 hours of original content produced in 2015.[4](https://corporate.wwe.com/f/docs/annual-reports/2015.pdf) The event also fed directly into the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view through Lesnar's momentum and Kane's post-match attack on Rollins.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/)
## References
1. [Live from Madison Square Garden 2015 Review & Final Grade, WrestleFile](https://wrestlefile.com/events/live-from-madison-square-garden-2015/)
2. [Live from MSG tonight: Lesnar vs. Big Show and Cena vs. Rollins inside a steel cage, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/live-madison-square-garden/preview)
3. [Live from MSG: Lesnar vs. Big Show results, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/network-live-msg-lesnar-big-show/2015-10-03/results)
4. [WWE 2015 Annual Report](https://corporate.wwe.com/f/docs/annual-reports/2015.pdf)
5. [WWE Live from MSG Results 2015: Top Highlights and Low Points, Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2575009-wwe-live-from-msg-results-2015-top-highlights-and-low-points)
6. [WWE Live from MSG 2015: Date, Start Time, Matches, Live Stream, PPV Info, Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2573919-wwe-live-from-msg-2015-date-start-time-matches-live-stream-ppv-info)
7. [WWE Live from Madison Square Garden: Lesnar vs Big Show Review, The Armbar Express](https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/wwe-live-from-madison-square-garden-lesnar-vs-big-show-review/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestling promotions and championships › WWE promotion and brands › WWE weekly television programs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license