As a throwback to 2002, a match that took place on the Jan. 10 episode of SmackDown never made it to air. The event was in Madison Square Garden, a place where it hasn’t been the most kind to the women in the past. A tag team match occurred between the WWF Women’s Champion Trish Stratus teaming up with Jacqueline to take on Jazz and Terri.
At this point in history, Stratus was in her first championship reign with Jazz eyeing up the gold. She had won a six-pack challenge during the 2021 Survivor Series event to win the vacant title after Chyna had left the company.
The match started with Jacqueline and Jazz taking on each other. Jazz wanted a show of strength with Jacqueline. Stratus would tag in, and Jazz would take out Jacqueline on the outside. This made the rest of the match a handicap match as Jacqueline wasn’t able to recover to help out Stratus. After Terri taking her turn with Stratus, it would be Jazz to pick up the pin and win for her team. With pinning the champion, Jazz would go on to defeat Stratus the following month to win the title.
Some history with Madison Square Garden and women’s wrestling. It wasn’t until 1972 that the venue allowed women to wrestle. For decades prior, a 1950s New York State Athletic Commission ban on female wrestling was driven by moralistic views, safety concerns, and the perception of it as a low-brow sideshow. Allowing the women to perform was also seen as a burlesque show and not an actual sport. After challenging to overturn the NYSAC restriction The Fabulous Moolah defeated Vicky Williams to retain the Women’s World Championship in 1972. Even after this, women were sparingly utilized up until modern times.