It was on January 24, 2003, when Michael Jordan stepped inside the United Center for the final time as a player. Two decades have passed, and yet the tributes from the fans for His Airness have never stopped. The event company that ran the first-ever event in the arena in 1994 was back and provided fans across the globe with an experience that was worth its money.

WWE hosted SummerSlam in 1994, and this time it was back in the United Center for the Elimination Chamber. Chicago’s own CM Punk headlined the media interaction throughout the week before making a nostalgic entrance. This was not the main event, but Punk left no stone unturned with his entrance.

The current WWE World Heavyweight Champion’s entrance music honored Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls dynasty’s intro featuring “Sirius” by The Alan Parsons Project. Fans would remember how this song became an iconic theme as Chicago dominated the NBA. In fact, TKO Holdings, which was created by the merger of WWE and UFC parent company Endeavor, even had iconic PA announcer Ray Clay, who did the intro for the Bulls did the same for CM Punk.

It was never hard for TKO, a publicly traded company with a current valuation of $16.67 billion, to pull this off. But the intention of actually doing it and executing in this manner got the fans’ approval.

When the music hit for the first time, the giant Jumbotron in the United Center played the video where his championship wins had the feel of the banners rolled from the rafters. Punk’s Bulls-themed beginning was part of a much-longer intro as he basked in the adulation of the Chicago fans. Speaking on the Elimination Chamber post-show, Punk said he had goosebumps during the entrance.

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“That song, Alan Parsons Project, obviously has a connection with the United Center, being the intro for the Bulls dynasty. There is a statue of a man named Michael Jordan right over there. It was also Ricky Steamboat’s entrance for a lot of his time in WWE. It’s a magical song, ladies and gentlemen. I got goosebumps just thinking about it and talking about it. The best part about the entrance was the people behind me. When I say the people behind me, I mean the entirety of Chicago, because they are always behind me,” said Punk.

Just like Michael Jordan, Punk successfully defended the WWE World Heavyweight Title against Finn Balor at Elimination Chamber. Thus, continuing his championship streak, and will main event WrestleMania as the champion for the first time in his esteemed wrestling career. Apart from Punk, other stars too honored the Bulls legend.

The Michael Jordan-inspired theme dominated the night at the United Center.

The best way for WWE superstars to win the fan reaction is to speak with high regard for the legends who are closer to the city’s lore. So, who better than Michael Jordan when the company had the Elimination Center PPV?

“I’m the future of the business, I’m the anointed one, I’m greatness personified. I’m what happens when you get Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, and Mike Ditka at the same place at the same time.” Trick Williams, a young and upcoming star in the company, paid respect to MJ while continuing to toot his own horn. “I want the gold. Let’s talk about it!”

He was part of the main event, Elimination Chamber, which featured 6 competitors to decide one winner. Other rivals, apart from Trick Williams, also honored a 6x NBA champion. When they entered the arena, Je’Von Evans and LA Knight showed respect to Michael Jordan. In fact, the latter even wore his shoes modeled after the Air Jordan 12’s, the famous “flu game” where he scored 38 points to beat the Utah Jazz in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals.

Even Becky Lynch, the former Intercontinental Champion, is feuding with Punk’s wife, AJ Lee. Lynch, a quintessential heel in the business also used Jordan’s name to remind everyone of her own greatness. A few days ago, she tweeted how His Airness wished her luck.

“A former Chicago basketball player who DOMINATED at the United Center and won many RINGS (his initials are MJ, but I won’t reveal his identity) called to wish me luck (not that I need it) and to say he’s rooting for me! I said “THANKS MICHAEL, like you, I’m the GREATEST TO EVER DO IT (some say better).” Even one of the attendees in the crowd had a sign which stated the same. ” BECKY LYNCH IS THE GREATEST TO EVER DO IT AND IT’S NOT JUST ME SAYING IT! MICHAEL JORDAN SAYS!”

There is no public record of Michael Jordan acknowledging Becky Lynch, but that hardly matters in a kayfabe storyline in WWE. But it further emphasizes the lasting impact the MJ had across sports and across the fan base of all age groups.