World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) began airing their monthly television special "WWWF on MSG Network" on August 7, 1976 after several years of airing their monthly Madison Square Garden shows on HBO. Several notable title changes took place on the show including Bob Backlund winning his first WWWF World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Superstar Billy Graham on February 20, 1978. The show was renamed "WWF on MSG Network" after the promotion changed its name to "World Wrestling Federation" in March 1979. The show was an important event and equivalent to today's pay-per-view events. Many important matches and storyline developments took place on the show, for example, Hulk Hogan's rise to stardom began on the show when he defeated The Iron Sheik to capture his first WWF Championship on January 23, 1984. With the rise of Hogan's popularity and WWF's national expansion, the show lost its significance following the first pay-per-view event WrestleMania in 1985. With the addition of more pay-per-view events and the introduction of "Saturday Night's Main Event" as a nationally televised monthly special, the "WWF on MSG Network" discontinued after 1992. WWF aired one final event on the MSG Network on March 16, 1997.