Lillian Garcia Recalls Singing National Anthem On WWE SmackDown After 9/11

The first gathering of a large public crowd following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was the live episode of "WWE SmackDown" from Houston, just two days following the tragic events. Vince McMahon cut a rousing promo, declaring "the show must go on," and all of the blue brand's stars took to the stage to show their support for America. Ring announcer Lilian Garcia would open the show with a rendition of the national anthem, something she recalled on "Busted Open Radio."

Garcia said that she still can feel the stress and the anxiety of that moment. She said McMahon asked her to sing the day before the event, when they found out they were doing the show live.

"I looked at him, and of course I could hear my dad," Garcia said. "My dad was a lieutenant colonel, and my dad's like, 'Heck yeah you're going to do this. You're going to step into the mission.' So, I didn't hesitate, but my God, I felt everything tighten up in my throat. I was like, 'How am I going to pull this off?'"

Garcia said that Paul Heyman and The Rock comforted her before she went out. Heyman told her she could fall apart at the end, as long as she kept it together during the anthem. Garcia said she does go back and watch that performance every year, as she truly doesn't want to forget.

"I pretty much post it every year to remind people like, 'This is something we went through. It was hard,'" she said. "One thing I do remember from that moment is how united our country was. How united everybody in that arena was."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.