WRESTLEMANIA is now one of the biggest sporting events of the year, but what happened to the venues that hosted the earliest iterations of the bout?
WrestleMania III is among the most iconic events in the history of the WWE, but the hallowed ground where it was fought don’t stand anymore.
GettyThe site of WrestleMania III no longer exists[/caption]
GettyThe Pontiac Silverdome held over 90,000 fans for WrestleMania III[/caption]
It was 38 years ago when WWE champion Hulk Hogan was set to take on Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III.
The event produced maybe the most iconic moment in wrestling history.
It was the slam heard around the world, when the terrifying Andre the Giant got slammed by Hogan.
Hogan took home the WWE championship, defeating the previously undefeated Andre the Giant.
Over 93,000 fans packed into the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan to watch the match take place.
Those fans sat on the edge of their seats as Hogan initially failed to slam Andre the Giant earlier in the match before completing the impossible feat to win.
While the Pontiac Silverdome hosted the historic event, the walls where Hogan won the championship don’t stand anymore.
The Silverdome opened in 1975 with a minimum seating capacity of 82,600.
It was the primary home of the Detroit Lions, becoming the largest stadium in the NFL until 2000.
The Detroit Pistons also played games at the Silverdome from 1978 to 1988.
The massive arena was home to all manner of events including the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, Super Bowl XVI, WrestleMania, and the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
However, the Lions eventually built a new stadium, their current home Ford Field, and the Silverdome became obsolete.
The city of Pontiac had no use for the stadium and eventually sold it at auction for $550,000.
That was less than one percent of the cost to build the dome.
The venue underwent repairs and eventually reopened in 2010, but the Silverdome was eventually closed for good in 2014.
AFPAn Amazon distribution center now sits on the site of the Silverdome[/caption]
The site where over 90,000 fans cheered for Hogan’s championship win was demolished in 2014.
Since its demolition, the land was bought by Amazon to develop into a distribution center.
A $250 million project was undertaken and eventually a new distribution center opened in 2021.
Most of the employees in the center likely don’t know the history they are standing on top of as they clock into work every day.
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