There are countless wrestling promotions that are inextricably linked with certain venues. Impact Wrestling has the Impact Zone at Universal Studios, WWE has Madison Square Garden, New Japan Pro Wrestling has the Tokyo Dome, and Dragon Gate has Kyoto KBS Hall, the one with the giant stained glass window. Then there’s Extreme Championship Wrestling.
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In addition to the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, the most iconic locale for ECW ended up being the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City’s Manhattan Center. Fans may not know much about this unique and historic venue, so let’s run through its history as well as its significance to pro wrestling.
10 Originally An Opera House
Built in 1906 by businessman and theatre impresario Oscar Hammerstein I, the entirety of the Manhattan Center was originally devoted to opera. As the Manhattan Opera House, it competed directly with the more famous Metropolitan Opera House, offering lower prices and reportedly better shows. However, in the early 1910s, The Met paid Hammerstein $1.2 million to stop producing opera for 10 years, so the venue -- despite its name -- instead acted as host to vaudeville shows and concerts.
9 Had Other Uses Over The Years
In 1922, the Manhattan Opera House was purchased by the Freemasons, and in 1940 was renamed the Manhattan Center to better convey its use as an event space for various purposes. The theatre would be turned into a ballroom, which over the years would function as a temple for the Freemasons as well as a venue for union meetings and trade shows. It would also host concerts, including the Grateful Dead’s live album Skull & Roses and David Bowie’s final live performance, done for a fundraiser.
8 Owned By The Unification Church
In 1976, the venue experienced a curious change in ownership, as it was purchased by the Unification Church. Founded by Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon in South Korea in the mid-1950s, followers of the Church are called Moonies, and it’s become famous for its large-scale mass wedding ceremonies, which are sometimes held in stadiums.
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The Unification Church is a surprisingly big religion -- big enough to buy a whole venue in Manhattan -- but isn’t without its controversy, as many have criticized its involvement in politics. Some have even gone as far as labeling the Unification Church as a cult. Either way, the Unification Church STILL owns the Manhattan Center.
7 Not The Only Ballroom Where Wrestling Was Held
There are currently multiple components of the Manhattan Center, of which the Hammerstein Ballroom is only one. In addition to two recording studios, there’s also a second ballroom called the Grand Ballroom. Wrestling has been held in the Grand Ballroom, most notably the very first episode of WWE’s Monday Night Raw as well as the reviled 25th Anniversary episode in 2018. Impact Wrestling has taped several episodes at the Grand Ballroom as well.
6 Renovated In 1997
The key year for the Hammerstein Ballroom was in 1997, when the ballroom underwent a series of renovations in order to make it a high quality event space. As a result of this work, the Hammerstein Ballroom would become known not only for its ornate decor, but also great acoustics, making it perfect for concerts and the like. After these renovations were complete, the Ballroom attracted the attention of ECW.
5 ECW’s Turf In 2000
Despite its association with the Hammerstein Ballroom, ECW didn’t actually start doing shows there until late August 2000. It proved to be an iconic venue for the promotion, as ECW’s grungy, hardcore wresting seemed even wilder taking place in the classy decor of the Hammerstein Ballroom. The Ballroom would serve as host to several ECW events, including tapings of weekly shows Hardcore TV and ECW on TNN, pay-per-views, and even non-televised house shows.
4 ECW Held Is Final PPVs There
Given that ECW made its first appearances at Hammerstein in August 2000, it should be clear that this was surprisingly late in ECW’s run, as the promotion went under in early 2001. However, that wasn’t before ECW was able to deliver its last pay-per-views, the final two of which took place at Hammerstein.
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The first was early December’s Massacre on 34th St, followed by their swan song, Guilty as Charged in January 2001, which culminated with a match between Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn.
3 One Night Stand
Hammerstein Ballroom would host no wrestling until 2005, when WWE held its ECW reunion show One Night Stand. The following year, WWE would return for another One Night Stand, where Rob Van Dam took on John Cena for the WWE Championship. WWE would return to the venue for the eighth episode of its ECW revival show, notable not only for the Big Show vs. Batista main event drawing merciless jeers from the ECW faithful, but also the debut of CM Punk.
2 Ring Of Honor
While ECW wouldn’t return to the Hammerstein Ballroom, it would become a frequent home to Ring of Honor, which started up in 2002 and carried on the ECW tradition by being a great showcase for up-and-coming talent and an alternative to WWE. ROH would start running shows in Hammerstein starting in 2008, returning frequently for TV tapings, house shows, and pay-per-views. The Manhattan Center was often a host for their year-end pay-per-view Final Battle, with Hammerstein in particular being the venue of choice on seven occasions to date.
1 The Tradition Continues
Other notable wrestling promotions have also graced the Hammerstein Ballroom over the years, including New Japan Pro Wrestling (often on co-promoted shows with Ring of Honor) and the Urban Wrestling Federation. However, the venue is set for another huge show in the near future. At October 2021’s Fight Club, Game Changer Wrestling promoter Brett Lauderdale announced that GCW would be holding a show at Hammerstein in January of 2022, a major milestone for the buzzworthy promotion that’s following in ECW’s footsteps.
