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26-658: Professional wrestling debuted in Detroit in the 1920s when Nick Londos began promoting events in the Detroit Olympia . Londos was succeeded by Adam Weissmueller, then by Louis Markowitz. By the 1930s, multiple promoters were competing in the territory. In the aftermath of World War II , Weissmueller's former assistant Harry Light established the Harry Light Wrestling Office as a vehicle for promoting professional wrestling in Detroit and secured

52-463: A Romanesque Revival style. The Grand River and McGraw facades originally included 13 storefronts. Near the parapet were terra cotta medallions depicting various athletes. When it opened, Olympia contained the largest indoor skating rink in the United States at 242 ft (74 m) by 110 ft (34 m). The Grand River facade featured three-story arched windows with a large recessed arch in

78-505: A roof. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the lowest point, allowing maximum visibility. Arenas are usually designed to accommodate a multitude of spectators. The word derives from Latin harena , a particularly fine-grained sand that covered the floor of ancient arenas such as the Colosseum in Rome , Italy, to absorb blood. The term arena is sometimes used as

104-478: A segment called "Am-Pro Wrestling". Starting in 1971, the promotion faced competition from Dick the Bruiser and Wilbur Snyder 's All Star Championship Wrestling, which sourced its talent from their Indianapolis , Indiana -based World Wrestling Association . After several wrestlers defected to ASCW, Big Time Wrestling brought in talent from other NWA territories. However, ASCW ceased operations in 1974, and Dick

130-430: A synonym for a very large venue such as Pasadena's Rose Bowl , but such a facility is typically called a stadium . The use of one term over the other has mostly to do with the type of event. Football (be it association , rugby , gridiron , Australian rules , or Gaelic ) is typically played in a stadium, while basketball , volleyball , handball , and ice hockey are typically played in an arena, although many of

156-476: Is also the sport of indoor American football (one variant of which is explicitly known as arena football), a variant of the outdoor game that is designed for the usual smaller playing surface of most arenas; variants of other traditionally outdoor sports, including box lacrosse as well as futsal and indoor soccer , also exist. The term "arena" is also used loosely to refer to any event or type of event which either literally or metaphorically takes place in such

182-698: The NHL All-Star Game in 1950 , 1952 , 1954 , and 1955 , the NBA All-Star Game in 1959 and the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship (known as the "Frozen Four") in 1977 and 1979 . The Olympia was also a major venue for boxing through the International Boxing Club (featuring such prominent fights as Jake LaMotta 's defeats of Sugar Ray Robinson ) and professional wrestling , as well as other events such as

208-479: The 1931 American Legion Convention which was addressed by President Herbert Hoover , and regular visits by the Harlem Globetrotters , Ice Capades , Shipstads and Johnson Ice Follies . It hosted concerts by The Beatles on September 6, 1964, and August 13, 1966, as well as concerts by other popular performers and bands, including Kiss , Led Zeppelin and Elvis Presley . By the late 1970s,

234-464: The Bruiser would later work for Big Time Wrestling—even facing The Sheik in a series of brawls. During the 1970s, Big Time Wrestling helped popularize hardcore wrestling . The promotion's fortunes began to decline in the mid-1970s due to a combination of the 1973–75 recession , "no-shows" by its wrestlers, and the fanbase tiring of its predictable and formulatic booking. As house show audiences dwindled, events were re-located to ever-smaller venues (from

260-824: The Cobo Arena to the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum , and then to the Lincoln Park Community Center outside of Detroit). The promotion went out of business in 1980. Big Time Wrestling was the subject of the 1985 mockumentary I Like to Hurt People . Professional wrestling in Detroit remained subdued until the World Wrestling Federation began promoting in the city as part of the 1980s professional wrestling boom . Detroit Olympia Detroit Olympia , also known as Olympia Stadium ,

286-745: The Detroit Hockey Club unveiled drawings for the Olympia Stadium to be built on the site. The cornerstone for the building was laid by Mayor John W. Smith on March 8, 1927. The Olympia opened on October 15, 1927; at that time the only other buildings that exceeded its seating capacity were Madison Square Garden and the London Olympia . The opening event was the International Stampede and Rodeo, which ran from October 15 to October 22. Shortly thereafter,

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312-714: The Red Wings, the Olympia was also home to the Detroit Olympics International Hockey League minor league team in the 1930s, the BAA 's Detroit Falcons from 1946 to 1947, and the NBA 's Detroit Pistons from 1957 to 1961; that period marked the only time until the opening of Little Caesars Arena in 2017 that the Red Wings and Pistons shared the same arena on a full-time basis. It hosted

338-433: The center. The large arch originally was filled with black glass. However, in later years, it was covered with wood, painted with the Red Wings emblem. Topping the facade was a pediment creating a gable-shaped roof. The arena had five levels. The ground level through which patrons entered and featured a concourse that circled the seating area. Above were the mezzanine, main seating level and balcony. A fifth level not open to

364-606: The country wrestling in each territory. By the 1950s, Light - along with his business partners Jack Britton and Bert Ruby - controlled professional wrestling in Detroit and Big Time Wrestling on WXYZ-TV Channel 7 was one of the most popular programs airing in Detroit. In 1959, Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle (supported by backers such as Frank Tunney ) formed a holding company, the Barnett-Doyle Corporation, and began promoting in Detroit, buying-out Light. Barnett and Doyle were originally "outlaw" promoters but

390-543: The first event held at Joe Louis Arena , the Red Wings played their final home game at the Olympia, a 4–4 tie against the Quebec Nordiques . Attendance at that game was 15,609. They would move to Joe Louis Arena on December 27. The final event at the building took place on February 21, 1980. It was demolished on July 10, 1986. Currently, the Michigan National Guard 's Olympia Armory occupies

416-588: The larger arenas hold more spectators than do the stadiums of smaller colleges or high schools. There are exceptions. The home of the Duke University men's and women's basketball teams would qualify as an arena, but the facility is called Cameron Indoor Stadium . Domed stadiums, which, like arenas, are enclosed but have the larger playing surfaces and seating capacities found in stadiums, are generally not referred to as arenas in North America. There

442-506: The neighborhood surrounding the Olympia had been in decline since the 1967 riots . In 1977, the Red Wings announced that they would be moving to a proposed arena in suburban Pontiac . The city of Detroit would counter with a proposed riverfront arena for much less rent that Pontiac was seeking. The package included operational control of both the new arena, nearby Cobo Arena and the adjoining parking structures. The Red Wings accepted Detroit's offer. On December 15, 1979, three days after

468-468: The new seats, the original 11,563 seats were replaced at a cost of $ 23 each and new boards and timeclocks were installed. While not one of the most decorative, architect C. Howard Crane considered Olympia to be one of his most significant buildings. He noted the importance of the refrigeration system buried beneath the concrete. Within the 77,393 square feet (7,190.0 m ) of available floor space were 74,880 ft (22,820 m) of piping. The system

494-678: The primary tenants of the building, the NHL Cougars, began their long residence. The Cougars played their first game at the Olympia on November 22, 1927, and Detroit's Johnny Sheppard scored the first goal at the new building. However, the visiting Ottawa Senators defeated the Cougars, 2–1. The Cougars later became the Falcons and finally, in 1932, were named the Detroit Red Wings by new owner James E. Norris . In addition to

520-403: The promotion's top wrestler, winning its top championship NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version) 12 times. By the 1960s, the promotion was airing two to three television programs per week and staging weekly house shows at the Cobo Arena. The promotion's TV program was unique in that it would occasionally air local collegiate wrestling matches alongside worked angles, in

546-505: The public was just under the roof trusses. The trusses spanned 186 ft (57 m) and were 90 ft (27 m) above the floor. The initial seating capacity was 11,563. On June 23, 1965, work began to add 81 ft (25 m) to the rear of the structure. The addition was four stories high and included additional seating and an escalator to improve patron access to the upper levels. It expanded seating to 13,375 in 1966 with standing room for 3,300 during hockey games. In addition to

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572-553: The rights to promote events at the Arena Gardens. In 1948, Light founded the National Wrestling Alliance along with Al Haft , Paul "Pinkie" George , Orville Brown , Sam Muchnick , and Tony Stecher . The six promoters agreed to divide the United States into regional territories within which they would not compete with one another and to recognise a single World Heavyweight Champion who would travel

598-505: The site. A historical marker posted inside the armory commemorates the Olympia. The original OLYMPIA letters that adorned the sides of the building were placed into storage at Joe Louis Arena, then installed in Little Caesars Arena in 2017, which became the new home for the Red Wings. The building was 107 feet (32.6 m) tall and constructed of a steel frame faced with red brick with brown terra cotta and stone trim in

624-559: The territory later rejoined the National Wrestling Alliance. In 1964, professional wrestler Ed "The Sheik" Farhat and his father-in-law Francis Fleser acquired the promotion (along with the rights to promote wrestling in the Cobo Arena ) from Barnett and Doyle for $ 50,000 (equivalent to $ 491,202 in 2023), controlling it through "World Wide Sports" (a holding company they created). Farhat booked himself as

650-766: Was a multi-purpose arena in Detroit . Nicknamed "The Old Red Barn", it was best known as the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) from its opening in 1927 to 1979. Several Detroit businessmen organized the Detroit Hockey Club, Inc. in 1926 and purchased the Victoria Cougars hockey team, along with a site at the corner of Grand River Avenue and McGraw Street to construct an arena and engaged Detroit-based Walbridge Aldinger as general contractor. In July 1926,

676-406: Was replaced in 1967 and the final modification to the building was the addition of private boxes in 1970. Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre , musical performances , and/or sporting events . It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators, and may be covered by

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