10 Things We Learned From Bruce Prichard’s Creation Of WWE Raw Podcast
8. The WWF Looked At Building A Set Next To The Stamford TV Studio
Had Vince not hated the idea of in-studio wrestling so much, then there's a very good chance the WWF would have erected a purpose built space of its own in 1992. Prichard claimed that McMahon and co looked at maybe building a "small arena" next to the TV studio in Stamford. There was just one problem: the location.
McMahon didn't think coming live from Stamford, Connecticut every week felt glitzy enough. New York seemed like a much better location, and so staff contacted the Paramount Theater to see if they'd be interested. Once that fell through, officials at Madison Square Garden recommended the Manhattan Center (probably because they owned it).
At one point, using an old merchandise warehouse next to the TV studio was also considered. That didn't cut it for McMahon due to the small time look. When Vince later fell in love with the ballroom in Manhattan, there was no changing his mind anyway.