8. WrestleMania VII: The Los Angeles Coliseum Debacle
Security threats? Poor ticket sales? Does it really matter what the real reason was for moving WrestleMania VII from the 100,000-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to the much smaller Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena? The fact of the matter is that ego and a rare lack of awareness from Vince McMahon in regards to his brand's popularity led to one of the more embarrassing debacles in WrestleMania history. By the time 1991 rolled around, wrestling's popularity was not what it once was. The boom of the mid-to-late 1980s was over and, while business was still good, it had noticeably dipped. It is mind-blowing, then, that McMahon thought he could take his biggest event and put it in the huge Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and sell it out. Andre the Giant vs. Hulk Hogan, the biggest event in the history of the industry, only drew 93,173 at WrestleMania III. Nothing resembling that main event was walking through the door any time soon. Weeks before the event, which would be headlined by real American Hulk Hogan taking on Iraqi turncoat Sgt. Slaughter for the WWE Championship, the company had sold a whopping 17,000 tickets. Not bad for an arena. For a stadium that sits six figures, however, it was definitely problematic. Luckily, the company had the opportunity to make a sound decision and opted to move the event indoors to the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. McMahon and company officials cited security concerns as the reason for the move. Considering the fact that Desert Storm was ongoing and the threat of terrorism existed, there is no doubt that security may have played a role in the decision to move the show. Playing an even bigger role? The idea of 83,000 empty seats come show time. A major blunder for the company that may have been more embarrassing had McMahon and company not set ego aside, realized their mistake and fixed the problem like they did.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
