2300 Arena
"The World's Most Famous Bingo Hall" | |
File:2300 Arena logo, 2015 revision.png | |
Former names | Viking Hall (1986–1993) ECW Arena (1993–2001) XPW Arena (2002–2003) Alhambra Arena (2004–2009) The Arena (2009–2010) Asylum Arena (2010–2012) |
---|---|
Location | 2300 South Swanson Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19148 |
Coordinates | 39°55′3.51″N 75°8′50.01″W / 39.9176417°N 75.1472250°W |
Owner | Stein & Silverman Family Partnership, Inc. |
Operator | Roger Artigiani |
Capacity | 1,300[1] |
Field size | 58,408 square feet (5,426.3 m2)[2] |
Construction | |
Opened | May 14, 1993 |
Renovated | 2004–2005, 2013–2014 |
Tenants | |
South Philadelphia Viking Club (1986–1993) Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993–2001) Xtreme Pro Wrestling (2002–2003) Arena Operating, LLC (2012–2013) | |
Website | |
2300Arena.com |
2300 Arena, formerly known as Viking Hall, XPW Arena, New Alhambra Arena, The Arena, Asylum Arena and best known as the ECW Arena, is a multipurpose indoor arena used primarily for professional wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts, and concert events. Located in South Philadelphia under an elevated stretch of Interstate 95, it is named after its address at 2300 South Swanson Street. Prior to its status as an entertainment venue, the building served as a freight warehouse.
History
Freight warehouse (1970s–1986)
The facility was originally a freight warehouse in the 1970s.[3] Rail tracks next to the building allowed trains to drop off freight for storage and then continue on to their destinations.[4] The tracks were eventually paved over to become an extension of West Ritner Street, allowing West Ritner Street to intersect with South Swanson Street.[4]
Viking Hall (1986–1993)
Elias Stein and Leon Silverman of the law firm Stein & Silverman Family Partnership, Inc. purchased the warehouse in 1986.[5] The facility was given the name Viking Hall when the South Philadelphia Viking Club, a local chapter of mummers, began utilizing it.[6] They used the building for storage and to rehearse for the annual Mummers Parade.[7] The Viking Club would also stage midnight bingo games at the venue to raise funds for their organization.[7]
ECW Arena (1993–2001)
The building gained worldwide recognition when it served as ECW Arena, home of professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from May 1993 until the promotion's closure in April 2001.[8]
An NWA World Title Tournament at the venue in August 1994 ended with Shane Douglas throwing down the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and declaring himself ECW World Heavyweight Champion, effectively launching ECW as a national promotion.[9]
ECW broadcast Barely Legal, their first live pay-per-view event from the venue in April 1997.[10] The event was headlined by Terry Funk defeating Raven to become ECW World Heavyweight Champion.[10] Immediately following the broadcast, the building lost power.[11] Paul Heyman commented in April 1998 as to whether ECW would run another pay-per-view event from the venue:
It's not out of the question, but in some ways it's just like I will never name another show Barely Legal. That was our first, it was special, and nothing that we do should ever take away from the enormity of that event. Although I'm not sure of this answer, I would certainly admit that there is merit to the argument that doing another pay-per-view from the Arena would create a situation in which the emotion and the overall, all-encompassing night that our fantasies came true at Barely Legal might be diminished.[12]
ECW never ran another pay-per-view from the venue. The promotion gradually moved its shows away from Philadelphia, running only 6 events at the venue in 2000.[13]
The final ECW show at the venue was Holiday Hell in December 2000, headlined by Steve Corino retaining his ECW World Heavyweight Championship against Justin Credible and The Sandman.[14]
XPW Arena (2002–2003)
Following the demise of Extreme Championship Wrestling in April 2001, other Philadelphia-based professional wrestling promotions such as Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) and Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling (3PW) began running shows at the venue.[15] Ring of Honor (ROH) opted to run their shows at Murphy Recreation Center, citing the need to establish their own legacy separate from ECW.[16]
Controversy arose when Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW) signed an exclusive lease with the venue in December 2002 and renamed the building XPW Arena, preventing other promotions from utilizing it.[17] Forced to relocate, CZW moved their shows to the new CZW Arena in Southwest Philadelphia, while 3PW moved their shows to Electric Factory.[18]
In January 2003, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission banned barbed wire and light tubes from professional wrestling matches in response to violent XPW and CZW events at the venue.[19]
The building's ownership evicted XPW from the venue in February 2003 after the promotion failed to make lease payments.[20] CZW resumed running shows at the venue in March 2003, with 3PW returning in November 2003.[15]
Alhambra Arena (2004–2009)
The building's name was officially changed to New Alhambra Sports & Entertainment Center in 2004, and was later shortened to New Alhambra Arena in 2006 and Alhambra Arena in 2008. The name was suggested by J. Russell Peltz, who began co-promoting professional boxing cards at the venue with Joe Hand Promotions in May 2004. It paid homage to the original Alhambra Movie Theater in South Philadelphia that hosted boxing in the 1950s and 1960s.[21]
In June 2005, an unofficial ECW reunion show called Hardcore Homecoming: An Extreme Reunion drew a sell-out crowd and set a record gate for the venue with $135,000 in ticket sales.[22] The Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission lifted their January 2003 ban on barbed wire for the main event between Sabu, Shane Douglas and Terry Funk.[23]
Ring of Honor (ROH) debuted at the venue in March 2006 with Arena Warfare, a show featuring inter-promotional matches between the stars of ROH and Combat Zone Wrestling.[24] The event was headlined by Samoa Joe defeating Colt Cabana and Christopher Daniels.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) debuted at the venue in June 2006 with Hardcore War, a joint show with United Wrestling Federation (UWF).[25] The event was headlined by America's Most Wanted, the NWA World Tag Team Champions, facing Team 3D and The James Gang in a non-title match.
The ECW brand of WWE ran a house show at the venue in June 2006, with tickets for the event selling out in under four minutes.[3] Rob Van Dam successfully defended his WWE Championship in the main event against Kurt Angle.[26]
New Jack was banned from the venue following an incident during a Pro Wrestling Xplosion show in September 2006 .[27] He famously ordered Sprite at the venue's concession stand and was instead given 7 Up, prompting him to verbally harass the stand attendant, the daughter of Roger Artigiani.[28]
Scenes from The Wrestler were shot at the venue during the Combat Zone Wrestling show 9 F'N Years in February 2008, with professional wrestler Necro Butcher having a prominent on-screen role in the film.[29]
The band New York Dolls headlined a concert at the venue on Valentine's Day in February 2008.[30]
The Arena (2009–2010)
J. Russell Peltz and Joe Hand Promotions announced in January 2009 that after a five-year partnership, they would stop promoting boxing cards at the venue and move their shows to The Blue Horizon.[31] The venue was then renamed to The Arena by general manager Roger Artigiani.[32]
In February 2009, the venue began hosting regular television tapings for the Ring of Honor series Ring of Honor Wrestling.[33] The first taping drew a sell-out crowd and was headlined by Bryan Danielson defeating Austin Aries.[34]
Dragon Gate USA filmed their first pay-per-view event, Enter The Dragon before a sell-out crowd at the venue in July 2009.[35] The card was headlined by Open the Dream Gate Champion Naruki Doi defeating Shingo Takagi in a non-title match.[36]
In September 2009, independent wrestler Matt Riot died following a Combat Zone Wrestling training session at the venue where he collapsed from a brain hemorrhage.[37]
Matrix Fights drew a sell-out crowd at the venue for their first mixed martial arts event in February 2010, featuring Cole Konrad on the undercard.[38]
J. Russell Peltz and Joe Hand Promotions returned to promoting boxing cards at the venue after The Blue Horizon closed in June 2010.[39]
Asylum Arena (2010–2012)
Roger Artigiani announced in October 2010 that mixed martial arts group Asylum Fight League had purchased the naming rights to the venue and renamed it Asylum Arena.[40]
New Japan Pro Wrestling concluded Invasion Tour 2011, their first ever tour of the United States, with an event at the venue in May 2011.[41] The card was headlined by Togi Makabe defeating Rhino, and the undercard featured MVP defeating Toru Yano to become the inaugural IWGP Intercontinental Champion.[41]
Chikara broadcast High Noon, their first live internet pay-per-view event from the venue in November 2011.[42] Eddie Kingston defeated Mike Quackenbush in the main event to become the inaugural Chikara Grand Champion.[43]
Arena Operating, LLC (2012–2013)
Arena Operating, LLC (headed by Joanna Pang of the Trocadero Theatre) signed an exclusive lease with the venue in February 2012 with plans to renovate and convert it to a concert hall.[44]
Prior to the renovations beginning, Evolve presented on live internet pay-per-view what was billed as the venue's final professional wrestling event, A Tribute to the Arena, on January 14, 2012.[45] New Jack appeared at this event, ending his September 2006 ban from the venue.[46] The final event prior to the venue closing was a Peltz Boxing Promotions card on January 21, 2012 that aired live on NBC Sports Network as the debut episode of Fight Night.[47][48]
The building's ownership evicted Arena Operating, LLC in April 2013 after Joanna Pang failed to complete her proposed renovations.[49]
2300 Arena (2013–present)
The venue hosted the premiere screening of the unofficial ECW documentary Barbed Wire City in April 2013.[50]
Extreme Rising promoted the first professional wrestling card at the newly renamed 2300 Arena in December 2013.[51][52] The venue's name derived from its newly constructed entranceway at 2300 South Swanson Street, replacing the old entrance at 7 West Ritner Street.
Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling jointly presented War of the Worlds '15 at the venue over two consecutive nights in May 2015.[53][54]
Ring of Honor broadcast FInal Battle 2015 on live pay-per-view from the venue in December 2015, headlined by Jay Lethal retaining his ROH World Championship against AJ Styles.[55]
The Republican National Committee used the venue for its RNC at the DNC event in July 2016 to counter the Democratic National Convention at Wells Fargo Center.[56]
Promotional history
Concerts
These musicians have held concerts at 2300 Arena.
Date | Headliner | Opening act(s) | Event |
---|---|---|---|
August 26, 2006 | Peelander-Z | Caveman, The Young Werewolves, Trashlight Vision | Penn Jersey She Devils Rock N' Roller Derby[57] |
September 15, 2007 | Shovelhook | Survival Rate Zero | Pro Wrestling Unplugged 3rd Anniversary[58] |
October 7, 2007 | Assemblage 23 | My Parasites | [59] |
February 14, 2008 | New York Dolls | We Are the Fury | [60] |
May 31, 2008 | Sapremia | Absolute Hatred, Mistress Juliya, Repvblika, S.O.M. Festival, The Metal Twins | [61] |
July 5, 2008 | Sapremia | The Summoned, Written in Remains | [62] |
October 4, 2008 | Sapremia | [63] | |
October 14, 2008 | Imperative Reaction | Aesthetic Perfection, Minus All, SITD | [64] |
July 4, 2009 | Deicide | Hostile City Death Fest - Day 1 | [65] |
July 5, 2009 | Absu | Hostile City Death Fest - Day 2 | [65] |
April 16, 2011 | Stan Bush | None | Chikara Fan Conclave[66] |
April 25, 2015 | TKA | K7 | [67] |
Mixed martial arts
These mixed martial arts promotions have held events at 2300 Arena.
Promotion | Promoter | First event | Last event | Total events | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asylum Fight League | Carl Mascarenhas | October 17, 2009 | October 8, 2011 | 6[68] | Active |
Cage Fury Fighting Championships | Robert Haydak | March 22, 2014 | July 9, 2016 | 6[69] | Active |
Dead Serious MMA | Francisco Perez | November 21, 2015 | May 14, 2016 | 3[70] | Active |
Locked In The Cage | Fran Evans | June 2, 2011 | October 21, 2011 | 4[71] | Defunct |
Matrix Fights | Jimmy Binns | February 27, 2010 | June 11, 2010 | 2[72] | Defunct |
Professional boxing
These professional boxing promotions have held events at 2300 Arena.[73][74][75][76][77][78]
Promotion | Promoter | First event | Last event | Total events | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dee Lee Promotions | Diane Lee Fischer | August 24, 2007 | August 24, 2007 | 1 | Defunct |
Don Chargin Productions | Don Chargin | July 20, 2007 | March 7, 2008 | 2 | Active |
Don Elbaum Promotions | Don Elbaum | September 24, 1993 | September 24, 1993 | 1 | Active |
Golden Boy Promotions | Richard Schaefer | March 3, 2006 | June 30, 2015 | 5 | Active |
Joe Hand Promotions | Joe Hand | July 20, 2007 | November 25, 2014 | 5 | Active |
KEA Boxing | Andre Kut | February 26, 2010 | April 30, 2010 | 2 | Active |
King's Promotions | Marshall Kauffman | January 31, 2015 | August 5, 2016 | 4 | Active |
Peltz Boxing Promotions | J. Russell Peltz | May 14, 2004 | June 3, 2016 | 28 | Active |
Power Productions | Greg Robinson | September 23, 2005 | April 9, 2010 | 5 | Defunct |
Prime Time Entertainment | Richard T. Clark | August 24, 2007 | August 24, 2007 | 1 | Defunct |
Shalyte Entertainment | Blaine Garner | July 10, 2009 | July 10, 2009 | 1 | Defunct |
Top Rank | Bob Arum | January 11, 2007 | December 13, 2014 | 3 | Active |
Xtreme Productions Inc. | Greg Robinson | January 16, 2009 | March 13, 2009 | 2 | Defunct |
Professional wrestling
These professional wrestling promotions have held events at 2300 Arena.[79]
Promotion | Promoter(s) | First event | Last event | Total events | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
American Luchacore | Sami Callihan | September 20, 2009 | September 20, 2009 | 001 | Defunct |
Break The Barrier | Al Isaacs | May 15, 1999 | May 15, 1999 | 001 | Defunct |
Chikara | Mike Quackenbush | August 13, 2005 | December 5, 2015 | 045 | Active |
Combat Zone Wrestling | John Zandig, DJ Hyde | December 15, 2001 | July 11, 2015 | 135 | Active |
Dangerous Women of Wrestling | Dan Kowal | February 2, 2006 | May 27, 2010 | 002 | Defunct |
Dragon Gate USA | Satoshi Oji | July 25, 2009 | November 12, 2011 | 005 | Defunct |
Evolve Wrestling | Gabe Sapolsky | January 14, 2012 | January 14, 2012 | 001 | Active |
Extreme Championship Wrestling | Tod Gordon, Paul Heyman | May 14, 1993 | December 23, 2000 | 105 | Defunct |
Extreme Rising | Steve O'Neill | December 28, 2013 | December 28, 2013 | 001 | Defunct |
Hardcore Homecoming | Shane Douglas | June 10, 2005 | November 5, 2005 | 002 | Defunct |
Heritage Wrestling Alliance | Joe Blackburn | March 29, 2003 | March 29, 2003 | 001 | Defunct |
House of Hardcore | Tommy Dreamer | November 15, 2014 | September 17, 2016 | 005 | Active |
Independent Championship Wrestling | Breaker Morant | November 8, 2002 | November 8, 2002 | 001 | Defunct |
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South | Ian Rotten | June 11, 2005 | June 30, 2007 | 002 | Active |
International Wrestling Syndicate | Manny Eleftheriou | July 9, 2005 | July 9, 2005 | 001 | Active |
Jersey All Pro Wrestling | Frank Iadeavia | November 18, 2000 | December 11, 2010 | 013 | Defunct |
Legends of the Arena | Francine Fournier | June 27, 2009 | June 27, 2009 | 001 | Defunct |
Lucha Libre | Roger Artigiani | March 27, 2016 | May 1, 2016 | 002 | Active |
Main Event Championship Wrestling | John Collins | August 11, 2001 | August 11, 2001 | 001 | Defunct |
Major League Wrestling | Court Bauer | June 16, 2002 | June 16, 2002 | 001 | Defunct |
Masked Republic | Kevin Kleinrock | April 27, 2014 | April 27, 2014 | 001 | Defunct |
New Japan Pro Wrestling | Naoki Sugabayashi | May 15, 2011 | May 13, 2015 | 003 | Active |
Pro Wrestling Unplugged | Johnny Kashmere | March 18, 2006 | April 19, 2008 | 028 | Defunct |
Pro Wrestling WORLD-1 | Steve Corino | February 7, 2004 | February 7, 2004 | 001 | Defunct |
Pro Wrestling Xplosion | Ronnie Lang | September 13, 2006 | September 13, 2006 | 001 | Defunct |
Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling | Jasmin St. Claire | February 15, 2002 | June 18, 2005 | 025 | Defunct |
Ring of Honor | Cary Silkin | March 11, 2006 | July 16, 2016 | 040 | Active |
Soul City Wrestling | Lenwood Hamilton | May 23, 1998 | May 23, 1998 | 001[80] | Defunct |
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling | Dixie Carter | September 24, 2010 | September 24, 2010 | 001 | Active |
UWF Live | Hermie Sadler | June 9, 2006 | June 8, 2007 | 003 | Defunct |
Velocity Pro Wrestling | Tod Gordon | July 20, 2008 | February 20, 2009 | 005 | Defunct |
westside Xtreme wrestling | Peter Wiechers | March 13, 2010 | April 9, 2011 | 002 | Active |
Wicked Hanuman | Scott | March 24, 2007 | March 24, 2007 | 001 | Defunct |
Women's Extreme Wrestling | Dave Milan | February 22, 2002 | July 14, 2009 | 012 | Defunct |
Women Superstars Uncensored | DJ Hyde | February 21, 2015 | July 11, 2015 | 002 | Active |
World Wrestling Entertainment | Vince McMahon | June 24, 2006 | June 24, 2006 | 001 | Active |
Wrestling with Disaster | Anthony Bruno | June 14, 2014 | June 14, 2014 | 001 | Defunct |
Xtreme Pro Wrestling | Rob Black | August 31, 2002 | February 14, 2003 | 007 | Defunct |
Training
These professional boxing and professional wrestling schools have held training sessions at 2300 Arena.
School | Years | Promotion | Head trainer | Notable alumni |
---|---|---|---|---|
House of Hardcore | 1996-2001 | Extreme Championship Wrestling | Tazz | Chris Chetti, Danny Doring, Roadkill |
Joe Hand Boxing Gym | 2004-2009 | Joe Hand Promotions | Joe Hand | Chazz Witherspoon,[81] Mike Jones,[82] Teon Kennedy[81] |
Pro Wrestling Academy | 2005-2012 | Combat Zone Wrestling | DJ Hyde | Adam Cole, Kit Osbourne[83] |
Wrestle Factory | 2005-2012 | Chikara | Mike Quackenbush | Danny Havoc, Drew Gulak, Frightmare, Tim Donst, Vin Gerard |
Xtreme Fight Club Wrestling Academy | 2006-2007 | Pro Wrestling Unplugged | Pitbull #1 | Annie Social[84] |
Tournament history
Amateur boxing
These amateur boxing tournaments have been held at 2300 Arena.
Date | Title | Winners | National Champions | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|
April 16, 2004 | Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Eastern Regional Championship | William Miller (Super Heavyweight), Chazz Witherspoon (Heavyweight), Latif Mundy (165 lb.), Michael Colston (132 lb.), Antoine Farlow (125 lb.), Teon Kennedy (112 lb.)[81] | Chazz Witherspoon (Heavyweight), Teon Kennedy (112 lb.)[85] | Joe Hand Promotions |
April 16, 2005 | Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Eastern Regional Championship | William Boggs (165 lb.), Kaseem Wilson (152 lb.), Henry Lundy (141 lb.), Danny García (132 lb.), Tavon Walker (125 lb.), Anthony Flores (119 lb.)[86] | - | Joe Hand Promotions |
April 1, 2006 | Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Eastern Regional Championship | Paul Koon (Heavyweight), Bear Richardson (178 lb.), Jesse Hart (165 lb.), Raymond Serrano (141 lb.), Seng Voong (132 lb.), Derrick Bivins (125 lb.)[87] | - | Joe Hand Promotions |
April 14, 2007 | Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Eastern Regional Championship | Pedro Martinez (Super Heavyweight), Jesse Hart (165 lb.), Tahree Carroll (141 lb.), Anthony Flores (132 lb.), Luis Esquilin (125 lb.), Shawn Manning (119 lb.)[88] | - | Joe Hand Promotions |
April 12, 2008 | Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Eastern Regional Championship | Earl Tonkins (Super Heavyweight), Paul Koon (Heavyweight), Jesse Hart (165 lb.), Tahree Carroll (141 lb.), Keenan Smith (125 lb.)[89] | Keenan Smith (125 lb.)[90] | Joe Hand Promotions |
April 1, 2011 | Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Eastern Regional Championship | Jesse Hart (165 lb.), Arthur Trujillo (152 lb.), Samuel Teah (141 lb.), Anthony Burgin (132 lb.), Emmanuel Folly (114 lb.), Stephen Fulton, Jr. (108 lb.)[91] | Jesse Hart (165 lb.), Arthur Trujillo (152 lb.)[90] | Joe Hand Promotions |
April 12, 2014 | Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Eastern Regional Championship | Khalil Miller (Heavyweight), Jaron Ennis (141 lb.), Stephen Fulton, Jr. (123 lb.), Christian Carto (108 lb.)[92] | Christian Carto (108 lb.)[92] | Joe Hand Promotions |
April 18, 2015 | Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Eastern Regional Championship | Darmani Rock (Super Heavyweight), Paul Kroll (165 lb.), Jaron Ennis (141 lb.), Christian Carto (114 lb.)[93] | Darmani Rock (Super Heavyweight), Jaron Ennis (141 lb.)[93] | Joe Hand Promotions |
Professional wrestling
These professional wrestling tournaments have been held at 2300 Arena.
Records
This is a list of records set by both individuals and groups in various categories at 2300 Arena.
Amateur boxing
- Most tournament wins: 4, Jesse Hart[87][88][89]
Concerts
- Most events: 3, Sapremia[136][137]
- First event: Peelander-Z, August 26, 2006[57]
- Longest event: 2 days, Hostile City Death Fest, July 4, 2009 and July 5, 2009[65]
Mixed martial arts
- Most matches: 3, Nah-Shon Burrell[138]
- Most events: 6, Asylum Fight League
- Highest attendance: 1,300, Matt Makowski vs. LeVon Maynard, February 27, 2010[38]
- First match: Daniel Matalla defeated Michael Colisto, October 17, 2009[139]
- Longest match: 3 rounds, multiple instances
- Shortest match: 0:15, Brylan Van Artsdalen vs. Shane Hutchinson, June 11, 2010[140]
Professional boxing
- Most matches: 12, Mike Jones[141]
- Most events: 28, Peltz Boxing Promotions
- Highest attendance: 1,419, Rogers Mtagwa vs. Aldo Valtierra, March 7, 2008[142]
- First match: Earl Clark defeated Kevin Swain, September 24, 1993[143]
- Longest match: 12 rounds, Derek Ennis vs. Gabriel Rosado, July 30, 2010;[144] Enrique Ornelas vs. Bronco McKart, August 10, 2007;[145] Rogers Mtagwa vs. Aldo Valtierra, July 20, 2007;[146] Demetrius Hopkins vs. Mario Ramos, March 3, 2006;[147] Larry Mosley vs. Miguel Figueroa, March 3, 2006[148]
- Shortest match: 0:22, Derrick Webster vs. Obodai Sai, November 25, 2014[149]
Professional wrestling
- Most matches: 144, Ruckus[150]
- Most events: 135, Combat Zone Wrestling
- Highest attendance: 1,850, Mike Awesome vs. Spike Dudley, January 15, 2000[151]
- First match: Road Warrior Hawk defeated Don E. Allen and The Samoan Warrior, May 14, 1993[152]
- Longest match: 1:04:00, Claudio Castagnoli, Eddie Kingston, Gran Akuma, Mike Quackenbush and The Colony (Fire Ant, Soldier Ant and Worker Ant) vs. Atsushi Ohashi, Daisuke Sekimoto, Jaki Numazawa, Katsumasa Inoue, Ryuji Ito, Shinya Ishikawa and Yuji Okabayashi, October 19, 2008[153]
- Shortest match: 0:09, The Sandman vs. Chad Austin, March 4, 1994; Tommy Dreamer and Johnny Gunn vs. Johnny Hotbody and Tony Stetson, November 13, 1993[154]
- Most tournament wins: 4, Claudio Castagnoli[103][106][112][125]
Awards and honors
- 1994 - Best Weekly Television Show by Wrestling Observer Newsletter - ECW Hardcore TV
- 1995 - Best Weekly Television Show by Wrestling Observer Newsletter - ECW Hardcore TV
- 1996 - Best Weekly Television Show by Wrestling Observer Newsletter - ECW Hardcore TV
- 1996 - Five Star Match by Dave Meltzer - Rey Mysterio, Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera, March 9, 1996
- 2006 – Venue of the Year by ESPN2 boxing program Wednesday Night Fights[155]
- 2007 – Best of Philly: Sports Venue by the magazine Philadelphia[156]
- 2008 – Best of Philly: Guys' Night Out by the magazine Philadelphia[157]
- 2009 - Best Major Show by Wrestling Observer Newsletter - DGUSA Enter the Dragon, July 25, 2009
- 2010 - Best Weekly Television Show by Wrestling Observer Newsletter - Ring of Honor Wrestling
- 2010 - Briscoe Award - Philly Fight of the Year - Derek Ennis vs. Gabriel Rosado, July 30, 2010[158]
- 2011 - Briscoe Award - Philly Fight of the Year - Juan Rodriguez, Jr. vs. Greg Hackett, July 29, 2011[159]
- 2012 - Briscoe Award - Philly Fight of the Year - Bryant Jennings vs. Maurice Byarm, January 21, 2012[160]
Hardcore Hall of Fame
Banners commemorating the careers of professional wrestlers and wrestling personalities who contributed to the history of 2300 Arena are permanently on display at the venue.[8]
Inductees
Ceremony dates
Date | Promotion | Event | Inductee(s) |
---|---|---|---|
October 19, 2002 | Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling | A Night for the Flyboy | Rocco Rock |
November 5, 2005 | Hardcore Homecoming | November Reign[162] | Terry Funk |
June 16, 2007 | Pro Wrestling Unplugged | The Crazy 8[163] | Johnny Grunge, The Sandman |
December 13, 2008 | Combat Zone Wrestling | Cage of Death X[164] | John Zandig |
June 27, 2009 | Legends of the Arena | Legends of the Arena[165] | Eddie Gilbert, Chris Candido, Tod Gordon, Sabu |
July 10, 2010 | Combat Zone Wrestling | Acid-Fest[166] | Trent Acid |
July 17, 2010 | Ring of Honor | Ring of Honor Wrestling[167] | Jerry Lynn |
July 25, 2010 | Chikara | Chikarasaurus Rex: King of Show[168] | Tommy Dreamer |
July 11, 2011 | Combat Zone Wrestling | New Heights[169] | ECW Arena Fans |
June 14, 2014 | Wrestling with Disaster | The Final Cut[170] | The Blue Meanie, The Pitbulls, 2 Cold Scorpio, Shane Douglas |
November 13, 2015 | House of Hardcore | House of Hardcore 10[171] | Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero |
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External links
- Official website
- 2300 Arena on BoxRec
- 2300 Arena on Facebook
- 2300 Arena on Internet Wrestling Database
- 2300 Arena on Last.fm
- 2300 Arena on Twitter
- 2300 Arena on WrestlingData.com
- 1993 establishments in Pennsylvania
- Boxing venues in the United States
- Buildings and structures in Philadelphia
- Extreme Championship Wrestling
- Mixed martial arts venues in the United States
- Music venues completed in 1993
- Music venues in Philadelphia
- South Philadelphia
- Sports venues completed in 1993
- Sports venues in Philadelphia