Should WWE Return to the United Center?
The United Center has been part of recent wrestling history for AEW and NJPW. Is it time for WWE to return to the arena?
The United Center in Chicago Illinois serves as the home for the Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bulls. Although those teams occupy the building for over 80 nights a year combined, the arena is used for plenty of other events. From concerts to conventions, the arena has held numerous different events over the years. It has also held quite a few wrestling shows.
The Allstate Arena has been the Chicago home for WWE and has seen many memorable moments. From multiple Wrestlemania shows to memorable events involving Chicago’s own CM Punk, the arena is a frequent stop on the WWE calendar. The arena is also just across Interstate 90 from O’Hare International Airport and has plenty of hotel options nearby due to its proximity to O’Hare. This makes the arena an easy book logistically.
WWE seems happy to hold events at the Allstate, and logistically it seems to make sense to run there. Only those working in WWE know the best arena to host shows at, but let’s play fantasy booker for a second. The United Center is larger than the Allstate and is in Chicago proper as opposed to the Rosemont location of the Allstate. It also has not hosted some notable wrestling events and with WWE’s event sales holding strong, does it make sense to return to the arena? Let’s look at some reasons to return to the arena.
Should WWE Return to the United Center?
WWE’s History With the Arena
WWE hosted one of the first major events at the United Center shortly after the arena opened. WWE hosted the 1994 edition of SummerSlam at the arena on August 29th. The card was main evented by Bret Hart taking on Owen Hart in a steel cage match with the WWF Championship on the line. The event also featured The Undertaker versus Undertaker match. A house show was run from the arena by the WWE for the first time later that year, completing the arena’s inaugural year of operation.
The following year the promotion ran three house shows at the arena in February, July, and December.
WWE would not return to the arena until 2018 for a house show that saw Brock Lesnar defeat Kane and Roman Reigns defeat John Cena.
The last event WWE ran at the United Center was a house show at the end of 2018 that was headlined by Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) squaring off in a steel cage.
The arena has been standing for 20 years but has only hosted seven WWE events. Given how often the WWE is in Chicago, it would be fun to change things up and return to the arena. The United Center is also larger than the Allstate Arena, giving more opportunity for higher ticket sales for the promotion.
WWE Attendance Numbers are Up
During the Bad Blood Premium Live Event, Paul “Triple H” Levesque announced that WWE has had 60 sell-out shows in 2024. The event, which was held at State Farm Stadium was also the largest arena show gate for the company in 2024 (as of this writing). Other events were very close to selling out throughout the calendar year.
Given the higher amount of tickets being sold which has also led WWE to adjust its stage setup to accommodate more seating, it may be time to try running in the larger United Center during the promotion’s next trip to the Second City.
Although they hosted the first wrestling event at the United Center, they weren’t the most recent.
Recent Wrestling Events
Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, multiple World Championship Wrestling (WCW) events took place at the United Center with general success.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) first ran the arena in 2021 for the second-ever episode of Rampage which saw the return of CM Punk to pro wrestling. The event sold out shortly after going on sale. The following year AEW teamed with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) for the first-ever Forbidden Door event for another sold-out event. AEW returned in 2023 for the annual All Out event and a television taping of AEW Collision.
The sell-outs show that fans are willing to drive into Chicago proper to see a wrestling show. That combined with WWEs recent string of well-sold shows may be the perfect formula for a WWE event back at the United Center.
Chicago and CM Punk
Chicago has long been a city well associated with pro wrestling. The city has always been a frequent stop for WWE and was also a frequent stop for WCW during their run. It has also been a frequent stop for AEW, NJPW, Total Nonstop Action (TNA), Major League Wrestling (MLW), and other promotions. The city also has a strong independent wrestling scene with promotions such as All American Wrestling (AAW), Freelance Wrestling, Chicago Style Wrestling (CSW), and Warrior Wrestling/Pro Wrestling Ventures constantly promoting shows in the area.
Of course, you can’t mention Chicago wrestling without mentioning CM Punk. Whether he is portraying a face or heel character, Punk constantly gets cheered in Chicago. Fans will come out in droves to support the hometown hero Punk, regardless of who he is wrestling for.
Punk is also engrained in the United Center. Known for being a big fan of the Chicago Blackhawks, Punk is featured in the pre-game hype video that plays on the jumbotron before each Blackhawk's home game.
The lack of shows from the WWE at the United Center, combined with its larger seating capacity, WWE’s strong ticket sales, the latest run of successful wrestling shows at the arena, and Chicago’s strong wrestling history may mean the coming year is the perfect time for WWE to return to the historic arena.
What do you think, should WWE return to the United Center? Sound off in the comments below.
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