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Dayton, Ohio's Hara Arena, which has housed a number of wrestling PPV events, including the best top to bottom PPV presented by the original Extreme Championship Wrestling, Heatwave '98, is closing it's doors for good, according to a news report from WDTN channel 2 in the area. The final event in the venue will be a comic book convention on 8/27. The Hara Arena opened over in 1964.
The venue is shutting down due to an ongoing legal issue over ownership of the facility that has been ongoing since the late 1990s when co-owner Harold Wampler passed away, leading to a battle regarding his estate that has continued on and has hurt the facility, preventing it from upgrading and modernizing. With no resolution in sight, the decision was made to shutter the venue.
Over the years, the Arena has hosted WWF TV tapings, WCW (and NWO) PPVs, Monday Nitro broadcasts and ECW events, including the aforementioned Heatwave 1998 PPV as well as the 1999 edition of that event. In the 1980s, it was also the site of several Georgia Championship Wrestling events when that promotion, empowered by WTBS, began expanding beyond it's local territory.
The venue was able to accomodate as much as 7,000 for events. There was talk several months ago that the site of the venue may be repurposed for use as the new home of The Montgomery County Fair.
To read the complete WDTN story, click here.
Thanks to Brian Reiss for sending the article along.
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