Wrestling has always enjoyed some odd places for matches. The territory days would have guys fighting at spots like barns or other odd settings. WCW had some infamously goofy bouts like on a moving big-rig truck or a farmhouse. TNA, of course, had the famous "Hardy Compound" matches, and WWE has raised the stakes for their "cinematic" matches.
But it's one thing to have a single match on a show taking place in an odd setting. It's something else when an entire event is in a weird place. Not surprisingly, Japan has been home to some truly insane settings for matches and events, but other companies also have odd places. From hotels to truly crazy locations, wrestling thrives on some offbeat places to enjoy a show. These are ten of the weirdest venues ever for a wrestling show, proving that crazy settings are nothing new in the business.
10 Active Military Bases, Tribute To The Troops
It may have been great PR, but it was also a risk for WWE. Starting in 2003, every December would have the roster heading to a military base to put on a show for the soldiers. It sounded like a nice tribute, but, notably, the early years had them in Iraq and Afghanistan at the height of the War on Terror.
There were bases in a time of war, which meant an attack could happen at any moment. Risking limbs in a ring is one thing, doing it in a war zone is something else. Ironically, it's more recent years, the event is held at bases in the U.S. when the earlier shows were much bigger risks.
9 Beach Club, Nitro
A highlight of WCW from 1997 onward was the "Spring Breakout" show. Every March, timed to the legion of college kids headed to Florida, the company would hold a show at Club La Vela in Panama City Beach. The ring would be in the middle of the pool, so inevitably, a guy would be tossed into the water.
Other sights included a brawl to the ocean and Sting rappelling from a helicopter. It's also iconic as the final Nitro episode site, which means WCW's last show wasn't even in a true arena.
8 A Train, Japan
Japan is home to some pretty weird matches, but even by their standards, this is something. In 2015, the Yamagata Railway Company decided to celebrate the annual Nagai City Iris festival in a special way. They invited ten Michinoku Pro wrestlers to fight it out on a moving passenger train.
The commuters watched in amazement as the workers fought their way from the rear onward, eliminating each other via pinfall or submission. That must have made for an interesting commute.
7 Mall of America, Nitro
It's forgotten how few thought WCW Monday Nitro was going to work when it began. WCW did make it a huge deal with Lex Luger shocking everyone by debuting when he was supposed to be with WWE. Of course, one wonders if it would have been different had the debut been in an arena. Instead, it was the Mall of America.
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Just imagine random shoppers looking down to see Brian Pillman and Jushin Liger fighting it out. In fact, when Luger showed up, some wondered if he'd just wandered off a shopping trip. It proved Nitro would be a very unpredictable show.
6 A Deserted Island, New Japan
One would think that Japan couldn't top some nuttiness in the ring. That was proven wrong when in 1987, Antonio Inoki and Masa Saito took their epic feud to Japan's Ganryujima Island, home to legendary samurai sword duels.
Later wrestlers would also do battle on the islands, using the beaches, hills, and other areas in wild fights. While there have been rumors for years, no U.S. company has yet to try a wrestling Survivor, which makes this wilder.
5 Roof Of WWE Headquarters, RAW
Some thought it was weird that Money in the Bank 2020 was at WWE Headquarters in Stamford. But it wasn't the first time they'd tried it. In September of 1995, WWE held a taping on the roof of the building. It had short but notable matches like Shawn Michaels vs Owen Hart and a battle royale in front of a few hundred fans and even cheerleaders.
The real reason was to get shots that were used for RAW's opening, so it technically wasn't a full show but still an impressive sight to watch.
4 A Cave, Japan
Yep, it's Japan again. In 2015, Ryukyu Dragon Wrestling held an event in Okinawa Prefecture's Ganga Valley. More specifically, a few hundred feet below it. Yes, an entire wrestling event in an underground cavern with lights set up but actual bats around as the ring settled in the chamber.
It wasn't much of a crowd, but the setting alone made this notable, and they've done it a few times since. If nothing else, the acoustics of blows must be amazing.
3 Penn Station, Shotgun Saturday Night
Shotgun Saturday Night was WWE experimenting with ECW-style wild shows in early 1997. While episodes in bars and nightclubs were one thing, more notable was when they held a show in New York's Penn Station. It was a smaller ring but still unique seeing HHH exit a limo into the station and the awesome entrance of Undertaker with NYPD officers behind him.
It culminated in the sight of Taker Tombstoning Hunter on a moving escalator, which is one of the coolest images of the entire "Shotgun" run.
2 An Actual Beach, Bash At The Beach 1995
WCW was prone to nutty ideas in 1995, yet this is something. For Bash at the Beach, rather than pick an arena near the coast, they just had the match at a literal beach in Huntington Beach, California. It's speculated about 9000 attended but almost all non-paying, with others just wondering what the fuss was about.
Not only did we have Randy Savage vs Ric Flair and a Hulk Hogan/Vader cage match but the entire thing was used for an episode of Baywatch. Maybe WCW was taking things a bit literally then.
1 A Cruise Ship, AEW
Hulk Hogan once guest-starred on The Love Boat, where a wrestling match took place on the ship's deck. It turns out Aaron Spelling was just ahead of his time. In 2020, the newly formed AEW joined with Chris Jericho to put on a show on the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship deck.
It was actually a big deal with Kenny Omega and Adam Page winning the tag team titles and Jon Moxley becoming the number one contender for Jericho's AEW title. It sure beats shuffleboard.