Built in 1923, the old Wembley Stadium was dubbed “the cathedral of football” by Brazillian footballer Pele. Eventually demolished in 2003, the old venue was used for a variety of different events such as motorcycle speedway, music concerts like Live Aid, and even WrestleMania.
It looked nice from a distance and had a history but it was totally unfit for purpose. And I’m glad they didn’t keep the façade in some awful attempt at ‘conservation’.
Saying that, the replacement is anodyne and unloveable, architecturally and as a spectator.
The famous first Ali c Cooper heavyweight fight was held there. Ali was knocked down and seriously hurt at the end of the fourth round. Miraculously, a tear was discovered in Ali’s glove between rounds, briefly holding up proceedings and giving him vital time to recover. He stopped Cooper in the very next round, as predicted.
By that I mean they are grim and soulless structures totally determined by the market’s bottom line while being totally devoid of sentiment or locality. Much like professional sports teams in fact.
NJohnson011 says
Old Wembley hosted Summerslam in ‘92, not wrestlemania
sandygooner42069 says
Que sera sera! Whatever will be will be! We’re going to Wembley!
bern_ard says
This one makes me sad
e_r_i_c_j says
I was at Live Aid!
MartynTyrant says
It looked nice from a distance and had a history but it was totally unfit for purpose. And I’m glad they didn’t keep the façade in some awful attempt at ‘conservation’.
Saying that, the replacement is anodyne and unloveable, architecturally and as a spectator.
Saffer13 says
The famous first Ali c Cooper heavyweight fight was held there. Ali was knocked down and seriously hurt at the end of the fourth round. Miraculously, a tear was discovered in Ali’s glove between rounds, briefly holding up proceedings and giving him vital time to recover. He stopped Cooper in the very next round, as predicted.
SweatyNomad says
The real lost architecture on this site – where the pitch now is i believe – was the only partially completed Watkins Tower/ eiffel tower clone.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watkin%27s_Tower
threalseymourskinner says
Modern stadia are usually bang-on.
By that I mean they are grim and soulless structures totally determined by the market’s bottom line while being totally devoid of sentiment or locality. Much like professional sports teams in fact.
lequanghai says
It’s a pity they destroyed the 2 building. Wembley since then it’s just another modern stadium to me.