WrestleMania 32: A Historical Tour

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The biggest event of the year for WWE is WrestleMania 32, and the host facility in 2016 will be AT&T Stadium, just outside Dallas, Texas.

Dallas is a city rich in wrestling history, and for most of the fans traveling there for WrestleMania 32, arriving a few days before the festivities will allow visitors to check out some of the heritage that can be found in the area.

READ MORE: Orlando Announced as Host of WWE WrestleMania 33 in 2017

WWE’s WrestleMania 32 will take place on Sunday, April 3, and the show will be co-headlined by Triple H vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon in a Hell in a Cell match. A marquee battle between Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose further cements this edition of WrestleMania as a can't-miss battle royale.  

But before the action starts, here are some of the sites in the Dallas area that wrestling history buffs must visit:

Whenever you arrive in the Dallas area, the first place you should visit is an empty lot just outside downtown. While the plot of grass in the industrial area will mean nothing to most, this was the spot where the infamous Dallas Sportatorium stood for almost 70 years.

While the facility first started hosting wrestling events in the 1930s, it wasn’t until the 70s and 80s that the Sportatorium gained notoriety as the host of World Class Championship Wrestling and its predecessor Big Time Wrestling. The most notable feud from the heyday of the building was the battle between The Von Erichs and The Freebirds.

It may only be an abandoned lot now, but walking across the grass will give you a sense of the wrestling history made at the location.

This vacant lot was the site of the Dallas Sportatorium. #VonErichs #Freebirds #WCCW pic.twitter.com/U0Ej6IwcPh

— Jefferson Burdick (@stalegum) March 7, 2016

Another destination wrestling fans must visit is the former site of Reunion Arena. While the facility was demolished in 2008, travelers can visit Reunion Park and Reunion Tower, both of which overlook the old landmark’s former site. The building once hosted amazing wrestling in the 80s, including Bruiser Brody and Kerry Von Erich vs. Michael Hayes and Terry Gordy, as well as Harley Race vs. Kevin Von Erich for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Add in the fact that the building housed the WWF pay-per-view Fully Loaded and an episode of WCW Nitro, both in 2000, and there is plenty of history that can be told from the empty field where the Reunion Arena once stood.

When i was a baby my dad would take me to Reunion Arena here in dallas texas to watch wrestling.#FunFactAboutMe

— Lucy Rivera (@lucyR04) December 6, 2011

Just a few miles up the road is the American Airlines Center. As the current home of non-WrestleMania WWE wrestling events, the facility has hosted Survivor Series 2003, Night of Champions 2008 and Hell in a Cell in 2010 and 2014. Unlike the other historic wrestling buildings in the Dallas area, though, the American Airlines Center is still open and actually provides tours for fans.

READ MORE: A Tourist's Guide to WWE Hell in a Cell 2015 in Los Angeles

For those traveling to Dallas ahead of WrestleMania 32, the aforementioned locations will help send wrestling fans on a trip down memory lane. The city has a rich history and tradition in the industry, and studying up before the biggest wrestling show of the year is worth the trip.

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