WesBanco Arena
Encyclopedia
WesBanco Arena is a multi-purpose arena
, in Wheeling, West Virginia
. It was built in 1977 at a cost of $
7 million. It is home to the Wheeling Nailers
ice hockey
team
and the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference
wrestling tournament.
It can also be used for conventions, trade shows, concerts, banquets and other events. It features 23684 square feet (2,200 m²) of space plus 7500 square feet (696.8 m²) of meeting room space. These meeting rooms can accommodate parties from ten to several hundred people. The largest meeting room is named "Health Plan Pavilion." The in-house catering department is capable of catering any size event for any needs. The meeting rooms host area Civitan, Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary and Serra's clubs lunches and meetings weekly. During Nailers hockey games and some other events the "Health Plan Pavilion" is open to all ticketed patrons featuring a full service restaurant and bar.
It features a 46 feet (14 m)-high ceiling. The Robert C. Byrd Intermodal Transportation Center can accommodate cars for the arena's maximum capacity. The back parking lot offers parking to guests at some events and parking for trucks, trailers and buses of acts and offers direct stage access load-in through the large elephant door.
It offers access for handicap patrons, including direct access from handicap parking, an elevator, direct access to multiple concessions and restroom areas and handicap seating available from different spots throughout the arena.
It was host of the WWF
Superstars
TV taping on October 2, 1989. This particular episode of Superstars was notable in the fact that John Tenta
made his debut as Earthquake. In addition the arena has hosted Monday Night Raw, Friday Night Smackdown and a few WCW Monday Nitro
events throughout the late '90s and '00s, with Hulk Hogan
making appearances at the venue. The legendary Andre The Giant
has also made appearances.
The outer hallways are lined with display cases as The Ohio Valley Sports Museum. These cases display memorabilia from all schools past and present in the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference, as well as memorabilia from Ohio Valley natives, who have gone on to professional sports careers, including Bill Mazeroski
, Bobby Duglas, Chuck Howley
, Bill Stewart, Phil Niekro
and Joe Niekro
, among others.
Comedians such as Larry the Cable Guy
and Jeff Dunham
have appeared at the arena.
Stage shows such as Cats
, Chicago
, Lord of the Dance
and Blue Man Group
, have also packed the arena.
It also played host to the West Virginia University
basketball team for one season in the 1999-2000 season due to construction at the teams normal venue. Other sporting events such as high school basketball, college hockey
, indoor football and others have hosted games at the arena on a regular basis. The Harlem Globetrotters
have become a favorite of residents making yearly appearances at the arena.
This arena has also played host to high action sports such as Monster Jam
, Thunder Nationals
, Freestyle Motocross
, PBR and others every year usually in February.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
, in Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. It was built in 1977 at a cost of $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
7 million. It is home to the Wheeling Nailers
Wheeling Nailers
The Wheeling Nailers are an ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL....
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team
Team
A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...
and the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference
Ohio Valley Athletic Conference
The Ohio Valley Athletic Conference is a high school sports league in parts of southeastern Ohio and northern West Virginia. The "OVAC" is the largest conference of its kind in the United States. Schools in the upper Ohio Valley supply over 12,000 athletes in various competitive athletic areas. ...
wrestling tournament.
It can also be used for conventions, trade shows, concerts, banquets and other events. It features 23684 square feet (2,200 m²) of space plus 7500 square feet (696.8 m²) of meeting room space. These meeting rooms can accommodate parties from ten to several hundred people. The largest meeting room is named "Health Plan Pavilion." The in-house catering department is capable of catering any size event for any needs. The meeting rooms host area Civitan, Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary and Serra's clubs lunches and meetings weekly. During Nailers hockey games and some other events the "Health Plan Pavilion" is open to all ticketed patrons featuring a full service restaurant and bar.
It features a 46 feet (14 m)-high ceiling. The Robert C. Byrd Intermodal Transportation Center can accommodate cars for the arena's maximum capacity. The back parking lot offers parking to guests at some events and parking for trucks, trailers and buses of acts and offers direct stage access load-in through the large elephant door.
It offers access for handicap patrons, including direct access from handicap parking, an elevator, direct access to multiple concessions and restroom areas and handicap seating available from different spots throughout the arena.
It was host of the WWF
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
Superstars
WWF Superstars of Wrestling
WWF Superstars of Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It debuted on September 6, 1986...
TV taping on October 2, 1989. This particular episode of Superstars was notable in the fact that John Tenta
John Tenta
John Anthony Tenta was a Canadian professional wrestler known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation as Earthquake and later Golga, and in World Championship Wrestling as Avalanche and The Shark.-Early life:John Tenta was born in Surrey, British Columbia...
made his debut as Earthquake. In addition the arena has hosted Monday Night Raw, Friday Night Smackdown and a few WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001...
events throughout the late '90s and '00s, with Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
making appearances at the venue. The legendary Andre The Giant
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
has also made appearances.
The outer hallways are lined with display cases as The Ohio Valley Sports Museum. These cases display memorabilia from all schools past and present in the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference, as well as memorabilia from Ohio Valley natives, who have gone on to professional sports careers, including Bill Mazeroski
Bill Mazeroski
William Stanley Mazeroski , nicknamed "Maz", is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
, Bobby Duglas, Chuck Howley
Chuck Howley
Charles Louis "Chuck" Howley is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League...
, Bill Stewart, Phil Niekro
Phil Niekro
Philip Henry Niekro , nicknamed "Knucksie" because of his usage and skill level with the knuckleball, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997....
and Joe Niekro
Joe Niekro
Joseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of Minor League Baseball pitcher Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio and attended West...
, among others.
Comedians such as Larry the Cable Guy
Larry the Cable Guy
Daniel Lawrence Whitney , better known by his stage name and character Larry the Cable Guy, is an American comedian, actor, and former radio personality....
and Jeff Dunham
Jeff Dunham
Jeff Dunham is an American ventriloquist and stand-up comedian who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central Presents, The Tonight Show and Sonny With a Chance...
have appeared at the arena.
Stage shows such as Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
, Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
, Lord of the Dance
Lord of the Dance
Lord of the Dance may refer to:Personalities* Nataraja, Shiva in his dancing posture* Lord of the Dance, a title given to Jesus Christ in some musical adaptationsLiterature* Lord of the Dance , a 1984 novel by Father Andrew GreeleyMusic...
and Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...
, have also packed the arena.
It also played host to the West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
basketball team for one season in the 1999-2000 season due to construction at the teams normal venue. Other sporting events such as high school basketball, college hockey
College hockey
College hockey refers to ice hockey played between colleges with their teams composed of enrolled students. College hockey is played in Canada and the United States, though leagues outside of North America exist....
, indoor football and others have hosted games at the arena on a regular basis. The Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
have become a favorite of residents making yearly appearances at the arena.
This arena has also played host to high action sports such as Monster Jam
Monster Jam
Monster Jam is a live motorsport event tour and television show operated by Feld Entertainment. The series is sanctioned under the umbrella of the United States Hot Rod Association and takes place primarily in the United States and around the world...
, Thunder Nationals
Thunder Nationals
Thunder Nationals is the name of a monster truck series run by the USHRA. The series primarily consists of monster truck racing and freestyle in indoor arenas. The events typically have only two parallel sets of cars on an empty concrete floor as a race track. The series was once independent but...
, Freestyle Motocross
Freestyle Motocross
Freestyle Motocross is a variation on the sport of motocross in which motorcycle riders attempt to impress judges with jumps and stunts.The two main types of freestyle events are:...
, PBR and others every year usually in February.