WWE Unable To Book Famous Venue Due To AEW

WWE has missed out.

On November 11th, it was reported that Ring of Honor Final Battle would be returning to the world-famous Hammerstein Ballroom. Although there’s been no formal announcement, the event will reportedly take place on December 20th.

ROH has been closely linked with the Hammerstein Ballroom in the past, having held events there for years before Tony Khan took charge.

This was followed by a report that claimed AEW Collision would be taped at the same venue 24 hours later.

While the news is undoubtedly good news for AEW and ROH, it’s had an unfortunate knock-on effect for WWE.

Booking Causes WWE Headache

On November 6th, WWE headed to the famous 2300 Arena, known to wrestling fans as the ECW Arena for a show featuring several ECW legends. The episode went head-to-head with AEW Dynamite and emerged victorious thanks to appearances from the likes of Rob Van Dam, Bubba Ray Dudley, Dawn Marie, and more.

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE wanted to follow up on that success by booking the Hammerstein Ballroom — another venue closely linked to ECW. However, due to Collision and ROH and Final Battle, the company was unable to book the venue.

NXT attempted to book a date at the Hammerstein Ballroom to follow up on the 2300 Arena success. However the date they wanted was close enough to the dates Tony Khan had booked.

Since the show, Rob Van Dam has admitted he’d be open to another return to NXT.