The Nashville Fairgrounds, also known as The Fairgrounds Nashville and the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, is an entertainment complex in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, United States. The site is located southeast of
Downtown Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
on the
Nolensville Pike
State Route 11 (SR 11) is a mostly unsigned south–north highway that goes from the Alabama border in Giles County, Tennessee to the Kentucky border in Montgomery County.
Route description
SR 11 begins as a signed primary highway in Gi ...
. The historic home of the
Tennessee State Fair
The Tennessee State Fair is an annual state fair, formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee. Until 2021, the fair was generally held in the second week of September, as well as the weekends surrounding it. The fair regularly had attendance over 200,0 ...
, today the complex is home to
Geodis Park
Geodis Park, formerly known as Nashville SC Stadium and Nashville Fairgrounds Stadium, is a 30,000-seat soccer-specific stadium at the historic Nashville Fairgrounds in Nashville, Tennessee. It is the home of Major League Soccer club Nashville ...
, home of
Nashville SC
Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...
of
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
,
Fairgrounds Speedway
Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is a motorsport racetrack located at the Nashville Fairgrounds near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The track is the second-oldest continually operating track in the United States. The track held NASCAR Grand Natio ...
, the
Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena The Nashville Fairgrounds, also known as The Fairgrounds Nashville and the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, is an entertainment complex in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The site is located southeast of Downtown Nashville on the Nolensville Pike. ...
, the Nashville Flea Market, an
The Nashville Fair The site is undergoing redevelopment into a
mixed-use development
Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...
spurred by the construction of the soccer stadium with commercial and residential use and a community park. Additionally, there is a plan to renovate and upgrade Fairgrounds Speedway to host
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...
,
Xfinity
Comcast Cable Communications, LLC, doing business as Xfinity, is an American telecommunications company and division of Comcast Corporation used to market consumer cable television, internet, telephone, and wireless services provided by the com ...
and
Truck Series events in conjunction with
Speedway Motorsports
Speedway Motorsports, LLC is an American company that owns and manages auto racing facilities that host races sanctioned by NASCAR, IndyCar Series, NHRA, World of Outlaws and other racing series. The company was founded by Bruton Smith and has i ...
.
History
The fairgrounds originally opened in 1891 as a
horse racing track named Cumberland Park.
The park became the home of the Tennessee State Fair in 1906 and was purchased by the
Davidson County government (later Metro) in 1910. At that state fair, on June 22, 1910, attendees witnessed the first night-time airplane flight. The plane was equipped with automobile headlights.
On September 20, 1965, a fire on the opening night of the fair destroyed four buildings and caused $10 million in damage.
The fairgrounds were re-branded as The Fairgrounds Nashville in 2015, in an attempt to lure more events.
Sports Arena
The Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena is on the grounds of the Nashville Fairgrounds. It is also known by the nickname the TNA Asylum due to the venue hosting Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, now
Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
) events for two years in the early 2000s.
The building was constructed in 1922, by workers from
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
. The building was originally a flea market. It was operated throughout the 1960s and 1970s by promoter
Nick Gulas
Nick Gulas (September 3, 1914 – January 21, 1991) was an American professional wrestling promoter in the Southern United States, partnered with Tennessee promoter Roy Welch for decades. Gulas was also known as "The King of Managers", "King B", ...
as a
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
venue.
After taping their initial shows in the
Von Braun Center
The Von Braun Center (known as the Von Braun Civic Center until 1997) is an entertainment complex, with a maximum arena seating capacity of 9,000, located in Huntsville, Alabama. The original facility debuted in 1975 and has undergone several si ...
in
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...
, then moving their next few to the
Nashville Municipal Auditorium
The Nashville Municipal Auditorium is an indoor sports and concert venue in Nashville, Tennessee. It opened October 7, 1962 with both an arena and exhibition hall. The former exhibition hall has been permanent home to the Musicians Hall of Fame ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, TNA moved their weekly pay-per-view events to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds Sports Arena in July 2002. The name "TNA Asylum" was first used during the ninth weekly pay-per-view by
Ron Killings
Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name R-Truth.
Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WW ...
. The Asylum also served as the home of ''
TNA Xplosion
''Xplosion'' was a professional wrestling television program that was produced by the Impact Wrestling promotion. Launched in 2002, the show featured highlights from Impact's flagship television program, exclusive taped matches, and other conte ...
'', TNA's weekly syndicated television show, from its inception until October 2004.
After debuting ''
TNA Impact!
''Impact!'' (stylized as ''IMPACT!''), also known as ''IMPACT! on AXS TV'',
is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling (formerly known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)) tha ...
'', which was taped at
Soundstage 21 at
Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida (also known as Universal Studios or USF) is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Primarily themed to movies, television and other aspects of the entertainment industry, the park opened to the public on June 7, 1990 ...
, TNA decided that they would eventually shut down their weekly pay-per-view operations in favor of switching to a monthly pay-per-view format. Shortly after, they held their final weekly pay-per-view event (on September 8, 2004) before permanently departing from the Asylum in favor of running their shows exclusively out of Universal Soundstage 21.
Showtime All-Star Wrestling
Showtime All-Star Wrestling and NWA Southern All-Star Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Rockwood, Tennessee.
History
SAW began in April 2007, started then business partners Reno Riggins and TJ Weatherby at Wea ...
used the arena a couple times during the year of 2009, filming some of their television episodes at the Sports Arena.
On October 6, 2009 it was announced that the Nashville Mayor
Karl Dean
Karl Foster Dean (born September 20, 1955) is an American politician who served as the 6th Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Nashville's Director of Law under Mayor Bill Pu ...
would be closing down the Tennessee State Fairgrounds at the end of June 2010.
On November 12, 2010, TNA Wrestling returned to the Asylum for a one last
live event
A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...
, headlined by
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
defending the
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result o ...
against
D'Angelo Dinero
Elijah Samuel Burke (born May 24, 1981) is an American professional wrestler also known under the ring names "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero and Da Pope. He currently wrestles for National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) as "Da Pope" Elijah Burke, where he ...
, before the proposed demolition of the building. However, on January 18, 2011, the Nashville City Council voted to keep the arena open through 2012. The vote on a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
issue on the ballot for the August 2011
Metro Nashville-Davidson County election made it much harder legally for the municipality either to dispose of or severely alter the operation of the Fairgrounds, and most of the facilities there remain in at least limited operation as of 2015.
On January 29, 2011, there was a "Tribute to the Fairgrounds" pro wrestling event, highlighting many of the Memphis-area wrestling legends who helped make the arena famous, with the main event being
Jerry "The King" Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "The King" Lawler, is an American color commentator and professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, although he has not performed as a full-time commentator since Ap ...
vs
"Superstar" Bill Dundee in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,700.
Beginning in 2012, Crossfire Entertainment used the Sports Arena for their live events. They hosted "Tribute to the Fairgrounds" events before the proposed demolition, but later used it as a primary location for their shows. On August 4, 2012, Crossfire Wrestling announced TV production would return to the Nashville Fairgrounds Sports Arena, thanks to
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
, as they were to be hosting HD/3D TV Tapings there. To add on to this, Crossfire was to be the first professional wrestling organization to be shot in
3D. On February 17, 2013, Crossfire Wrestling announced that they had to cease operations, leaving the venue empty for the time being.
On September 6, 2013, TCW Wrestling's "Tennessee Takeover" was held at the Sports Arena, which was the first event held in the arena since January 2013. On June 22, 2014, the first-ever live televised pay-per-view for
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
,
Best in the World 2014
Best in the World 2014 was the fifth Best in the World professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on June 22, 2014 at the Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. This show ...
, was held at the venue.
On October 21, 2018, the
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Founded in 1948, the NWA ...
held its 70th Anniversary show in the building.
Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
returned to The Asylum on January 6, 2019 with a PPV event called
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
.
Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
again returned to The Asylum on June 19, 2022, to celebrate 20 years of
Slammiversary
Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling. It is one of Impact's “Big Four” PPV events (along with Hard to Kill, Rebellion, and Bound for Glory), and celebrates ...
.
Jordynne Grace
Patricia Forrest Parker (born March 5, 1996) is an American professional wrestler and powerlifter currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where she performs under the ring name Jordynne Grace. She is currently the Impact Knockouts World Champio ...
won the first ever
Queen of the Mountain match to become
Impact Knockouts World Champion for the second time in her career.
The venue hosted the
Starrcast wrestling convention in July 2022.
Redevelopment
In 2009, Mayor
Karl Dean
Karl Foster Dean (born September 20, 1955) is an American politician who served as the 6th Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Nashville's Director of Law under Mayor Bill Pu ...
announced the Metro government's intention to redevelop the fairgrounds into a
mixed-use
Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...
neighborhood, displacing the state fair amid financial struggles. Opposition to the closure prompted a citywide referendum in August 2011 that would amend the Metro charter to continue existing activities at the fairgrounds site. The amendment was passed by over 70 percent of voters.
In 2016, mayor
Megan Barry
Megan Christine Barry (née Mueller; born September 22, 1963) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the seventh mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County from 2015 until March 6, 2018, when she resi ...
proposed demolishing several buildings on the fairgrounds to make way for community parks and soccer fields. The plan, which also included a new soccer stadium for the new
Nashville SC
Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...
, was accused of displacing the fair
although Metro Nashville maintains that there would still be adequate space for the fair. However, after not hosting the fair in 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, it was announced in May 2021 that the fair would be moved to the Wilson County Fairgrounds in
Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metropolit ...
, and held in conjunction with the Wilson County Fair in mid-August, earlier than the traditional September date.
References
{{coord, 36.1310, -86.7671, type:landmark_region:US, display=title
1906 establishments in Tennessee
Buildings and structures in Nashville, Tennessee
Fairgrounds in the United States