Sports Teams and Events
Basketball, arena football, and ice hockey are all played at the Center, in addition to concerts, professional wrestling, ice shows, and other events.
The Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL once called the US Airways Center home, starting with their move from Winnipeg to Phoenix in 1996, and up until 2003, when they moved to Jobing.com Arena (formerly Glendale Arena), which was more suited for NHL hockey. It was also the home of the indoor soccer team Arizona Sandsharks of the CISL.
Its most common nickname is "The Purple Palace," though during the Rattlers' season it is known as "the Snake Pit."
Capacity for basketball was originally 19,023, but was downsized in after the 2002-2003 season to 18,422.
Three of the games of the 1993 NBA Finals between the Suns and the Chicago Bulls, including game six where John Paxson hit a last second 3 point shot to clinch the Bulls' Championship, were played there, as was one of the three 1998 WNBA Finals games and two ArenaBowl games, and some games of the 2007 and 2009 WNBA Finals. In 1997, the Rattlers won ArenaBowl XI at America West Arena. The 1995 NBA All-Star Game was played in the arena as well as the 2000 WNBA All-Star Game, and the arena hosted the 2009 NBA All-Star Game.
The building has hosted many professional wrestling events, including WCW and WWE house and televised shows, and PPVs throughout the years, including Summerslam 2003, Judgment Day 2006 and Cyber Sunday 2008. It also hosted a live edition of WCW Monday Nitro on October 28, 1996 following WCW Halloween Havoc, a taped Smackdown/ECW on August 25, 2009, and on March 29, 2010, a live episode of RAW that saw Shawn Michaels give his farewell speech to the WWE the night after losing to The Undertaker in a Streak vs Career match at WrestleMania XXVI, and the July 1, 2011 edition of Friday Night SmackDown taped on the June 28, 2011 live episode of WWE NXT. The arena hosted WWE Money in the Bank on July 15, 2012 and is scheduled to host WWE Royal Rumble on January 27, 2013.
In boxing, Oscar de la Hoya had a few of his early bouts at the arena, and Michael Carbajal also fought there, including winning the WBO world Junior Flyweight title from Josue Camacho in 1994, and Julio Cesar Chavez ended his career with a fight at the arena.
In bull riding, the PBR hosted a Built Ford Tough Series (at the time, called the Bud Light Cup) event at the arena each year between 1999 and 2002; in 2004 the event was moved to the Glendale Arena (later Jobing.com Arena).
On December 10, 1993, legendary singer Frank Sinatra did one of his last concerts at America West Arena.
Lady Gaga performed The Monster Ball here on July 31, 2010 and March 26, 2011. She is scheduled to perform the Born This Way Ball here on January 23, 2013.
American singer/songwriter, Madonna performed at the arena on October 16, 2012 on her MDNA Tour.
P!nk's Truth About Love Tour is set to kick off at the arena on February 13, 2013.
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Famous quotes containing the words sports, teams and/or events:
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—Christine H. B. Grant, U.S. university athletic director. As quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A42 (May 12, 1993)
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