(Source) “HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astrodome was a technological marvel when it opened in 1965. Dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” it was the first domed and air-conditioned stadium and became Houston’s defining landmark, a symbol of the city’s can-do spirit.

But eventually, bigger and sleeker stadiums took its place, leaving the iconic structure that once hosted both professional baseball and football games empty and dilapidated, its future in limbo.

After Texas voters on Tuesday rejected a referendum that would have authorized up to $217 million in bonds to turn the Astrodome into a giant convention and event center, the stadium is likely to be demolished.

“We can’t allow the once-proud Astrodome to sit like a rusting ship in the middle of a parking lot. This was the best effort (to revamp the stadium), and voters have turned it down,” Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said. Fifty-three percent voted against the referendum.

Emmett said a final decision on what happens to the Astrodome will be up to the commissioners court, the group of local officials who manage the county. But he said the stadium’s future was pretty much sealed with the referendum’s failure. He said a decision would have to be made quickly but didn’t say exactly when that would happen.”

The Houston Astrodome was home to many events over the past 48 years, but nothing compares to the event it held on April Fools Day, 2001. That was the night the Astrodome hosted Wrestlemania XVII, the greatest Wrestlemania of all time. WWE was in it’s heyday; the roster was stacked, and everyone who competed that night had one goal in mind: to steal the show.

Check out this ridiculous card:

Shane McMahon vs. Vince McMahon in a street fight, with Mick Foley as the special guest referee.

Hardys vs. Dudleyz vs. Edge & Christian in a TLC match for the tag team titles.

Undertaker vs HHH.

The main event: Stone Cold vs. The Rock for the WWE Championship.

You could live three lifetimes and never see a wrestling card with that much star power. If you get a chance, watch some of those matches. Every single one delivers in a big way.

Thanks for the memories Astrodome, and thanks for the greatest Wrestlemania of all time.

– Ryan

P.S. It also gave us the greatest wrestling promo of all time.