Groundbreaking and iconic are just some of the words that can describe the events that have been held in Pasay’s iconic arena.
From concerts to sports, and now even esports, the Cuneta Astrodome has hosted some of the most memorable large-scale events in the Philippines.
It’s no joke for an event to take place in the iconic Pasay arena, and it’s easy to see why. We’ve pulled just five of some of its biggest events so you have a brief appreciation of the 30-plus years of history of the Cuneta Astrodome.
The World Wrestling Federation – Manila, Philippines, 1994
Would you believe that the world’s biggest wrestling organization first stepped into the Philippines all the way back in 1994? You’d think it would’ve been a monumental event, but it almost feels like it’s lost to history.
Titled Manila Mania, WWF icons such as The Undertaker and brothers Bret and Owen Hart stepped into the squared circle in Manila for the first time at the Cuneta Astrodome. It was a packed two-day event, culminating with then-WWF World Champion Bret Hart successfully defending his title from his brother.
The Philippine Basketball Association – 1997 Commissioner’s Cup Finals
The Cuneta Astrodome was synonymous with the PBA back then, as it was built to host its games. It was even known as “the home of the PBA” and has held hundreds of their games since 1993.
Out of all of them, the one series that comes to mind is the 1997 Commissioner’s Cup Finals. This was the last series that Robert Jaworski would play as a player-coach for the Gordon’s Gin Boars. It was a spectacular sendoff for the legendary Jaworski as it ended the Boars’ six-year title drought right before he would switch gears and become a Senator.
Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire Tour, 1997
It’s not just sports or sports-adjacent events taking place in the Cuneta Astrodome. Concerts and gatherings are also hosted here, with one of the most memorable events being part of the Asia leg of Rage Against the Machine’s Evil Empire tour.
This was quite the show back then, as it was the height of the punk rock band’s popularity and influence. You could say that their anti-authoritarian and anti-capitalist message struck a chord with Filipinos. There are even stories of the crowd getting rowdy during their performance. But whether or not they’re true, you almost expect that to be the case for a band like Rage.
Southeast Asian Games – 2005, 2019
When it comes to international sporting events in Southeast Asia, you don’t get much bigger than the SEA Games. The Philippines has hosted the Olympic-supervised event four times, with the Cuneta Astrodome being a part of two of them.
In 2005, the Astrodome held the SEA Games’ Taekwondo tournament. It was a truly historic moment for us as we bagged five of the 16 gold medals – the most out of all of the participating countries. Later in 2019, it would host the Kickboxing tournament where the Philippines would take three of the eight gold medals.
Mobile Legends Professional League Philippines – Season 16 Playoffs, 2025
Now we might be getting a bit ahead of ourselves as the playoffs are still about a month away, but the importance of this event can’t be understated. Not only is this the first time the Cuneta Astrodome is hosting an esports event — it’s also a big step forward for esports in the Philippines.
This isn’t the first time an esports tournament has been held in an arena in the Philippines. 2016 had Dota 2’s Manila Major held in the Mall of Asia Arena, and 2023 had MLBB’s M5 grand finals in the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Those, however, are big, international events with the funding and prestige to back them up. MPL PH, on the other hand, is a homegrown league that started off renting mall spaces. It’s the first time for a local esports league to be played in an arena, and that fact alone makes it a truly historic event.
Banner photo from Wikipedia.