A Newcastle wrestling committee held an annual wrestling card at Easter through the mid 19th century, and the grounds south of the Old Infirmary was held as the venue on at least one occasion in 1849. Until the wrestling grounds near the current site of the arena, locations were fluid each year. In 1846 The "Spital" was used, which was very probably where Central stands today and was owned by the railway at this stage.

Despite unfavourable weather, the event of 1849 still brought a solid attendance at the site. Cheap trains were run by the Newcastle & Carlisle as well as the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railways. This was the year before our Central Station opened mind, so both likely terminated at the temporary Forth Railway Station which is on the western extremities of Central today.

A great collection of the country's wrestlers gathered amongst the "large and commodious" stands set up for the games, with refreshment booths also erected.

From the mid 1850s events took place at the committee wrestling ground until the latter decades of the century when the railway consumed the site near the Forth Yard. Events then took place at the cricket ground at Bath Road