Two of the Renaissance Center’s iconic towers are slated for demolition, but this won’t be your typical wrecking ball job. In a bold collaboration, Detroit city officials have teamed up with Monster Jam to turn the towers’ destruction into an adrenaline-pumping live event featuring the legendary Grave Digger monster truck.
Scheduled for summer 2025, the event, titled “Ren Cen Rumble: Monster Jam Edition”, will see the two towers meet their end through a unique combination of engineering and the crushing power of Monster Jam’s most famous trucks. Grave Digger, driven by Monster Jam star Willie Stroker, will take center stage, smashing through the towers in a spectacle of raw horsepower and dramatic stunts.
“This isn’t just a demolition—it’s a celebration of Detroit’s innovative spirit,” said city representative Buster Highman during the announcement. “The Ren Cen towers have been a symbol of the city for decades, and now they’ll be remembered as the backdrop for an unforgettable Motor City moment.”
The two-day event will begin with the controlled takedown of the first tower on Saturday, followed by the demolition of the second tower on Sunday. Engineers and Monster Jam experts are collaborating to pre-prepare the towers, ensuring they are structurally weakened enough for Grave Digger and other trucks, like Max-D and Megalodon, to finish the job. The event will include high-speed collisions, dramatic jumps, and a pyrotechnic finale as the second tower collapses into a sea of rubble along the Detroit River.
Fans from across the country are expected to flock to Detroit to witness the event, which organizers say will be “the loudest and wildest demolition the world has ever seen.” For some, it’s an emotional farewell to a beloved part of the city’s skyline. “I used to work in one of those towers, and it’s bittersweet to see them go,” said local resident Holden Hiscock. “But watching Grave Digger take them down? That’s something I can’t miss.”
Tickets for “Ren Cen Rumble: Monster Jam Edition” go on sale in January, with VIP packages offering behind-the-scenes access, meet-and-greets with the drivers, and even the chance to take home pieces of the wreckage as souvenirs. A portion of the proceeds will go toward local revitalization projects.
The demolition marks the start of a new chapter for Detroit’s riverfront, with plans already underway for a mixed-use development featuring parks, residential spaces, and retail that better aligns with the city’s modern vision.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Willie Stroker, Grave Digger’s driver. “We’ve crushed cars, buses, and even planes, but skyscrapers? That’s next-level. Detroit is about to see history in the making.”
As the countdown to “Ren Cen Rumble” begins, Detroit is bracing for a demolition event unlike anything the city—or the world—has ever seen.
