This issue around the world with the spreading of coronavirus has been a pain in the butt for regular people, let alone for wrestling companies around the world. With news that wrestling shows, fan conventions, and even TV tapings being shut down or holding shows in front of no fans, it is a lot to get through. News has still shocked fans when it came out that WWE is going to have to do something different with Wrestlemania in April.
First was the news that the big event was not going to be held at Tampa Bay but would be held in front of no fans and the WWE Performance Center. That pretty much killed the event right for me right there. Even with their best effort, they will take the biggest wrestling event of the year and make it like a lot a gym practice in the Performance Center.
Then it is announced that the Hall of Fame ceremony has been canceled. I wrote about my feelings on that and posted it here about an hour before they announced the news. I still feel the fans weren’t that important to that part of the weekend and was more disappointed when they announced that the NXT Takeover Card would also be canceled. Those are usually a better show than the main WWE pay per view shows. It will suck without the NXT card that weekend.
Then it was announced online during the NXT Show Wednesday night (without any kind of mention on TV) that Wrestlemania will now be a 2-night show and word has it it will be from different places instead of just the Performance Center in Florida. No other locations have been announced yet but this was really something different. If they were allowed to do either night of the show in front of actual fans it would be amazing. But doing half of the big matches in front of an empty arena doesn’t fill me with as much joy, let alone doing the rest of the card the next night.
But WWE isn’t the one to control that part. WWE didn’t make the choice that an audience full of people was not a good idea and not to go throw with that. I’m sure they don’t want anyone to get sick like that at one of their events. Hopefully, no one does even without any crowds to watch the event. You hate to see someone like Drew McIntyre get horribly sick after winning the WWE title from Brock Lesnar.
On the brighter side of things, I have been reminded that the WWE has wanted to experiment with doing 2 days of Wrestlemania (like Wrestle Kingdom did this year for New Japan Pro Wrestling) and spread things out a bit. Of course, it won’t be the same as Wrestle Kingdom was in front of an actual crowd but WWE will play it off like it was and if things don’t stink too badly they give it another try next year. Here’s hoping they actually can get a crowd in an arena next year. They have the WWE and the Universal title going right now. Now each can end the night and be the Main Event of the night instead of some of the things they have done in year’s past.
So better or worse this is going to happen. The WWE will have to make the best of it, so the WWE Universe better do the same.
