10 Fascinating Facts About WWE WrestleMania 36
I wasn't there. You weren't there. Nobody was there.
WrestleMania 36 was certainly a night of firsts. It was the first to take place over two nights, it was the first to be pre-recorded and it was the first (and hopefully only) WrestleMania to take place in front of a record-breaking crowd of nil.
Thanks to worldwide health concerns, the event was forced to air from the WWE Performance Centre in front of no crowd whatsoever, leading to the biggest show in wrestling becoming the most awkward show in wrestling.
Not that it made the show bad. The wrestling itself was still good, Owens/Rollins and Bryan/Zayn were both excellent, the Boneyard match was probably Undertaker's best match in years, the Firefly Funhouse match was an utterly insane spectacle that only WWE could produce, and the part-time champions were dethroned by two stars long overdue their spotlight.
Vince McMahon's pirate ship was sailing through stormy seas but it came through the other side with an unexpected treasure of a PPV. Time will tell as to whether or not it will age like fine rum.
Many things happened that weekend, so here's 10 facts you might find interesting about the locked-down WrestleMania.
(If you want some fascinating facts about Undertaker & AJ Styles' Boneyard match, check out WhatCulture's exclusive behind-the-scenes article here.)
10. Florida Attempted To Shut Down The Event Entirely
As mentioned previously, WrestleMania 36 was held in the WWE Performance Centre, as was Raw, SmackDown and NXT in the weeks leading up to the event, along with a lockdown to all talent to reduce any risks to their health.
Mass gatherings were being banned and the airports were rejecting all travel from foreign countries. With the wellbeing of their fans in the minds of Vince & co. the event was moved from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa (with an expected attendance of over 70,000) to WWE's training facility. This was only after pressure from the US government, saying that if a decision wasn't made by WWE regarding the event, a decision would be made for them.
However, the new plan was also in jeopardy, as the State of Florida was ready to go into full lockdown, making it impossible to hold any event at all, with or without an audience. The decision was made by WWE to pre-record the show and air it over two nights before lockdown could take place.
They didn't get out entirely unscathed, as NXT TakeOver: Tampa and WrestleMania Axcess was cancelled, as was the 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony, which now looks likely to take place prior to SummerSlam.