8 Ups And 6 Downs From WWE WrestleMania 36 (Part 1)

4. ‘Putting Smiles On Faces’

Across much of the globe, communities are locking themselves down in their homes as much as possible, avoiding large gatherings and trying to stay safe from an unseen attacker. A fraction of the population – often described as “essential workers” like first responders, healthcare workers and food providers – are out regularly, at least in this writer’s neck of the woods.

So let’s get this out of the way now and just say it once and be done with it: Why is WWE holding WrestleMania 36 this weekend?

It wasn’t that the venue was booked and they had to use it. It wasn’t that the PPV slot was booked and they had to use it. It wasn’t that they had rented a giant pirate ship to fit the motif and had to use it.

No, apparently WWE had to hold Mania this weekend because Vince McMahon wanted the show to go on, and as Stephanie McMahon noted, it was part of the company’s commitment to entertaining the fans during these hard times.

Yep, it’s all about putting smiles on faces.

It’s worth noting that basically every other sport and group entertainment effort around the globe has been postponed or canceled. But somehow, wrestling – with people not just in close proximity to each other, but sweating on each other – is OK during a viral pandemic.

As a fan, this writer does appreciate the notion of providing an escape at a time when we all need it most. But as a human being, this writer can’t endorse this activity. WWE had better hope to high hell it doesn’t come out in the coming weeks that a wrestler was asymptomatic and a bunch of talent test positive, because the blowback would be tremendous.

No amount of smiles on faces will make up for that.

Obviously, let’s all hope for the best and that doesn’t happen. Back to your regularly scheduled column.