FOX Pushing WWE To Bring Back Live Crowds

Could WWE soon be following the NBA and MLB's lead?

by Andrew Pollard
WWE SmackDown Throwback Set 2021
WWE.com

With WWE currently planning to have live fans in physical attendance for this year’s SummerSlam PPV, there’s now word that FOX officials are pushing Vince McMahon’s sports entertainment giant to return to live crowds as soon as possible.

As per the usually reliable @WrestleVotes, the past several weeks have seen FOX privately pushing WWE for an update on when they can expect McMahon’s company to commence touring once again.

Of course, FOX agreed a mammoth $1 billion, five-year deal to house SmackDown back in 2018, hence why they’re keen to see WWE return to live crowds in order to make the product feel more, well, vibrant and energised.

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By this point in time, the NBA and MLB are both allowing a restricted number of fans to be in attendance for games, and clearly FOX wants WWE to follow suit on that front.

In addition to those plans to have August’s SummerSlam event take place in front of a live audience, there have been rumblings that WWE may also hit the road with the SmackDown and Raw episodes that are either side of Sunday 18 July’s Money in the Bank PPV.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.