How Super Bowl LV Previewed WrestleMania 37: WWE Considering Cardboard Crowd?
Could WWE follow the NFL's lead and populate WrestleMania 37's empty seats with cardboard fans?
The NFL welcomed around 25,000 fans into Tampa, Florida's Raymond James Stadium for Super Bowl 55 last night, filling the building's empty seats with 30,000 cardboard cutouts as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (featuring former WWE 24/7 Champion Rob Gronkowski) beat the Kansas City Chiefs.
It was a novel way of making the Raymond James Stadium look fuller, but will WWE use the same tactic upon hitting the building for WrestleMania 37 on 10 and 11 April? It's up in the air.
WrestleVotes have reported that while WWE isn't currently high on the idea, they may reconsider given the generally positive reception to the Super Bowl LV aesthetics:-
The specific number varies from report to report, but WWE is looking to bring around 25,000 to 30,000 fans into the building for each night of WrestleMania 37, making it the most-attended wrestling event since the COVID-19 pandemic forced shows into empty arenas in March 2020.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy notes that as well as filling the stadium, the cutouts help enforce necessary physical distancing:-
That, in itself, is a great reason for WWE to reconsider its current stance, particularly as most counterpoints are aesthetic-driven.
We'll bring you updates on this situation as it develops.