How The Future Of Wrestling Might Be In Grave Danger

Devil Vince McMahon
WWE

What happens if a close, traceable relative of the crew dies? What happens if a member of the crew is asymptomatic, and unwittingly transmits the disease to a vulnerable person in the airport or the market, and they die? Since the answer to that last question is nothing - there is no way of determining the exact chain, nor is such inadvertent contact punishable - they're just going ahead, regardless, because it won't bite them on the ass.

And if it does, well, sh*t. WWE has survived scandal before. They are almost arrogantly immune to it. AEW, if the worst happens, might not be able to withstand what would be incredible public pressure.

If this is the new normal, the next normal may well be much worse. Already, certain states in the U.S. are conflating the effectiveness of social distancing measures with, sigh, the "weakness" of the virus, and are declaring their intentions to reopen. The Missouri governor Mike Parson unveiled a state opening plan that includes a note that live concerts and shows can resume from Monday May 4, provided "seating [be] spaced out according to social distancing requirements". Various city mayors are opposed. For now. Meanwhile, in Florida, governor Ron DeSantis casually revealed that he can "see" live spectator sports returning in June or July:

"I do think if the trends are good as you get into June-Jul,. I think there is a window to have some fans. You’re not going to have everyone packed in. But man, in 90-degree weather in the state of Florida...if you're out there and someone's 10 feet away from you and you want to watch a ball game or something? You may be able to do that."

So in effect, parts of America are very keen on no-selling this thing, and willing the blood onto their hands - and there goes pro wrestling reaching, desperately, for the hot tag.

CONT'D...(3 of 6)

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!