Update On When WWE Can Have Crowds At Shows Again
Here's what the President of the United States has to say...
It looks like empty-arena wrestling shows look set to continue for at least the next few months.
President Donald Trump held a conference call with the commissioners of every major sporting league in the United States today, including WWE President Vince McMahon. During the call, Trump said that he hopes fans will be able to begin attending sporting events again by August or September, though it's still very much up in the air.
A snippet from ESPN's Adam Schefter:-
A more definitive timeline will emerge when said medical experts chime in, of course, but this is something for wrestling fans to hold onto during this trying time.
WWE is believed to have taped all shows through the Raw after WrestleMania 36 (6 April), though Florida's latest stay-at-home order will make producing new content beyond that date difficult. AEW, meanwhile, is believed to have several weeks, if not months, of footage in the can, having taped extensively in Florida and Georgia over the past few weeks.
Whatever oddball appeal the empty arena shows had is clearly wearing off with viewers, too, as all major WWE and AEW shows have experienced significant ratings declines lately. Here's hoping it's safe for the fans and their noise to return sooner rather than later.