WWE's ThunderDome Departure Date Officially Set

The 12 July Raw will be pre-taped as part of WWE's ThunderDome exit plan.

by Andy H Murray
WWE ThunderDome
WWE

The 9 July episode of SmackDown will be WWE's last live broadcast from the ThunderDome, reports WrestleVotes.

WWE is due to return to conventional ticketed events with live audiences from 16 July. The 12 July edition of Raw between these dates will be pretaped the previous week, per the report, meaning that WWE will be out of the 'Dome by next Friday.

Thus concludes an 11-month run in the ThunderDome, which gave WWE programming an immediate boost when it was introduced in August 2020, immediately halting a ratings slide that had accelerated through the Performance Center era (March to August).

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Originally located in Orlando's Amway Center, the 'Dome debuted on the 21 August 2020 episode of SmackDown, and stayed in its first home before moving across state to Tampa's Tropicana Field in December. The setup was then relocated to its third and final home, the Yuengling Center, at the onset of the new Major League Baseball season in April.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has prevented WWE (and other wrestling promotions) from holding fully attended events since March 2020, when it forced shows into empty and sparsely populated arenas and gyms.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.