Due to the coronavirus pandemic, sporting events all over the country are being postponed or canceled to protect the health of the players and fans. However, WWE is one of the few sports organizations to not postpone their events and they are taking heat for not calling off WrestleMania 36 which is the company’s biggest event of the year. According to TMZ, WWE has not officially postponed or cancel WrestleMania 36 and there’s a chance the event still happens. However, WWE is weighing their options including broadcasting the event with no fans in attendance.
WrestleMania 36 is scheduled to take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on April 5. Tampa officials can cancel the event if WWE doesn’t, but they won’t make a decision until likely the end of this week.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“We know that right now WrestleMania is out about three weeks, and we came to the conclusion [that] right now we don’t want to pull that plug,” Hillsborough County district commissioner Les Miller said. “However, we wanted to give it at least a week to see what was going to happen, if the WWE was going to do anything at all. And if that don’t, at that point I would suggest we do bring this body back together in an emergency meeting to discuss what we do at that point in time.”
WWE recently released a statement that stated WrestleMania 36 is still a go.
“The health and safety of our fans, performers and employees are our top priorities and we are monitoring the situation closely with our partners and government officials in Tampa Bay,” WWE’s initial statement on the virus possibly canceling WrestleMania read per ComicBook.com. “We remain committed to hosting WrestleMania at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, April 5, and like other entertainment properties in the U.S., there are currently no plans to cancel or postpone our upcoming events.”
If WrestleMania 36 goes on without fans, it won’t be the first time that happens. On Friday night, WWE hosted Friday Night SmackDown at the WWE Performance Center and zero fans were in attendance. It was unprecedented as the Superstars feed off the crowd’s energy.
“In one of the most surreal pro wrestling events in history, WWE attempted to continue building toward WrestleMania 36 during a global coronavirus pandemic by hosting SmackDown from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando — without a crowd in attendance” Brent Brookhouse of CBS Sports wrote. “While the promotion and performers gave their best effort to put on a show, the uphill battle of an event with no crowd energy overwhelmed in the end.”
