The Coronavirus has affected the world! Not just the whole world, it has taken an effect on sports. The NHL, the NBA, and the MLB had no choice but to suspend the season as a result of a few players having tested positive for the disease. Talk shows had to take drastic measures to film at their homes through webcams. But one company will keep on going, but without having fans. The WWE have begun taping their weekly shows including Raw, Smackdown, and NXT without fans.
This week’s article I read is called Coronavirus: Watching WWE pro wrestling without fans is a surreal world by Brian Truitt. The author and I have one thing in common: we are both wrestling fans. It is true about the title of this article, it is weird watching the WWE without any fans. The WWE had to start taping their shows at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Brian did say that it is safer to have social distancing because of how many fans show up to events including their pay-per-views.
The first episode of Monday Night Raw, since the announcement of moving their shows at the Performance, featured one of the greatest and most popular wrestlers of all time, he is none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin! Once you hear the glass shatter from his theme music, fans give a huge, loud pop that it is impossible to hear the commentators! But that episode, once you hear the glass shatter, all you hear is crickets. It is a bizarre sight seeing Stone Cold walking down the entrance ramp without hearing chants like “Austin, Austin, Austin”, or “WHAT?” This episode also featured Edge challenging Randy Orton to a match at WWE’s flagship show: Wrestlemania. But no cheers, just straight silence.
Smackdown is the first show to have no audience, and it was really weird not hearing fans being hyped for the show. John Cena appeared on that episode, no chants of “Let’s Go Cena, Cena Sucks”. Also appearing beside is WWE’s hottest character, Bray Wyatt, whose character is more of a psychotic Mr. Rogers. But still no fans singing along with their themes, no cheering, and no booing.
Towards the end of the article, the author asked if pro-wrestling should also go on hiatus as well? He answered no because everyone needs to be entertained and distracted from the fear of the coronavirus. Triple H should be given recognition for keeping fans at home entertained watching grappling and high flying action!
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