UPDATE: According to an article on Courant.com, Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced a travel ban for the entire state as of 9 PM tonight. This is due to the huge blizzard the Northeast is about to get hit with. In the past, similar travel bans have meant that only emergency vehicles and Department of Transportation plows and such are allowed on the road. Public transportation will be shut down at 8PM ET.
WWE Monday Night RAW is scheduled for tonight in Hartford, Connecticut and SmackDown tapes Tuesday in Boston, Massachusetts. With the fear that snow could accumulate to over 20 inches in Hartford, there is legitimate concern that the shows could be cancelled.
Boston’s Logan International Airport will be closing down after 9PM EST. There will be no incoming or outgoing flights tonight and tomorrow. The airport will not reopen until Wednesday.
Stay tuned as we hear more.
ORIGINAL: The WWE roster will be facing some major weather/travel issues this week as a major snowstorm, which is being described as “historic and destructive,” is expected to hit the Northeast Monday afternoon through Wednesday.
Although the storm will impact tomorrow night’s Monday Night RAW episode at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, the show will go on as planned. WWE is confident that they can get all of their talents to the show following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view tonight. WWE held a meeting earlier today advising all WWE talent to drive to Hartford, CT tonight so that they are there before the storm begins tomorrow afternoon. For what it’s worth, Philadelphia, PA to Hartford, CT is a good 4-5 hour drive so it’s going to be a VERY late night for many talents considering the Royal Rumble pay-per-view doesn’t end until almost 11PM EST. That means most of the roster won’t arrive in Hartford until around 4AM. They then have to check into their hotels, get something to eat, etc. This is followed by a LIVE RAW tomorrow night. Ahh, the life of a WWE Superstar!
With that being said, nearly three feet of snow is expected to fall in Boston, Massachusetts, the site of Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings in TD Garden. Travel across Massachusetts on Tuesday is expected to become “impossible and life-threatening,” according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. There are expected to be “state of emergencies” in place where all travel is banned except for emergency vehicles. Anyone caught driving will be subject to arrest.
There is talk backstage at today’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view that the SmackDown tapings will be moved to Wednesday night, possibly even Thursday depending on how bad things get and the cleanup on Wednesday. All reports say this storm will be “one for the record books” and could be one of the biggest storms ever to hit the New York City and Boston areas.
Stay tuned as we hear more.
