In case you have been living on the moon (and let’s face it, the moon is probably a safer place now), the world is facing a medical pandemic in the form of the coronavirus. At first, it seemed to be centralized in the vicinity of Wuhan, China. Since then, this pandemic has spread across multiple countries across the world, causing thousands to be hospitalized, and others to pass away from the onset of symptoms.
We still do not know the full extent of the modality of this virus’ transmission, and vaccines and other potential cures are being trialed as we speak. However, for the time being, the United States has taken steps to limit the possibility of transmitting this virus. Only essential establishments such as supermarkets and pharmacies are remaining open, where as schools and events where large gatherings are common have been canned until further notice.
We have seen this extreme intervention take place in the sports world as well. After NBA players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell tested positive for this virus, the NBA has effectively decided to suspend this season. Other leagues have since followed suit. In the sports entertainment world, independent promotions have been forced to suspend their shows as well. Where does this leave WWE?
As we saw this past Friday Night on SmackDown, the episode was held inside WWE’s performance center in front of no one. Every match, interview segment and other activity was held in the middle of the ring with no on-looker in sight. The same will continue for tonight’s episode of RAW and presumably for the foreseeable future. This has led many to speculate where this leaves WrestleMania, which is currently scheduled in three weeks.
WWE is in a tricky place in regards to this, and many have wondered how the show will continue in lieu of everything that is currently taking place. While Vince McMahon normally controls almost everything WWE-related, he may not have a say in the matter in regards to the fate of his biggest creation. Tampa has essentially issued an ultimatum to WWE. Either make the call to at least suspend WrestleMania for the time being, or we’ll make the call to can WrestleMania altogether ourselves.
Things may get ugly if WWE forces the hand of the city of Tampa to take extreme measures, but since WrestleMania is such a large event, it may not be so easy for WWE to make a decision without considering every possible option. Here’s some of the options WWE will probably have on the table.
Hold WrestleMania With No Fans
Blasphemous, I know. However, WWE is in a situation where anything is up to chance in regards to WrestleMania. One of the options on the table is for WWE to continue doing what they’ve been doing recently, and that’s to have their biggest show with no one in attendance.
It certainly would be a weird experience, and it’ll definitely be different. What is WrestleMania without fans cheering intensely from the sidelines? This decision may not sit well with the performers themselves, who essentially work hard for an entire calendar year just to get their WrestleMania moment. This may also not sit well with Vince himself. Imagine spending all the time setting up the stage, practicing entrances and organizing a litany of segments only for no one to attend? It would certainly seem like a wasted effort.
However, do not think that this option is too extreme. WWE has held important matches in front of nobody. Let’s not forget that Mankind won the WWE Championship from The Rock in an Empty Arena Match in 1999. Then again, holding your biggest PPV in front of nobody is much different than holding one match in the middle of halftime at the Super Bowl. If “the show must go on” mentality resides in WWE’s higher ups, nothing is off the table.
Postpone WrestleMania
This is the option that I believe is most likely. WrestleMania remains WWE’s biggest draw, and for WWE to completely do away with WrestleMania for the first time ever wouldn’t come lightly. The way things stand, it is getting increasingly unlikely that WWE can hold WrestleMania in its current capacity by April 5th.
We must consider that WrestleMania is not only a huge extravaganza, it’s a worldwide extravaganza. WrestleMania attracts fans from across the world, and with the number of travel restrictions and bans that are taking place, WWE will be losing basically its entire international audience. There is perhaps no better medium than for a virus like the coronavirus to spread among fans and performers alike more than a Super Bowl-like environment. Since we also do not have full confirmation of how the virus spreads and how long it may survive, grouping thousands of people together in one area does not seem ideal.
Therefore, it is very likely that WWE will have to come to the formal decision to postpone WrestleMania and drag out the build a bit longer until things ease up. Then again, there is no guarantee that the situation will get better by that time. If WWE decides to postpone WrestleMania, it may be delayed by at least a month. We have already heard of WWE’s contingency plans for just such an occasion, so we’ll see how that goes.
The reason why that is is because you have to consider the time it would take to carry the monumental amount of equipment needed to make WrestleMania go off without a hitch. Taking into consideration travel and construction, it could take anywhere from a week to 10 days for the WrestleMania stage to be complete. Delaying WrestleMania also means delaying the construction of WrestleMania. So if WWE postpones WrestleMania, we may not see WrestleMania until May at the earliest.
Cancel The Show
Then we have the extremest of decisions. While I think this also won’t happen, you can’t really tell with the current state of affairs. In my opinion, it would have to take a near catastrophic course of events for WWE to make the decision to just can the show altogether. I believe nothing short of the CDC or the WHO telling WWE themselves that they can’t hold WrestleMania would force Vince to have to make this difficult decision.
From a story line and practical sense, WWE is in an awkward position. Their two world champions are Brock Lesnar and Goldberg, and neither of them are full-time superstars. If you cancel WrestleMania, are you just going to keep those two world championships on two men whose combined ages almost reach 100? Are you going to take the titles off of them in an arena with nobody watching, thereby making what should be special moments essentially empty? Imagine Drew McIntyre pinning Brock Lesnar at the Performance Center and winning the WWE Championship with no one around? It would essentially amount to him winning the 24/7 Title in a backstage area.
In addition, all the money that WWE would lose out on by cancelling WrestleMania is something else to consider. Not only the fans that attend the event live, but WWE has also been negotiating PPV deals with ESPN so that they could essentially go back to charging the rates for big PPV’s like they did before the WWE Network came along. That goes out the window as well. Do I believe WWE cancels WrestleMania? No. Then again, it may not be their call to make. If the state of Florida decides to cancel WrestleMania, there will definitely be ripple effects felt.
If I had the power to control WrestleMania’s fate, I’d personally postpone it until I got a clear indication that it is relatively safe to hold it. However, the biggest factor to consider would be all the fans traveling from countries that are more impacted than we are, such as Italy or Spain. WWE has a tough decision to make, but it will have to be a timely one, because something will have to be made official soon. I’m predicting an official statement on WrestleMania’s fate will be released some time this week.
What is your opinion on what is currently going on with the coronavirus? How do you believe WWE should handle the situation?
