On March 11, 2020, NXT was held at the WWE Performance Center due to scheduling conflicts where Full Sail University was holding its Hall of Fame. Many of us thought “This will be interesting for a week and then, we’ll go back to normal.”
That was the last WWE show that properly (if you can even call it that) took place in front of a live crowd. While there have been people ringside for some tapings here and there, it isn’t exactly the same.
Obviously, the reason why is because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This whole coronavirus ordeal didn’t kick into gear until right after this show and it would go on to change everything in the world, including the professional wrestling business.
Since we’re on that anniversary, let’s look back on the past year and reflect on the good, the bad, the absolutely terrible, the confusion and everything else.
The PC is a Saving Grace
Prior to the pandemic, we had heard WWE was in the process of changing its headquarters to a new multi-million dollar facility. But that was in Stamford. Nothing seemed on the horizon for the actual in-ring product or the Performance Center.
WWE was incredibly lucky to have set up the ring for NXT at the Performance Center on that March 11th show, as soon after, SmackDown and everything else had to move to that facility out of necessity. This wasn’t the alternative to a clip show—it was how WWE would stay in business, essentially.
Had it not been for the Performance Center existing, who knows what condition WWE would be in today? Sure, the company has a mountain of logistical nightmares, creative booking fiascos, terrible decisions left and right, but at least it’s still functioning.
This situation proved that the PC is one of WWE’s most valuable assets and the the worst case scenario backup plan ready to hold down the fort (as it is a fort) for the company.
Not Good Enough
But it was clear from the start that the Performance Center just would not do. It was much better than nothing, as the PC is not a P.O.S., but the emptiness was such a jarring change for fans.
To be fair, I think that would have happened regardless. In fact, I’d argue starting with the PC allowed WWE to scale upward as time went on, helping fans digest things easier and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Imagine going from the ThunderDome now to the PC again, in comparison to the PC and then what we have now.
WWE quickly realized things would have to change and started work on phase 2. Full Sail University wouldn’t be available forever, either, so WWE had to find homes for that brand, 205 Live, Main Event, Raw and SmackDown as well as pay-per-views. That’s a tough task.
You’ve Been Thunderstruck
After several months, WWE had its answer: the ThunderDome.
With a larger arena, hundreds (if not 1000+) screens placed around the ring and some much better staging, this was a massive update to say the least.
For the better part of this pandemic, the ThunderDome has been WWE’s home for Raw, SmackDown, Main Event and pay-per-views as well as specials like the Superstar Spectacle event.
NXT needed its own home, though, which gave birth to…
Are you a Mac, or a PC? Or a CWC?
The Capitol Wrestling Center is the next evolution of the Performance Center. It serves much of the same purpose, but with some tweaks for a better presentation to the television product.
Frankly, I wasn’t expecting this. I assumed NXT would record out of the ThunderDome, since everything is on a different night, and classes would resume in the Performance Center as per usual. If not that, I figured the Performance Center would revert to the NXT tapings because it was the C-show and didn’t matter as much.
Little did I know WWE would reformat things, put some chain link fencing around the ring, add some ThunderDome screens and rebrand the building with a nod to the company’s past.
It’s not perfect, but I think we can all agree the CWC is also a big step up from the way the Performance Center shows were being filmed earlier in 2020. The amenities inside the training facility itself are still a mystery as that has never been fully fleshed out to begin with, let alone enough information to compare and contrast.
NXT UK
WWE’s content in the United States was set, but what about NXT UK? When the pandemic was declared a true state of emergency, everything across the pond was shut down indefinitely with even less of a plan and less resources available to work with.
I was always incredibly shocked the UK Performance Center never turned into the filming location. WWE had proven with the US building that it could be done and I thought for sure we’d get episodes coming out of the UK PC in no time. Then, months went by without a peep.
Eventually, NXT UK returned, filming out of the BT Sports Studios. This was decked out with a handful of ThunderDome-esque screens, though since all these episodes are filmed in advance, none of the reactions are remotely close to live.
None of it Feels the Same
For all its flaws, WWE has to be commended for its efforts in trying to restore some normalcy for the fans. This has been an undertaking no one in the company planned for or saw coming until it happened. Many other businesses would have simply crumbled, but WWE tried to find solutions.
However, while the ThunderDome is as close as WWE can feasibly get to recreating the previous environment, it simply isn’t the same.
While watching the first night of WrestleMania 36, I found myself so thrown off with the silence that I eventually put looped audio of WWE 2K audience sounds on very low in the background for the Edge vs. Randy Orton match in an attempt to convince myself it was back to normal. It didn’t work.
WWE even did the same thing for a while, using 2K clips. It was obnoxiously loud and hard to listen to. Since then, the sound mixing has gotten much better and feels more authentic, even though we know there isn’t a damn thing real about it. “This is awesome” just sounds strange coming from an arena that is clearly empty.
Cinematic Matches
One of the alternatives to the ThunderDome and piped-in crowd noise approach was to take things in a more “cinematic” direction, filming matches as if they’re more like vignettes.
We’ve seen all sorts of variety here. The Boneyard Match was very serious. The Money in the Bank match was an absolute train wreck of a farce. John Cena and Bray Wyatt had more of a promo together than a match at WrestleMania. The Wyatt Swamp Fight was like a found footage B-movie.
Sometimes, there was a ring, like in Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano, or even the parking lot brawl between Adam Cole and Velveteen Dream. Other times, there was a goddamn dumpster monster and ninjas like The Street Profits and War Raiders had to deal with.
By and large, I’ve hated these. I don’t like the background music, the tendency to go for “goofy” more than legitimate, and I feel more embarrassed watching it than joyful. When one of these happens, I can’t help but think I need to point out that despite me watching this, I’m the type of guy who says 2001: A Space Odyssey is a masterpiece. Things just don’t line up.
Excuses, Excuses
“But the cinematic matches are different! You just hate everything!” Different doesn’t mean good by default. It can be, but it can just as easily not be. The same goes for any kind of change.
However, this pandemic has turned into a crutch for blaming any and all problems within WWE (and AEW, for that matter), if someone wants to defend the companies.
Granted, don’t let it go by unsaid that this situation is insanely difficult and has resulted in massive issues that do legitimately cause problems out of their control. In those circumstances, WWE is well within reason to say “Give us a break. COVID screwed us.” But while you can blame the weather if it rains on the day you wanted to go play softball outside, you can’t say that weather is also why you lost $500 on blackjack playing with the guys inside. You lost that because you sucked at blackjack.
At the start of this pandemic, I was trying to be quite lenient on WWE. I eventually lost all patience for matters that are blamed on the pandemic, but existed far before this was even a thing.
It’s one thing to say an injury or positive COVID test derailed plans and forced you to change a match at the last minute for a pay-per-view. I get it. But if you’re heading into WrestleMania with none of those issues and you just don’t want to sit down and think about a game plan, that would have happened with or without the pandemic. That’s just not doing your job.
AEW has proven that longterm planning can still happen and if need be, feuds can adjust on the fly. Brandi Rhodes’ pregnancy took her out of the match alongside Cody against Jade Cargill and Shaq. It happened on Dynamite instead of at Revolution. But you know what? It still happened, even with those two adjustments. The same can’t be said for a lot of what WWE’s done and you can’t say every single time there’s been a booking problem, it’s been because of the pandemic. Tell that to this Nia Jax vs Lana storyline, the complete lack of focus on Asuka despite her being there nearly every week, and so on.
Mass Releases with Record Profits
Somehow, even with all the problems going on, WWE seems to be failing upward. It’s quite amazing.
Black Wednesday was when WWE fired TONS of employees both on the roster and in other areas. It seemed like a means to keep the company afloat during the pandemic and while it sucked, it was somewhat understandable. Far too many businesses have, unfortunately, folded entirely because of this.
But then, WWE went ahead and reported record profits in subsequent quarters. Clearly, this was a cost-cutting procedure that wasn’t necessary if you’re trying to position yourself as a company that cares about its employees. This was about the bottom line and wanting to mitigate some stock issues by saying “We lowered our expenses, though, so the numbers are better than they could have been.”
Shrewd business tactics like that are simultaneously admirable and deplorable. If all you care about is success and money, it’s worth applauding. For the more humanitarian angle, it’s horrific seeing people lose their livelihoods. I’ve always found it upsetting to hear a company try to justify that employees could become destitute, but an extremely minor upgrade to an already impressive number matters more.
This Peacock deal is an example of WWE finding success despite its flaws. Somehow, even in low ratings with fans turning away from the product and suffering through some terrible creative droughts, the WWE Network will be transitioning to another service that gives WWE more direct funding…even though it’s likely going to be a terrible downgrade to the fans.
So What’s Next?
Nobody knows for sure, but it seems like the collective consciousness within at least the United States is that of “Screw it. I’m over this. I don’t care what happens next. It matters more to me to cover my eyes and ears and ignore the fire than to try to put it out. Whatever happens happens.”
Politics and debates aside, it looks like states have just given up. Cases on the rise or lowering? Day by day, it changes, but the answer most people have is “Don’t care either way. Open up.”
WrestleMania will have fans. Normal live events could start relatively soon, too.
I’d imagine it’s going to take a lot for people to have the self-discipline to quarantine and go under lockdown another time, even if there’s another massive spike (which will probably happen, as people will treat this as if it’s all disappeared entirely). We can only hope the pandemic legitimately does get better and that things are truly on their way back to being normal again.
WWE is going to hold on to “getting back to normal” with all its might. Guaranteed, there will be a fight against any attempts to go back to the ThunderDome or worse.
But at least WWE is better equipped to handle things going forward than it was this time last year, right? That’s one saving grace…if you can call it that.
One Crazy Year
This has been rough. Fans are disillusioned. I’ve worked harder, longer hours for less money this year. Many others have done the same. We’ve all struggled to try to love the thing we love even when it’s been more effort than what it’s worth.
But at least it’s still there, and tomorrow, there’s another episode of SmackDown.
What are your thoughts on this past year? Continue the discussion in the comments below!
