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In the past few weeks, the world has been experiencing a lot of changes. Just a few weeks ago, I remember stating out loud that WrestleMania could never be cancelled or changed in anyway. The event is too large and the changes would cost too much. But here we are. WrestleMania is essentially cancelled for ticket-holders and will be done over two days from the performance center.
In a few months, we’ll likely look back at this time of COVID-19 and vaguely remember why all the changes were enacted. But the one thing that will remain is the uneasy and strange feeling that you get watching a superstar in the ring with empty seats all around them.
No Live Crowd, so what?
The lack of a live crowd has affected a lot of programs. The NBA and NHL has postponed their season. The XFL has as well, but these pale in comparison to the impact that a live crowd has at events like wrestling.
Similar to late night talk shows, the performer feeds off that crowd reaction. WWE has done some different things, but I’d be lying if I said I feel that they’ve done the best they can in this situation. An empty stage area with Stone Cold Steve Austin wanting a “hell yeah,” and then dead silence is just…awkward.
For some, it has been a little better. AEW this past week had a similar set-up, but rather than perform for no one, they performed for their locker room. And I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but whereas with Raw and Smackdown, I was wholly aware that the crowd was absent, with AEW, I would forget for minutes at a time that the event was live because of the feel of it. And like it or not, watch or not, this will be our reality for the next few weeks at least.
WrestleMania 36 – Epic for a different reason
In less than 2 weeks time, we will see the crowd-less WrestleMania product. It will be memorable, and hopefully for good reasons, but we also have to consider the sadder side. Drew McIntyre has been on a tear recently, and now, he’ll have to go for his first World Championship title in front of no one. They cannot pull old footage for WrestleMania as they have with recent live shows, so it is uncertain how long the shows will be (remember, they are splitting it into two days this year). The thing I’m most excited for this WrestleMania season? To get beyond it so we can get back to the way life used to be and to quell the fear that recent events have put into our lives.
Wrestling is our sanctuary, but the product right now just reminds us how far we are away from that world.
