With mass gatherings quickly becoming heavily discouraged by government officials, it seems practically every big event planned for this year has had to shut its doors in the wake of the coronavirus. From major staples like E3 and Coachella to major film screenings such as James Bond: No Time to Die and F9, it seems as though the entertainment world is taking necessary precautions to ensure the safety of both consumers and employees.
One big event that seemed adamant that it wasn't going to close up shop in wake of the global pandemic was Wrestlemania; WWE's biggest pay-per-view of the year and perhaps the most popular event of the entire professional wrestling calendar. Until recently, WWE had claimed that the show would still go on regardless of the increasing spread of the coronavirus. However, it appears the company has significantly shifted its attitude.
Announced via the WWE website, it appears that the live version of Wrestlemania taking place in Tampa has finally been canceled. Yet, in an incredibly surprising move, the show will still air on April 5, 2020. As many who watched SmackDown Live last Friday will know, WWE has opted to record many of its shows in the Performance Centre in Orlando, Florida. However, these events jarringly have no audience in attendance. It appears WWE will be doing the same with Wrestlemania, with the biggest pay-per-view of the year taking place in the performance center rather than Tampa, thus removing the chance of the coronavirus spreading.
The statement itself reads: "In coordination with local partners and government officials, WrestleMania and all related events in Tampa Bay will not take place." It continues, "However, WrestleMania will still stream live on Sunday, April 5 at 7 pm ET on WWE Network and be available on pay-per-view. Only essential personnel will be on the closed set at WWE’s training facility in Orlando, Florida to produce WrestleMania.” This is no doubt an incredibly brave move from WWE but one that will no doubt be appreciated by the show's biggest fans, especially as it will likely bring a lot of joy to the thousands of viewers who will likely be stuck at home during self-quarantine when it airs.
For those who haven't been keeping up with the road to Wrestlemania this year, the show looks to have a number of brilliant matches including a ton of huge names. Brock Lesnar will square up with Drew Mcintyre at the event, while returning legend Edge will wrestle Randy Orton, Shayna Bayzler will attempt to take Becky Lynch's title, The Undertaker will go one on one with AJ Styles, and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt will look to defeat John Cena. It will likely be a majorly different Wrestlemania without an audience in attendance, but it's great to see WWE looking to bring fans some solid entertainment during such worrying times.
Wrestlemania will stream live on the WWE Network on April 5, 2020.