COVID-19: Wrestling during a pandemic

Mar 20, 2020 | Sports

Empty arena during Friday Night Smackdown. (WWE)
Sean Marco

As the sports world has come to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still one professional sport being aired and played – wrestling. 

The WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and AEW (All Elite Wrestling) have not stopped any televised events but instead have been wrestling without an audience. 

WrestleMania 36 is about two weeks away and was previously set in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ stadium that holds almost 66 000 fans. 

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, WWE has decided to move the event to a training facility in Orlando, Florida. 

The biggest wrestling event of the year will still go on as planned but again, with no fans and at a smaller venue. 

The event will only be televised as a two-night pay-per-view event, something the WWE has never done, the stream will start on April 4 at 7 pm and resume again on April 5 at 7 pm.

“Only essential personnel will be on the closed set during the production of WrestleMania,” announced by the WWE in a press release. 

Moving the event to two nights instead of one, allows WWE to limit the number of people in the space. 

This is to help prevent the spread and limit as much interaction as possible. 

Roman Reigns has returned to the ring but is closely monitored for COVID-19. (WWE)

One wrestling superstar doctors are closely monitoring, is the former Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. 

Reigns has recently beat leukemia and is back in the wrestling world but his weakened immune system makes him an easy target for COVID-19. 

Dave Meltzer, a WWE journalist, told Wrestling Observer Radio “They have doctors who are going to monitor Roman Reigns, but he’s got a weakened immune system to a degree because of the CML leukemia is in him for life.” 

As of late, professional wrestling is the only thing sports fans can watch to enjoy hilarious moments.

Steve Austin declares Pi day and plays to the crowd but no one is there.

Jeff Hardy vs. King Corbin with no crowd:

You might be wondering what happens during a commercial break when there isn’t a crowd in attendance. The link below shows the wrestlers stop wrestling and are prompted by the crew to get into place. 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/11178050/wwe-smackdown-video-stop-wrestling-commercial-breaks-coronavirus/