Future WWE events including WrestleMania 36 could be taking place in the Performance Center for the foreseeable future as the organization determines its plan for operations amid the spread of coronavirus. Preventative measures for COVID-19 has already caused the suspension of the entire NBA season while events such as CinemaCon and E3 have been outright cancelled; now the WWE is taking measures and has reportedly decided to move this week’s WWE SmackDown to the Performance Center in Orlando. This week’s event was scheduled to take place at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, and it is unclear at this point if the WWE will reschedule for the future.
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The report that WWE SmackDown is moving to the Performance Center comes from PWInsider [via Fightful], which also states that future events are being considered to take place in the space as well.
UPDATE: Ryan Satin of WWE Backstage has reported SmackDown has not been cancelled in Detroit, and that the WWE will reveal a statement shortly.
Up until now, WWE was committed to WrestleMania 36 being hosted at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, though those plans appear to be changing as of now.
“The health and safety of our fans, performers and employees are our top priorities and we are monitoring the situation closely with our partners and government officials in Tampa Bay,” WWE’s statement at the time read. “We remain committed to hosting WrestleMania at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, April 5, and like other entertainment properties in the U.S., there are currently no plans to cancel or postpone our upcoming events.”
Earlier today, the City of Tampa’s official Twitter account asserted this notion, indicating that there were no plans to postpone, move, or cancel the event.
“Hello, at this time [WrestleMania] is still planned to proceed on schedule. Please contact the [WWE] with questions about cancellations. The City is currently monitoring the spread of coronavirus and will work with venues as needed,” the statement read.
WWE has yet to issue a statement or confirm the move to the Performance Center.
The latest episode of WWE NXT took place at the Performance Center, though this was not due to coronavirus concerns; there was a schedule conflict at their usual home of Full Sail Live.
Check out the official card for WrestleMania 36 (so far) below.
- WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre
- WWE Universal Championship: Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns
- John Cena vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
- Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler
- NXT Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
- The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles
