WrestleMania Cancellation Update: Tampa Officials Will Pull Plug if WWE Refuses to Cancel

03/14/2020 10:38 am EDT

Despite the growing concerns regarding the spread of the disease known as COVID-19, WWE has yet to cancel it's upcoming show WrestleMania 36, which is set to take place in Tampa Bay on April 5th. The reason why is unknown at this time, though there are plenty of theories, but soon it might not be up to Vince McMahon. Hillsborough Commissioner Les Miller recently spoke to Fox 13 News, and from his comments, it would appear that if WWE doesn't cancel the live event soon, Tampa is pretty much going to do it for them. Now, that doesn't mean that WrestleMania can't still go on in some capacity mind you, it just means that it won't be taking place in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium (via The Sportster).

"I'm hoping that Vince McMahon and WrestleMania and WWE make the call themselves, but a week from now, if they've not done that and we're still in the situation we're in, we'll probably have to pull the plug on that," Miller said.

Miller wasn't the only one to weigh in on the matter, with Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister imploring WWE to put its fans first.

"I commend every sports franchise for erring on the side of caution," Chronister said. "I hope the WWE follows suit. I don't ever want to see people put profit over public safety."

WWE joins the NFL as one of the last major sports entities to not either cancel or postpone their events, though in the NFL's case, the actual season doesn't start till later this year. In WWE's case, their biggest show of the year takes place in just a few weeks, though if you're still going with the NFL comparison, canceling WrestleMania would be like the NFL canceling or postponing the Super Bowl.

The event is expected to bring in over 70,000 fans, and like the Super Bowl it also ends up being an event that other businesses and promotions build their plans around. There are several independent or smaller events that take place on WrestleMania weekend every year, and if WrestleMania is not going to take place those will obviously be in jeopardy as well.

That said, the safety of its employees and all the fans traveling to the city for the event is what is most important, so it seems a matter of when regarding WrestleMania's cancellation.

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