Report: WWE ThunderDome’s Next Location Selected

Even though WWE is attempting to draw massive live crowds for WrestleMania 37 next month, the company has openly stated it won’t start touring again until the second half of 2021. That means pay-per-views, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown will be staying inside the WWE ThunderDome for a bit longer. The concept was first introduced back in August inside Orlando’s Amway Center, then was moved to Tampa’s Tropicana Field in October due to the start of the NBA and ECHL seasons. WWE will face a similar problem when the Tampa Bay Rays, who play inside “The Trop,” have their home opener against the New York Yankees on April 9.

Spectrum Sports 360 reporter Jon Alba released a new report on Monday, indicating the ThunderDome setup will be moved to the University of South Florida’s Yuengling Center (fka the Sun Dome) for the next relocation. An exact moving date has not been disclosed.

“The expectation among multiple people I have spoken to in #WWE is they will remain in the Tampa area after the Tropicana Field ThunderDome ends ahead of the #Rays season,” Alba wrote in a series of tweets. “They all believe they are headed to #USF’s Yuengling Center (fka the Sun Dome) for at least a period of time. I requested comment from both #WWE and arena management but have not heard from either as of this time. It’s unclear if it would be a long-term residency or what the setup would be. But multiple people said travel is booked through Tampa going forward for the immediate future.

“The Yuengling Center is on the University of South Florida campus and hosts several of the school’s teams (Omos used to play basketball there),” he continued. “A few days ago a #USF said they wouldn’t be surprised to see the move happen and believed the schedule was open. I do not know the status of fans present, or if it would be the ThunderDome setup. The Yuengling Center is smaller than Amway Center or Tropicana Field, capacity is about 10,400.”