WWE announced earlier this week that it would be bringing live fans back to its programming thanks to a new setup known as WWE ThunderDome. Throughout WWE’s 60-day residency inside the Amway Center in downtown Orlando, fans will be able to appear on the shows virtually via a massive LED board setup, similar to what other live sports have been doing with their broadcasts. On Tuesday night WWE followed up by releasing the rules for participating in the ThunderDome.
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The setup will debut with this week’s Friday Night SmackDown and continue for all episodes of both Raw and SmackDown as well as the upcoming SummerSlam and Payback pay-per-views.
The rules are as follows:
- No sharing or forwarding links
- No one else in the household can be using the internet for streaming during the broadcast
- Be respectful at all times
- No Smoking
- Appearing intoxicated will result in the feed’s termination
- No political statements
- No obscene gestures
- No cursing
- No promoting a third-party brand
- Proper attire must be worn at all times
- No logos or graphics in the background
The full rules, as well as the sign-up for events, can be found here.
WWE released its initial schedule for the ThunderDome during its initial press release:
- Friday, August 21 – Friday Night SmackDown®, Amway Center, 8 pm ET on FOX
- Saturday, August 22 – NXT TakeOver® XXX, Full Sail Live, 7 pm ET on WWE Network
- Sunday, August 23 – SummerSlam, Amway Center, 7 pm ET on WWE Network
- Monday, August 24 – Monday Night Raw®, Amway Center, 8 pm ET on USA Network
- Wednesday, August 26 – NXT®, Full Sail Live, 8 pm ET on USA Network
- Friday, August 28 – Friday Night SmackDown, Amway Center, 8 pm ET on FOX
- Sunday, August 30 – Payback®, Amway Center, 7 pm ET on WWE Network
- Monday, August 31 – Monday Night Raw, Amway Center, 8 pm ET on USA Network
In a rare interview, Kevin Dunn explained WWE’s decision to shake up its production after spending months inside the WWE Performance Center.
“When people think of WWE, most think of the spectacle that we are, but it was just impossible to put on a spectacle in the Performance Center,” Dunn told Sports Illustrated. “Moving to Amway, and unveiling the ThunderDome, the opportunities are limitless.We can now do things production-wise that we could never otherwise do. We’re flying drones in the arena, we are putting a roof inside the Amway Center, and we’ll be able to project content onto the roof. So when a big star like Drew McIntyre comes down to the ring, the whole arena will turn into his content with lasers, pyro, smoke, projections on the top of the building and on the floor. It will be a big, beautiful entrance, better than WrestleMania.
“We’re grateful and so appreciate the fans are hanging with us. It’s been tough. The shows haven’t been what we’d like them to be, and we’d be dishonest saying anything else,” he added. “We miss our fans. Our fans make our shows. Without them, it’s been really challenging. I can’t wait to see the ThunderDome full of 1,000 people, giving us the energy we need to make this as entertaining as possible. I think people watching and participating are really going to enjoy this, and it’s going to make people say, ‘Wow, WWE, it’s back.’”
