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WWE ThunderDome

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The WWE ThunderDome is the name of WWE's virtual videoconferencing crowd system and arena staging for its broadcasts of television shows and pay-per-views of the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. It was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2020 as a way for professional wrestling fans to attend WWE events virtually. It works by users signing up days before an event, signing in and joining at their allocated call time to be seen on a screen at the event in real time. It is free of charge to spectate an event.

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The WWE ThunderDome logo

Thus far, the ThunderDome has been hosted at three arenas, all in Florida, United States. Its first residency was at the Amway Center in Orlando from August 21–December 7, 2020. Due to the start of the 2020–21 ECHL and NBA seasons, WWE relocated the ThunderDome to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, which began on December 11. Due to the start of the 2021 Tampa Bay Rays season, the ThunderDome was then relocated to the Yuengling Center on the campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa, which began on April 12, 2021.

During the first three months, there were over 130,000 entry requests to access the ThunderDome website, with over 650,000 by March 2021. The WWE ThunderDome earned the Virtual Fan Experience award at the 2020 SPORTEL Awards. A similar setup called the Capitol Wrestling Center was launched for WWE's NXT brand in October 2020.

History

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The original WWE ThunderDome arena setup that was used at both the Amway Center and Tropicana Field; the setup at Yuengling Center is tighter with the LED screens closer to the ring with additional ones placed on the left side of the entrance stage

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March 2020, the American professional wrestling promotion WWE moved the majority of its programming for their Raw and SmackDown brands to their WWE Performance Center training facility in Orlando, Florida with no fans in attendance;[1] in late May, the promotion began using Performance Center trainees to serve as the live audience,[2] which was further expanded to friends and family members of the wrestlers in mid-June.[3] On August 17, 2020, WWE announced that they would be relocating to Orlando's Amway Center, where their episodes of Monday Night Raw (and sub-show Main Event), Friday Night SmackDown, 205 Live, and pay-per-view events would be broadcast for a long-term period, beginning with the August 21 episode of SmackDown. As with the broadcasts from the Performance Center, these programs are produced behind closed doors but with no in-person spectators. They also feature a larger-scale in-arena production, billed as the WWE ThunderDome, with screens surrounding the ring displaying virtual spectators via videoconferencing (similar to the nearby NBA bubble).[4] While the August 21 episode of SmackDown was their first television episode produced in this manner, SummerSlam just two days later was their first pay-per-view to be broadcast from the ThunderDome.[5][6]

In creating the ThunderDome, WWE partnered with the full-service fan experience company The Famous Group.[7][8] Inside the ThunderDome, drones, lasers, pyro, smoke, and projections are utilized to enhance the wrestlers' entrances on a level similar to that of pay-per-view productions pre-pandemic. WWE Executive Vice President of Television Production Kevin Dunn further noted that "We can now do things production-wise that we could never otherwise do." Nearly 1,000 LED boards were installed to allow for rows and rows of virtual fans. Arena audio is also mixed with that of the virtual fans so that chants from the fans can be heard. It is free of charge for fans to virtually attend the events, though they must reserve their virtual seat ahead of time. The night of an event, fans join during their allocated call time.[9][10][11]

WWE's initial residency agreement with the Amway Center expired on October 31, but with the option to extend the contract with a two weeks notice.[12] The contract was extended to November 24.[13][14] On November 19, WWE announced that the ThunderDome would remain in Florida, but would be relocated to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, beginning with the December 11 episode of SmackDown. (Coincidentally, Tropicana Field also used to be called the ThunderDome when it was the home arena of the Tampa Bay Lightning from 1993–96.[15]) This move was also done due to the start of the 2020–21 ECHL and NBA seasons as the Amway Center is the shared home of the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL) and the Orlando Magic (NBA), with WWE delays leading to the Solar Bears to play their first three weekends of the season on the road.[16][17] The final ThunderDome show produced from the Amway Center was the December 7 episode of Raw.[18] The promotion did not announce the length of their residency at Tropicana Field, but it was expected that they would eventually have to leave around March due to the start of the 2021 Tampa Bay Rays season.[19] On March 24, WWE announced that they would relocate to the Yuengling Center, located on the campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa, beginning with the post-WrestleMania 37 episode of Raw on April 12.[20][21] WWE taped the April 5 and April 9 episodes of Raw and SmackDown, respectively, as well as the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, the week prior to allow time to move the ThunderDome from Tropicana Field to Yuengling Center before the April 12 broadcast. The April 9 episode of SmackDown, which was taped on April 2, was the final show produced at Tropicana Field.[22]

On October 4, 2020 at NXT TakeOver 31, WWE debuted a similar setup dubbed the Capitol Wrestling Center for their NXT brand's events—since mid-March, NXT's shows were held behind closed doors at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The Capitol Wrestling Center is hosted at the WWE Performance Center and has many of the same features as the ThunderDome.[23] The main difference is that the Capitol Wrestling Center includes a small crowd of select live fans, who are required to wear masks and are divided by plexiglass walls, in addition to the virtual fans.[24] The name is also an homage to WWE's predecessor, the Capitol Wrestling Corporation. 205 LivePflichtangabe Text für Zitat im Zitat fehlts shows were also moved to the Performance Center following TakeOver 31.[25][26]

Venues and events

Venues

The following are the venues that have hosted the WWE ThunderDome.

Arena Location Date of Use
Amway Center[27] Orlando, Florida August 21, 2020 – December 7, 2020
Tropicana Field[28] St. Petersburg, Florida December 11, 2020 – April 2, 2021
Yuengling Center[29] Tampa, Florida April 12, 2021 – present

Events

The following are the events that have been held at each venue.

Amway Center
Weekly television shows
Show Dates
SmackDown August 21, 2020 – December 4, 2020
205 Live August 21, 2020 – October 2, 2020
Raw August 24, 2020 – December 7, 2020
Main Event August 24, 2020 – December 7, 2020
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Television special
Tribute to the Troops December 6, 2020
Pay-per-view and WWE Network events
Event Date
SummerSlam August 23, 2020
Payback August 30, 2020
Clash of Champions September 27, 2020
Hell in a Cell October 25, 2020
Survivor Series November 22, 2020
Tropicana Field
Weekly television shows
Show Dates
SmackDown December 11, 2020 – April 2, 2021
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Raw December 14, 2020 – March 30, 2021
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Main Event December 14, 2020 – March 29, 2021
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Television special
Superstar Spectacle[30][31] January 22, 2021
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Pay-per-view and WWE Network events
Event Date
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs December 20, 2020
Royal Rumble January 31, 2021
Elimination Chamber February 21, 2021
Fastlane March 21, 2021
WWE Hall of Fame March 30 and April 1, 2021
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Yuengling Center
Weekly television shows
Show Dates
Raw April 12, 2021 – present
Main Event April 12, 2021 – present
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SmackDown April 16, 2021 – present
Event Date
WrestleMania Backlash May 16, 2021
Money in the Bank June 20, 2021

Reception

Early reviews of the ThunderDome were largely positive. Pro Wrestling Torch ran a poll on their website, and over 50% of respondents indicated that the ThunderDome was "way better" than the shows produced at the WWE Performance Center, while 23% said it was "a little better." Two-thirds of the respondents also said the ThunderDome exceeded their expectations. Nearly half of the respondents said they were more likely to watch WWE's programming due to the ThunderDome setup.[32] In an early review by John Clark of Wrestle Zone, he said the experience of attending as a virtual fan was "cool" but "forgettable."[33] In November 2020, WWE's Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon said that while ratings dropped during their time at the Performance Center, ratings did increase with the ThunderDome, though the exact numbers were not revealed. She did note that each ThunderDome show has had 1,000 virtual fans in attendance and that there had been over 100,000 entry requests since launch.[34]

During the first three months, there were over 130,000 entry requests to access the ThunderDome website.[35] By March 2021, there had been over 650,000 entry requests.[21] At the 2020 SPORTEL Awards, the WWE ThunderDome earned top honors in the Virtual Fan Experience category.[36]

References

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  1. ↑ Mike Johnson: WWE TAPING UPDATES. PWInsider, 21. März 2020, abgerufen am 22. März 2020.
  2. ↑ Connor Casey: WWE Fans Are Thrilled to See Crowds Back on WWE Raw. In: ComicBook.com. 25. Mai 2020, abgerufen am 29. Mai 2020.
  3. ↑ Blake Oestriecher: WWE Live Events With Fans Could Reportedly Return Very Soon. In: Forbes. 17. Juni 2020, abgerufen am 11. Januar 2021.
  4. ↑ Tim Fiorvanti: WWE to host shows in Orlando with virtual fans (Memento des Originals vom 22 August 2020 im Internet Archive) In: ESPN.com, 17 August 2020. Abgerufen im 16 January 2021 
  5. ↑ Justin Barrasso: WWE Turning Orlando’s Amway Center into ‘WWE ThunderDome’. In: Sports Illustrated. Abgerufen am 17. August 2020 (amerikanisches Englisch).
  6. ↑ Joe Otterson: WWE to Establish ‘ThunderDome’ Residency in Orlando’s Amway Center. In: Variety. 17. August 2020, abgerufen am 17. August 2020 (englisch).
  7. ↑ WWE® Brings the Thunder. In: Business Wire. 17. August 2020, archiviert vom Original am 16. Januar 2021; abgerufen am 16. Januar 2021.
  8. ↑ Alan Dawson: The inside story of the WWE ThunderDome, a futuristic arena built for the pandemic, which has had 130,000 total entry requests from fans since August In: Business Insider, 30 September 2020. Abgerufen im 16 January 2021 
  9. ↑ WWE ThunderDome Frequently Asked Questions (Memento des Originals vom 1 September 2020 im Internet Archive) In: WWE.com, 20 August 2020. Abgerufen im 16 January 2021 
  10. ↑ WWE introducing new state-of-the-art viewing experience with WWE ThunderDome. In: WWE. 17. August 2020, abgerufen am 17. August 2020.
  11. ↑ Jeremy Lambert: WWE Announces ThunderDome Arena; Enhanced Fan Experience, Residency At Amway Center; First Look Video Shown. In: Fightful. 17. August 2020, abgerufen am 17. August 2020.
  12. ↑ Josh Nason: WWE/AMWAY CENTER CONTRACT REVEALS SEPTEMBER 27TH PPV DATE. In: Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. 25. August 2020, abgerufen am 13. September 2020.
  13. ↑ Mike Johnson: FUTURE OF THE WWE THUNDERDOME REVEALED. In: PWInsider. 12. Oktober 2020, abgerufen am 14. Oktober 2020.
  14. ↑ Jeremy Lambert: WWE Contract With Amway Center Runs Through November 24. In: Fightful. 26. Oktober 2020, abgerufen am 27. Oktober 2020.
  15. ↑ John Kreiser: Lightning made NHL history at Thunderdome (Memento des Originals vom 20 December 2019 im Internet Archive) In: NHL.com, 23 April 2017. Abgerufen im 16 January 2021 
  16. ↑ WWE.com Staff: WWE ThunderDome will head to Tampa Bay's Tropicana Field beginning Friday, Dec. 11. In: WWE. Abgerufen am 19. November 2020.
  17. ↑ Jeremy Lambert: WWE ThunderDome Moving To Tropicana Field On December 11. In: Fightful. 19. November 2020, abgerufen am 19. November 2020.
  18. ↑ Steven Fernandes: First looks at the new ThunderDome set at Tropicana Field In: PWInsider, December 8, 2020. Abgerufen im January 16, 2021 
  19. ↑ Wrestling Observer Newsletter. In: F4W. 23. November 2020;.Vorlage:Subscription required
  20. ↑ Randall Williams: WWE Moves ThunderDome to USF’s Yuengling Center. In: Sportico.com. 24. März 2021, abgerufen am 24. März 2021 (amerikanisches Englisch).
  21. ↑ a b WWE ThunderDome takes over Yuengling Center. In: WWE. 24. März 2021, abgerufen am 24. März 2021.
  22. ↑ Joseph Lee: WWE Taping Tomorrow Night's Smackdown Later Today. In: 411mania. 1. April 2021, abgerufen am 3. April 2021.
  23. ↑ Justin Barrasso: NXT Unveiling the Capitol Wrestling Center at Sunday’s TakeOver 31 In: Sports Illustrated, October 4, 2020. Abgerufen im January 16, 2021 
  24. ↑ Jason Powell: NXT to unveil "Capitol Wrestling Center" set tonight, Paul Levesque says virtual fans and some friends and family will be in attendance at NXT Takeover 31 (Memento des Originals vom 7 October 2020 im Internet Archive) In: Prowrestling.net, 4 October 2020. Abgerufen im 16 January 2021 
  25. ↑ WWE.com Staff: Capitol Wrestling Center to be unveiled tonight at NXT TakeOver 31. In: WWE. 4. Oktober 2020, abgerufen am 4. Oktober 2020.
  26. ↑ Robert Defelice: NXT TakeOver 31 To Feature The Debut Of The Capitol Wrestling Center. In: Fightful. 4. Oktober 2020, abgerufen am 4. Oktober 2020.
  27. ↑ WWE® Brings The Thunder (Memento des Originals vom 24 March 2021 im Internet Archive) In: WWE, 17 August 2020. Abgerufen im 28 March 2021 
  28. ↑ WWE® ThunderDome™ Takes Over Tropicana Field (Memento des Originals vom 19 November 2020) In: WWE, 19 November 2020. Abgerufen im 24 March 2021 
  29. ↑ WWE® ThunderDome™ Takes Over Yuengling Center (Memento des Originals vom 24 March 2021 im Internet Archive) In: WWE, 24 March 2021 
  30. ↑ WWE Superstar Spectacle - Special event for Indian audience on Republic Day In: The Hindustan Times, January 15, 2021. Abgerufen im January 16, 2021 (englisch). 
  31. ↑ WWE.com Staff: WWE and Sony Pictures Network India announce WWE Superstar Spectacle (Memento des Originals vom January 16, 2021 im Internet Archive) In: WWE.com, January 13, 2021. Abgerufen im January 16, 2021 (englisch). 
  32. ↑ Keller, Wade: Early reviews for WWE Thunderdome largely positive, indications it could help viewership compared to P.C. setting. In: Pro Wrestling Torch. 22. August 2020, abgerufen am 24. März 2021.
  33. ↑ John Clark: WWE ThunderDome Review: A Cool But Forgettable Experience. In: Wrestle Zone. 23. August 2020, abgerufen am 24. März 2021.
  34. ↑ Sai Mohan: Stephanie McMahon On ThunderDome Boosting TV Ratings, Challenges Faced By WWE Due To COVID-19. In: Wrestling Inc. 27. November 2020, abgerufen am 19. April 2021.
  35. ↑ Alan Dawson: The inside story of the WWE ThunderDome, a futuristic arena built for the pandemic, which has had 130,000 total entry requests from fans since August In: Business Insider, 30 September 2020. Abgerufen im 16 January 2021 
  36. ↑ Blake Lovell: WWE ThunderDome Earns Award For Virtual Fan Experience. In: 411mania. 30. Oktober 2020, abgerufen am 24. März 2021.
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