WWE ThunderDome

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 is being used while the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is going on as a way for professional wrestling fans to attend WWE events virtually. It functions 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. During the first three months, there were over 130,000 entry requests to access the ThunderDome website.[1]

The WWE ThunderDome logo

Thus far, the ThunderDome has been hosted at two arenas, both 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. (Coincidentally, Tropicana Field also used to be called the ThunderDome when it was the home arena of the Tampa Bay Lightning from 1993–96.[2]) A similar setup called the Capitol Wrestling Center was launched for WWE's NXT brand in October 2020.

History
The WWE ThunderDome arena setup during the August 24, 2020 broadcast of Monday Night Raw at the Amway Center; the rows and rows of LED boards around the ring depict the fans who were attending the event virtually. These screens, as well as the strips of LED screens above the ring, are also used to further enhance wrestlers' entrances, among other effects. This arena setup is the same at Tropicana Field.

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;[3] in late May, the promotion began using Performance Center trainees to serve as the live audience,[4] which was further expanded to friends and family members of the wrestlers in mid-June.[5] 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).[6] 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.[7][8]

In creating the ThunderDome, WWE partnered with the full-service fan experience company The Famous Group.[9][10] 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.[11][12][13]

The rules that participants of WWE ThunderDome must follow when joining an event

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.[14] On October 12, PWInsider reported that the contract had been extended,[15] with Fightful revealing the amended contract's expiration date as November 24.[16] 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. 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.[17][18] Due to the length of time required to move the ThunderDome to Tropicana Field, the Amway Center gave WWE a two-week residency extension. The final ThunderDome show produced from the Amway Center was the December 7 episode of Raw.[19] The promotion did not announce the length of their residency at Tropicana Field, but are expected to leave at some point in March 2021 in order to allow preparations for the Tampa Bay Rays' 2021 season.[20]

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.[21] 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.[22] The name is also an homage to WWE's predecessor, the Capitol Wrestling Corporation. 205 Live's shows were also moved to the Performance Center following TakeOver 31.[23][24]

Venues and events

Venues

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

ArenaLocationDate of Use
Amway CenterOrlando, FloridaAugust 21, 2020 – December 7, 2020
Tropicana FieldSt. Petersburg, FloridaDecember 11, 2020 – present

Events

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

Amway Center
Weekly television shows
ShowDates
SmackDownAugust 21, 2020 – December 4, 2020
205 LiveAugust 21, 2020 – October 2, 2020
RawAugust 24, 2020 – December 7, 2020
Main Event1August 24, 2020 – December 7, 2020
(aired August 27, 2020 – December 10, 2020)
Television special
Tribute to the TroopsDecember 6, 2020
Pay-per-view and WWE Network events
EventDate
SummerSlamAugust 23, 2020
PaybackAugust 30, 2020
Clash of ChampionsSeptember 27, 2020
Hell in a CellOctober 25, 2020
Survivor SeriesNovember 22, 2020
Tropicana Field
Weekly television shows
ShowDates
SmackDownDecember 11, 2020 – present
RawDecember 14, 2020 – present
Main Event1December 14, 2020 – present
(began airing December 17, 2020)
Television special
Superstar Spectacle[25][26]January 22, 2021
(aired January 26, 2021)
Pay-per-view and WWE Network events
EventDate
TLC: Tables, Ladders & ChairsDecember 20, 2020
Royal RumbleJanuary 31, 2021
Elimination ChamberFebruary 21, 2021
FastlaneMarch 21, 2021

1Main Event is recorded the same day as Monday's Raw but airs on tape delay on Thursdays.

References
  1. Dawson, Alan (30 September 2020). "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". Business Insider. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  2. Kreiser, John (23 April 2017). "Lightning made NHL history at Thunderdome". NHL.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  3. Johnson, Mike (March 21, 2020). "WWE TAPING UPDATES". PWInsider. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  4. Casey, Connor (May 25, 2020). "WWE Fans Are Thrilled to See Crowds Back on WWE Raw". ComicBook.com. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  5. Oestriecher, Blake (June 17, 2020). "WWE Live Events With Fans Could Reportedly Return Very Soon". Forbes. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  6. Fiorvanti, Tim (17 August 2020). "WWE to host shows in Orlando with virtual fans". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  7. Barrasso, Justin. "WWE Turning Orlando's Amway Center into 'WWE ThunderDome'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  8. Otterson, Joe (2020-08-17). "WWE to Establish 'ThunderDome' Residency in Orlando's Amway Center". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  9. "WWE® Brings the Thunder". Business Wire. 17 August 2020. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  10. Dawson, Alan (30 September 2020). "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". Business Insider. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  11. "WWE ThunderDome Frequently Asked Questions". WWE.com. 20 August 2020. Archived from the original on 1 September 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  12. "WWE introducing new state-of-the-art viewing experience with WWE ThunderDome". WWE. August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  13. Lambert, Jeremy (August 17, 2020). "WWE Announces ThunderDome Arena; Enhanced Fan Experience, Residency At Amway Center; First Look Video Shown". Fightful. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  14. Nason, Josh (August 25, 2020). "WWE/AMWAY CENTER CONTRACT REVEALS SEPTEMBER 27TH PPV DATE". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  15. Johnson, Mike (October 12, 2020). "FUTURE OF THE WWE THUNDERDOME REVEALED". PWInsider. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  16. Lambert, Jeremy (October 26, 2020). "WWE Contract With Amway Center Runs Through November 24". Fightful. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  17. Staff, WWE.com. "WWE ThunderDome will head to Tampa Bay's Tropicana Field beginning Friday, Dec. 11". WWE. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  18. Lambert, Jeremy (November 19, 2020). "WWE ThunderDome Moving To Tropicana Field On December 11". Fightful. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  19. Fernandes, Steven (8 December 2020). "First looks at the new ThunderDome set at Tropicana Field". PWInsider. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  20. "Wrestling Observer Newsletter". F4W. 2020-11-23.(subscription required)
  21. Barrasso, Justin (4 October 2020). "NXT Unveiling the Capitol Wrestling Center at Sunday's TakeOver 31". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  22. Powell, Jason (4 October 2020). "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". Prowrestling.net. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  23. WWE.com Staff (October 4, 2020). "Capitol Wrestling Center to be unveiled tonight at NXT TakeOver 31". WWE. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  24. Defelice, Robert (October 4, 2020). "NXT TakeOver 31 To Feature The Debut Of The Capitol Wrestling Center". Fightful. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  25. "WWE Superstar Spectacle - Special event for Indian audience on Republic Day". The Hindustan Times. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  26. Staff, WWE.com (13 January 2021). "WWE and Sony Pictures Network India announce WWE Superstar Spectacle". WWE.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
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