WWE ThunderDome
WWE ThunderDome | |
---|---|
Type | Bio-secure bubble |
Location | Various (see venues and events) |
Owner | WWE |
Established | August 21, 2020 |
Closed | July 12, 2021 |
Current status | Closed |
Website | wwethunderdome |
The WWE ThunderDome was a
In its 11-month usage, the ThunderDome was hosted at three arenas, all in
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, the award for "Best Tech Innovation During the COVID-19 Pandemic" at the 2021 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards, and the award for "New Product or Launch" at the 2021 Cablefax FAXIES Awards. A similar setup called the
History
At the onset of the
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.
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.[14] 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.[15][16] WWE taped the April 5 and 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.[17] WWE remained at the Yuengling Center until July 9, as the company announced that they would be returning to live touring, starting with the July 16 episode of SmackDown in Houston, Texas, thus ending production of the ThunderDome broadcasts. The final ThunderDome show produced live was the July 9 episode of SmackDown with the final ThunderDome-based broadcast airing as the July 15 episode of Main Event, which was taped on July 6. Additionally, June's Hell in a Cell event was the final PPV held in the ThunderDome, which also made Hell in a Cell the only PPV to be produced twice from the ThunderDome.[18][19][20] The period of time that WWE produced shows from the ThunderDome has been referred to as the "ThunderDome Era".[21][22][23]
On October 4, 2020, at
Staging and production
In creating the ThunderDome, WWE partnered with the full-service fan experience company, "The Famous Group".[30][31] Inside the ThunderDome, drones, lasers, pyro, smoke, and projections were 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 the company was able to "do things production-wise that we could never otherwise do" prior to the ThunderDome. Nearly 1,000 LED boards were installed to allow for rows and rows of virtual fans.[32] Arena audio was also mixed with that of the virtual fans' chants. WWE's Senior Vice President of Event Technical Operations, Duncan Leslie, said they used what he called a "virtual audience mix" where they used fake crowd noise in the telecast and could unmute the virtual fans, but there was a slight delay.[33]
It was free of charge for fans to virtually attend the events, though they had to reserve their virtual seat ahead of time. The night of an event, fans joined during their allocated call time.[34][35] WWE also took measures against fans who violated the terms of service (ToS), such as fans wearing or displaying controversial or offensive material, as well as wearing merchandise of other major professional wrestling promotions. The company immediately removed those violating the ToS from the livestream and banned those individuals from future shows.[36]
Venues and events
Venues
The following are the venues that hosted the WWE ThunderDome.
Arena | Location | Date of Residency |
---|---|---|
Amway Center[37] |
Orlando, Florida | August 21, 2020 – December 7, 2020 |
Tropicana Field[38] | St. Petersburg, Florida | December 11, 2020 – April 2, 2021 |
Yuengling Center[39] | Tampa, Florida | April 12, 2021 – July 9, 2021 |
Events
The following are the events that were 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 (aired August 27, 2020 – December 10, 2020) | |||||
Television special | ||||||
Tribute to the Troops | December 6, 2020 | |||||
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 (aired December 11, 2020 – April 9, 2021) | ||
Raw | December 14, 2020 – March 30, 2021 (aired December 14, 2020 – April 5, 2021) | ||
Main Event | December 14, 2020 – March 29, 2021 (aired December 17, 2020 – April 8, 2021) | ||
Television special | |||
Superstar Spectacle[40][41] | January 22, 2021 (aired January 26, 2021) | ||
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 (aired April 6, 2021) |
Yuengling Center | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Weekly television shows | ||||
Show | Dates | |||
Raw | April 12, 2021 – July 6, 2021 (aired April 12, 2021 – July 12, 2021) | |||
Main Event | April 12, 2021 – July 6, 2021 (aired April 15, 2021 – July 15, 2021) | |||
SmackDown | April 16, 2021 – July 9, 2021 | |||
events
| ||||
Event | Date | |||
WrestleMania Backlash | May 16, 2021 | |||
Hell in a Cell | June 20, 2021 |
Reception
Early reviews of the ThunderDome were largely positive.
In November 2020, WWE
Awards
WWE and The Famous Group also received awards for the WWE ThunderDome as a virtual fan experience as well as for its technological innovation. At the 2020 SPORTEL Awards, the ThunderDome earned top honors in the "Virtual Fan Experience" category.[47] During the 2021 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards, it received the award for "Best Tech Innovation During the COVID-19 Pandemic."[48][49] At the 2021 Cablefax FAXIES Awards, which "recognize excellence in PR and marketing across the industry," the WWE ThunderDome earned the award for "New Product or Launch."[50][51]
Year | Award | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | SPORTEL Awards | Virtual Fan Experience | Won |
2021 | Cynopsis Sports Media Awards | Best Tech Innovation During the COVID-19 Pandemic | Won |
Cablefax FAXIES Awards | New Product or Launch | Won |
See also
- 2020 NBA Bubble, a similar mechanism used by the National Basketball Association
References
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- ^ Casey, Connor (May 25, 2020). "WWE Fans Are Thrilled to See Crowds Back on WWE Raw". ComicBook.com. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
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- ^ Otterson, Joe (August 17, 2020). "WWE to Establish 'ThunderDome' Residency in Orlando's Amway Center". Variety. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
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- PWInsider. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
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- ^ Kreiser, John (April 23, 2017). "Lightning made NHL history at Thunderdome". NHL.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ Staff, WWE.com. "WWE ThunderDome will head to Tampa Bay's Tropicana Field beginning Friday, Dec. 11". WWE. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (November 19, 2020). "WWE ThunderDome Moving To Tropicana Field On December 11". Fightful. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- ^ Fernandes, Steven (December 8, 2020). "First looks at the new ThunderDome set at Tropicana Field". PWInsider. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ "Wrestling Observer Newsletter". F4W. November 23, 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ Williams, Randall (March 24, 2021). "WWE Moves ThunderDome to USF's Yuengling Center". Sportico.com. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "WWE ThunderDome takes over Yuengling Center". WWE. March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ Lee, Joseph (April 1, 2021). "WWE Taping Tomorrow Night's Smackdown Later Today". 411mania. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (May 21, 2021). "WWE to Return to Live Touring in July". Variety. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
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- ^ Brookhouse, Brent (June 20, 2021). "2021 WWE Hell in a Cell live stream, how to watch online, start time, card, matches". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
The event marks the final major show of the WWE ThunderDome era as the promotion prepares to return to touring in front of live fans.
- ^ Is Sheamus the best performer of the WWE ThunderDome era?: WWE The Day Of sneak peek. WWE. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
- ^ Raimondi, Marc; Fiorvanti, Tim (June 20, 2021). "WWE Hell in a Cell results: Bobby Lashley and Bianca Belair retain". ESPN. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
The final WWE pay-per-view of the Thunderdome era was a mixed bag with some great matches,...
- ^ Barrasso, Justin (October 4, 2020). "NXT Unveiling the Capitol Wrestling Center at Sunday's TakeOver 31". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ Powell, Jason (October 4, 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 October 7, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ WWE.com Staff (October 4, 2020). "Capitol Wrestling Center to be unveiled tonight at NXT TakeOver 31". WWE. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ Defelice, Robert (October 4, 2020). "NXT TakeOver 31 To Feature The Debut Of The Capitol Wrestling Center". Fightful. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
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- Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
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