RUMOR: WWE Running Events With Virtual, Interactive Fans

It’s the best that they can do. The Coronavirus has caused a lot of changes to the wrestling world with possibly the biggest being the lack of fans in the arenas. That is the kind of thing that you can’t plan for and really does change the way the wrestling shows feel. Other sports have had the same issue, but there is a unique solution that we might be seeing soon.

Fans in wrestling serve more purposes than just sitting in the stands and cheering. They can also show wrestlers what they like and don’t like, as you can see what is working for the fans who want to watch the show. WWE has been missing that kind of feedback as all they have at the moment is their NXT wrestlers serving as an audience. Soon though, we might be getting something else.

According to the WrestleVotes Twitter account, WWE will include a virtual audience for its upcoming television shows starting with next week’s SmackDown. WWE’s television will be moving to the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida and the arena will feature over 2,500 square feet of LED boards, which will show fans watching the shows from home. In addition, Ryan Satin reports that the wrestlers will be able to hear the audience and interact with them in some way.

As part of WWE’s new long term residency at the Amway Center, a new interactive experience will be introduced with over 2500 sq ft of LED boards, where fans will appear LIVE on the show, hosted by Superstars & Legends. Applications to appear on screen will open next week.

— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) August 14, 2020

I’ve heard the wrestlers in the ring will likely be able to hear audio from the virtual crowd as well, which means there might be actual audience interaction again to a certain degree. https://t.co/OTvoR5blkJ

— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) August 14, 2020

This is important stuff. Check out some great crowd reactions:

Opinion: I’m going to want to see how this works but having anything, even a virtual group of fans, is better than nothing. Sitting in the empty arena is such a weird feeling and hopefully they can have something that works better. WWE has been missing fans in a big way and while this is far from perfect, it might help the wrestlers by letting them know what is working or not.

What do you think of the idea? How do you see it going? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books. Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for “GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES” to sign up. Thank you for reading!