WrestleMania In Jeopardy Over New COVID-19 Protocol

Update: (as of Tuesday March 17, 2020) The event will go on as planned, but has been moved to a WWE training facility. Fans will not be allowed into the event.

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WWE’s WrestleMania is still slated to go on as planned this April, however, new protocols revolving around the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may cause the show to pull the plug.

WrestleMania 36 is slated to take place on April 5 at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. Last week, WWE noted that the company “remain committed to hosting” the event and “are putting contingency plans in place in the event that it is cancelled by government officials, civil authorities and/or local venues.”

“The health and safety of our fans, performers, and employees are our top priorities and we are monitoring the situation closely with our partners and government officials in Tampa Bay,” WWE said in a statement last Thursday.

However, now the event is on the rocks after Hillsborough County commissioner Les Miller said he “probably” would have to make the call to cancel the event if WWE doesn’t make the decision itself, the commissioner told Fox 13.

“I’m hoping that Vince McMahon and WrestleMania and WWE make the call themselves, but a week from now, if they’ve not done that and we’re still in the situation we’re in, we’ll probably have to pull the plug on that,” Miller said.

Miller’s statement followed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ rule that all cities and counties should cancel mass gatherings over the next 30 days to limit the spread of the virus. If the event goes on as planned, precautions will be put into place to stop infected people from entering the stadium.

Already, major sporting events have been cancelled or postponed including the BNP Paribas Open, the 2020 Masters Tournament, and March Madness. The NHL, MLS, and NBA cancelled games, while the MLB will delay the start to their season. The concert industry has also been heavily affected, as all tours throughout March have been postponed.

As of Monday morning, WWE has not called off the event. We’ll update this story if more information becomes available.