WWE Reportedly Could Consider ThunderDome Return Amid Possible COVID-19 Shutdowns

WWE will reportedly consider both a return to the Performance Center and building a new ThunderDome set should further COVID-19 shutdowns once again prevent the promotion from touring. 

The rapid spread of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus has prompted many governing bodies across the world to implement new restrictions on gatherings, with a host of American states at the very least considering implementing shutdowns once again.

Both WWE and AEW could be affected by such decisions as previously confirmed shows across the country may be postponed or cancelled, and Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio believes both promotions will be looking at their options. 

AEW based themselves in Jacksonville while WWE initially presented their product from the Performance Center, before moving to the specially-built ThunderDome after COVID-19 first shut the world down early last year.

Meltzer said: "I think they’re both going to be pretty confident that Florida will not issue any mandates under any circumstance. Obviously, AEW can go back to Jacksonville and WWE can go back to someplace in Florida. You can always do the Performance Center.

"The problem is that if you put RAW and SmackDown in front of 300 people again those numbers will crater. So, it’s a bad situation and AEW’s numbers will hurt too. I don’t know if they’re crater as well. They did okay numbers in Jacksonville. Obviously, if there’s no other choice, then yeah we can go through that again.

"The ThunderDome thing, I mean they did better in the ThunderDome than the Performance Center, so I think that in that sense WWE could look at a ThunderDome again and try to take residency in a building, but it’s hard because, I guess you could do the baseball stadium, because baseball isn’t starting for months, so I guess they’ll go to the Tampa baseball stadium and set up."

H/T Ringside News