With WrestleMania season right around the corner, it has been revealed that WWE is seemingly planning to have 30,000 fans in attendance each night of the two day spectacle.
The show was originally set to take place in Los Angeles, California, before WWE made the decision to revert to Tampa, Florida, the original location of WrestleMania 36.
The event will mark the first time a live audience will be in attendance for WWE since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the company to close it’s doors to the public. Initially filming shows and pay-per-views inside the Performance Centre, the company introduced the WWE ThunderDome in August 2020.
According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the company is looking to bring fans back at the ‘Grandest Stage of Them All’, with thousands in attendance over the two night spectacle:
“Inside WWE, the plan looks to be to put 30,000 people in the building both nights. If the Super Bowl puts in more, they’ll likely put in more. But that was the legit goal as of early in the week. What they’ll announce is anyone’s guess. The shows will likely be four-and-a-half hours with the first match going in the ring at 5:30 p.m. and the targeted ending at 10 p.m.”
The show itself will take place at the Richmond James Stadium. Notably, the stadium will also host the 55th annual Super Bowl in February. The building is capable of holding up to 75,000 fans, meaning the stadium will be at less than half capacity for WrestleMania.
Whilst WWE have yet to officially confirm this number, the company recently announced the locations for the next three WrestleManias.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre recently voiced his excitement at the prospect of allowing fans back. The ‘Scottish Psychopath’ is a two time WWE Champion, with his first victory coming at last years WrestleMania, against Brock Lesnar. Both reigns have taken place behind closed doors, and McIntyre is eagerly anticipating performing in front of fans again:
“It’s the one thing we’ve been missing all year. It’s our number one Superstar, our secret sauce, what makes WWE special is how passionate and loud, and knowledgeable our fanbase are. They can change the pace of a match. They can make an average match good, a good match great, or if an interview is going on in the ring that they don’t like, they’ll crap all over it.”
The Royal Rumble, set to take place January 31, will determine which superstars will go on to main event WrestleMania.