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FOX Reportedly Pushing For Crowds To Return
Reports emerged recently revealing that WWE will be making their highly anticipated return to the road this July, kicking off with the 7/16 episode of Friday Night SmackDown and the annual Money In The Bank pay-per-view two days later. If this is the case, this will be the company’s first pay-per-view other than WrestleMania to take place in front of a live crowd since before the pandemic.
Last year, WWE created their virtual ThunderDome set to combat the lack of a crowd during the pandemic, with fans being able to appear during shows through hundreds of screens placed around the arena.
WWE signed a billion-dollar deal with FOX in 2019, moving episodes SmackDown over to the company, as well as having a huge debut show later that year that featured several major celebrities. However soon into the deal, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, causing WWE to relocate to their Performance Center without the ability to have fans.
According to WrestleVotes on Twitter, FOX has been pushing for the return of crowds over recent weeks, with the company actively seeking updates on timeframes.
Heard from a very reliable source that FOX has privately pushed for a return to live crowds over the past few weeks, actively seeking updates on timeframes, etc. They’d like their billion dollar investment on the same playing field as the MLB, NBA & others.
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) May 20, 2021
WWE decided to shake up their pay-per-view schedule this year, with Hell In A Cell set to take place next month, moving from its regular slot later in the year. You can read more on this here.