Stephanie McMahon reveals that Thunderdome boosted up the TV ratings

It is not unknown that the WWE’s TV ratings had slumped drastically, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. WWE tried different ways to improve the ratings.

Following the outbreak of the pandemic, the company had moved its shows to Performance Center(now Capitol Wrestling Center) with few NXT talents attending as the fans.

As the mentioned idea failed, WWE moved to Amway Center and joined forces with The Famous Group and invested in the concept of WWE Thunderdome. This enhanced the viewing experiencing of the shows, adding up the TV rating as well.

It saw a new set, pyrotechnics, lasers, graphics, drone cameras, and rows of virtual fans up to 1,000 LED boards.

Stephanie McMahon reflected on the past scenario and how they overcame to increase the ratings once again.

She said:

“And without them [the fans], it’s just not the same. Our ratings fell off. We tried bringing in our developmental talent to see if that would help in terms of some type of audience but it just wasn’t enough, and ultimately we had hoped to be back in arenas in the Fall but when we realized that wasn’t gonna happen, we doubled-down and invested with a new partner called The Famous Group and we now have nearly one thousand virtual fans.”

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Stephanie McMahon on increasing digital viewership

The views of the WWE shows on YouTube and WWE Network have increased with time and Stephanie McMahon said the company is not only focussing on hitting the road again but will also be eyeing to produce more WWE programming on digital platforms.

She said, “We’re very hopeful that there will be a return to live events of course and we will continue to produce our content but additionally, what we’ve seen is a huge increase in digital viewership.”

WWE shows are set to find their new home in Tropicana Field and we will have to see what the new set will look like.

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Matthew McConaughey makes his presence felt

Hollywood icon Mattew McConaughey made an appearance in the virtual crowd of WWE Thunderdome during the latest episode of Monday Night Raw.

McConaughey and his sons were shown after the former WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre defeated the new Mr Money in the bank, The Miz. McIntyre and broadcast commentary team then acknowledged the actor, Matthew McConaughey.

Check out the video clip below:

Stephanie McMahon, the Chief Brand Officer of WWE took to Twitter. She said it was awesome to witness Matthew McConaughey and promoted his new book, Greenlights which released on October 20.

The book features stories and insights of the author. McConaughey had exiled himself in the desert without electricity for fifty-two days when he wrote the book. Greenlights is based on the diaries and journals of McConaughey, which he began writing when he was only fourteen years old.

She wrote, “So awesome to see @McConaughey in the #WWEThunderdome during #RAW tonight!! @WWEUniverse, check out a copy of his new book, Greenlights, that everyone is talking about… including @johncena and @TheRock! #GreenlightsBook https://greenlights.com”

Check out Stephanie McMahon’s Tweet:

So awesome to see @McConaughey in the #WWEThunderdome during #RAW tonight!! @WWEUniverse, check out a copy of his new book, Greenlights, that everyone is talking about… including @johncena and @TheRock! #GreenlightsBook https://t.co/iSi5nembIE

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) October 27, 2020

Build up to the Survivor Series event

This week’s Monday Night Raw saw the start of the build-up to the upcoming WWE pay-per-view, Survivor in the next month. The qualifying matches to determine the members of the Raw team, who will represent the red brand at the event for the men’s traditional Survivor Series match have begun.

As of yet, three out of five members have been determined. AJ Styles, Keith Lee, and Sheamus have qualified for the team.

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Regarding the women’s Survivor Series match, the Raw Women’s Tag Team Champions, Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax, the duo of Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose were the determined members by WWE officials, Adam Pearce and Pat Buck.

Lana won the fatal four-way match against Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross, and Peyton Royce to secure a spot in the team as the fifth and final member.

WWE Survivor Series is set to take place on Sunday, November 22 in the WWE ThunderDome at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

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WWE Hall of Famers appear in ThunderDome crowd

This week’s Friday Night SmackDown saw the action-packed night after the changes in the roster following the 2020 WWE Draft. It was a special night for the blue brand as they commenced their second season on FOX

Several wrestling legends and stars made their virtual appearances through the ThunderDome crowd.

Jeff Jarrett, the Hall of Famer made an appearance during the match between the former Intercontinental Champion, Jeff Hardy and Lars Sullivan in which Sullivan emerged victorious on his first night on the blue brand.

The night saw Daniel Bryan making his return after four months of absence. He was involved in an in-ring promo during which his wife Brie Bella and daughter Birdie were shown in the ThunderDome crowd.

Daniel Bryan was involved in a segment with former WWE Champion, Seth Rollins and they will potentially clash in the future.

The 16-time World Champion and Hall of Famer, Ric Flair was shown during the match of The Street Profits(Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) against Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. The Street Profits successfully defended their SmackDown Tag Team Titles.

‘The Nature Boy’ has been linked with The Street Profits for a long time now. They were featured together in several segments and commercials this year.

‘The World Strongest Man’, Mark Henry, who is a Hall of Famer also turned up in the virtual ThunderDome crowd at the beginning of the clash between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman.

The match had Reigns’ Universal Championship on the line which he retained after winning by submission as ‘The Monster Among Men’ tapped out to guillotine choke submission.

Keith Lee also appeared in the ThunderDome crowd during the Universal Championship match to scout Braun Strowman as they will collide on the season premiere of Monday Night Raw next week. However, he was not acknowledged by the commentary team.

Bill Goldberg, the former two time Universal Champion was one of the stars who was highlighted for the night. He made an appearance as well.

He recently took to social media and expressed his desire of having another championship run. He also discussed that he has matches left on his WWE contract.

Check out the photos below:

Hey, @RealJeffJarrett!! 👋#SmackDown #WWEThunderDome pic.twitter.com/pVsgSXEphN

— WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2020

Hi, Brie @BellaTwins!! 👋#SmackDown @WWEDanielBryan pic.twitter.com/JrpVHVcwV1

— WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2020

👁 spy… #TheNatureBoy!!#SmackDown @RicFlairNatrBoy pic.twitter.com/Yw8Am9qvKn

— WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2020

Keith Lee and Mark Henry are in the Thunderdome!#WWEThunderdome #Smackdown pic.twitter.com/OJuyGbVUYt

— Xylot Themes (@XylotThemes) October 17, 2020

With @Goldberg looking on… we've got a BIG FIGHT FEEL in the #WWEThunderDome!#SmackDown @WWERomanReigns @BraunStrowman @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/sOtwFRxMPJ

— WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2020

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WWE to end the Thunderdome experience?

WWE used to host the weekly shows and pay-per-view events at their training facility, WWE Performance Center, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

But later they introduced a new concept to the WWE Universe. They brought the Thunderdome at Amway Center which has been the home of the shows since then.

It has a new set, pyrotechnics, lasers, graphics, drone cameras, and rows of virtual fans on 1,000 LED boards. The interactive experience was a fresh concept that impressed the WWE Universe and enhanced their experience.

What could be the future plans?

Now, if the reports are to be believed, WWE is planning to leave the Thunderdome and start their usual travelling once again. The contract between WWE and Amway Center is set to expire on October 31.

Moreover, WWE stars have been informed about the tentative plans to start travelling for the events.

They have been instructed not to schedule their personal travelling plans. The reports also mentioned that, if anyone is willing to take some time off then WWE should be informed three weeks prior.

If the plans about leaving remain unchanged, then WWE Hell In a Cell on October 25, Monday Night RAW on October 26, and Friday Night SmackDown on October 30 could be the final events at the venue.

Though there is no strong evidence if WWE would renew the contract with Amway Center there are high chances that an agreement on the renewal could be set up between both the parties in the month of November.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to get worse, WWE has not decided about the venues for the upcoming events in November.

Reportedly, WWE officials came up with a small team as well. They will be figuring out the logistics required for WWE in order to hold the shows at an outdoor venue, amid the pandemic.

WWE Clash of Champions is the next WWE pay-per-view that is scheduled at Thunderdome. WWE has confirmed that that have reached the highest capacity of fans through a tweet.

You can see the Tweet below:

UPDATE: #WWEThunderDome has reached maximum capacity for #WWEClash this Sunday.

Registration for virtual seats in the WWE ThunderDome at #WWERaw will be available this Saturday! https://t.co/WWXqzjz6GB

— WWE (@WWE) September 24, 2020

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While WWE is often described as the progenitor of all faults to ever exist in the pro-wrestling industry, this time even the staunchest critics shall not be the promotion as the culprit. While most members getting a live view of WWE were innocent to these causes, there were a few who displayed some rather terrible imagery on the screen, some of which made it to the camera, which in turn led them to be screen on TV.

A man in the very front row of the Thunderdome, wearing a KKK robe and seemingly waving a Confederate flag was caught on camera and was immediate brought to major attention by The New York Post.

WWE under fire after virtual fan displays image from KKK rally during match https://t.co/1ZrGvuDsJW pic.twitter.com/bQMT0BrZUQ

— New York Post (@nypost) August 25, 2020

“This abhorrent behavior does not reflect WWE’s values and we have zero tolerance for these unacceptable acts. We are working to ban those involved from future events and per our policies, any inappropriate actions result in the removal from the live stream, ” WWE stated in a reply to The New York Post.

The KKK Imagery Was Not The Only Offensive Act on WWE Thunderdome

The KKK imagery was not even the most offensive act of idiocy displayed that night, as an execution video was displayed by another fan in the audience! There were also images of Chris Benoit, blacklisted ever since his double murder – suicide and another of Super Mario.

The other such acts included someone mooning, which again, was caught by the camera. A fan also thought it palatable to display a picture of Sonya Devile’s stalker and potential assailant on screen.

Apart from these troubles, Thunderdome has been an interesting experience, to say the least. It simultaneously provides the experience of crowd watching the matches live while not risking their health in midst of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

There has been funnier moments as well, including some sleeping fans, which may be an intended act to show the boredom of WWE’s programming or an unintended act of, well, sleeping out of tire. A fan with their stuffed Pikachu was also a light-hearted moment seen on TV.

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