Why wrestling should take a break during the pandemic (and you’ll be okay)

Howdy pro wrestling fans. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past several months, I applaud you on taking the necessary precautions during this pandemic.

As I write this, the professional wrestling world is coming off the recent releases of several prominent WWE superstars, and we’d be foolish to think these will be the only cuts.

There’s no questioning that COVID-19 has forced all but certain industries to halt or change their practices. Professional wrestling hasn’t been any different, though we have to ask ourselves – especially concerning multi-billion dollar companies like All Elite Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment, are they changing enough?

I argue, no. They’re not. Especially when we look at what Japanese wrestling promotions like NJPW have done, and what steps they’ve taken to ensure the well-being of their performers and employees. So long as professional wrestling promotions continue to hold shows; whether there’s an audience or not, their performers and employees are at risk.

As of this writing, there have been 800,932 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States and 43,006 deaths in the US as a result of the outbreak.

Think about the number of people it takes to make a wrestling show with a production like AEW or WWE to happen. The number of people each one of the employees and talent have to interact just to get to the arena or production facility. Just off the top of my head, you’re talking about:

• Airport employees
• Flight attendants
• Rental Car Agency employees
• Other employees and talent of the promotion

Additionally, while it’s known publicly there are several wrestlers who are immunocompromised, because of the nature of the disease, one could carry the disease without exhibiting any symptoms and pass it on to someone else.

The virus takes about two weeks to even manifest symptoms, and by that point, there’s no telling how many other people an infected person may have interacted with.

Really think about how close even just three people need to be to one another in the ring to perform a match, and then remember that the ring, ropes, etc isn’t being sanitized or cleaned between those matches. It’s irresponsible and negligent to continue to put your employees in harm’s way – whether it’s in the name of honoring TV contracts or making a profit.

A lot of critics have directed their ire towards Vince McMahon specifically. This follows the talent releases, that he’s still requiring talent to travel and perform live (albeit without an audience).

What we should be examining is where the need to continue to perform live shows is coming from. Is the edict for shows still needing to happen coming from the owner of the promotion or is this coming from the networks?

Talent and employees in these promotions are simultaneously in a position of having an arguably collective bargaining tool, but also powerless. If you truly care about the wellbeing of these individuals, you need to support their right to unionize and universal healthcare – and a special f*** you to Hulk Hogan who squashed a wrestler’s union back in his day. 

Why You’ll Be Okay

I know what some of you are getting ready to argue: “Surely in these trying and quarantined times, we need something to distract us from the circus fire that is society beyond the threshold of our own door. The show must go on!”

An audience-less wrestling show serves only as a reminder of what is currently happening. There’s no shortage of professional wrestling content out there for you to consume without hundreds of people being put at risk two to three times a week.

Just talking about the WWE Network, there are countless hours of content to consume. Did you grow up firmly in the camp of one promotion during The Monday Night Wars? Check out some of what you may have missed.

Watch some documentaries or fun shows they have on the network. Want to help support some of the great wrestling talents that’s been hardest hit by this pandemic? Start subscribing to some different independent streams, buy some of their merch, check out their Patreons, Ko-Fis, etc.

Most importantly, stay safe. Practice social distancing. Wear a mask. Wash your hands.