WWE: Hailing the stars of the empty arena era

WWE events with thousands of raucous fans seem a distance away now but, once they return, it will end the empty arena era that has created as many stars and moments as any other…

There’s no doubting that watching WWE programming in empty arenas right now is a vastly different prospect compared to just a few short months ago.

When COVID-19 started to wreak its havoc across the globe, live events joined all other major mass gatherings in being shelved for the foreseeable future – WrestleMania 36 taking place effectively behind closed doors.

Yet, just as this year’s installment of the biggest wrestling show of the entire calendar year yielded its fair share of talking points and memorable moments, what’s become known as the empty arena era has also begun to leave its mark.

As fans, it’s no taboo to say that the product just isn’t the same without thousands of fans cheering, booing and generally creating an atmosphere. That’s no slight on any performer, on WWE or anyone else. It’s just a fact. The live crowd provides something special to the viewing experience at home, and when you’re there in the arena surrounded by your fellow fan.

It’s equally obvious that the lack of an attending public also presents its difficulties for WWE Superstars. The general jigsaw of any match-up, and its psychology, is aided by the reaction – or lack of – from the seats around ringside and beyond. How better to test whether something works or ‘gets over’ than by gauging the reaction of those watching it? It certainly makes their task harder.

But while there will be a significant number of reasons we’ll be pleased to see the back of weekly tapings at the WWE Performance Center, it will be hard to just dismiss the last several months as a  waste. Quite the opposite, in my view.

There are a huge number of WWE Superstars and performers who deserve massive credit for how they’ve shone in relative adversity and while working in such unique surroundings and circumstances.

Take Mandy Rose and Otis, for instance. In the time we’ve taken to adjust to seeing empty seats – or sometimes no seats at all – during WWE events, the pair have established themselves at the heart of the company’s most feelgood storyline. Sonya Deville, as an offshoot of that storyline, has also emerged as a major talent, whose promos during the empty arena era have displayed an incredible ability to capture and convey emotion.

Apollo Crews, so often underutilized in the eyes of many over the last few years, is now United States Champion and a regular feature on RAW, having barely been able to secure a spot on Main Event back when fans were packing out arenas and stadiums. His athletic ability and general performances have been a far bigger hit with the millions watching at home in this era than they ever appeared to be with live audiences, who perhaps struggled to connect with him.

You of course can’t overlook Drew McIntyre. The WWE Champion might well have begun his ascent into WWE prominence at Royal Rumble to the adulation of a sold-out crowd, but his title win against Brock Lesnar, successful defences against the likes of the Big Show and Seth Rollins all took place without a soul in paid attendance.

We’ve seen the evolution of the ‘real’ Drew McIntyre from a personality standpoint and he’s one man who I have no doubt will prove a major hit once bums are back in seats.

While we’re all missing the chance to see wrestling live, let’s celebrate the good that’s come from the bad.

WWE has been backed into a corner and come out fighting with the likes of the Boneyard Match, the Firefly Funhouse Match and the most unique Money in the Bank ladder matches we’ll ever see – none of which would have been possible without the backdrop of the challenging times the world now finds itself in.

WWE Superstars have, too, stepped up. It may not be the joyous chaos of the Attitude Era or the let-loose freedom Ruthless Aggression period, but let’s make sure we give this time the recognition it deserves once the empty arena era is consigned to history.