BREAKING: WWE Confirms New ThunderDome, To Debut This Week

It was reported last week that WWE was going to be moving all live shows from the Performance Center to the Amway Center in Orlando. This was believed to be the first step in bringing fans back to shows.

It has also been reported that WWE fans won’t be at shows until November at the very earliest, so it was believed that WWE was toying with the idea of having virtual fans on massive LED screens at shows in the meantime.

WWE has now confirmed that this is, in fact, the plan. In a statement sent to Pro Wrestling Sheet, WWE has revealed that the new ThunderDome is going to debut this week.

WWE® BRINGS THE THUNDER

STAMFORD, Conn., – August 17, 2020 – WWE ThunderDome™, featuring a state-of-the-art set, video boards, pyrotechnics, lasers, cutting-edge graphics and drone cameras, will take WWE fans’ viewing experience to an unprecedented level starting this Friday, August 21 on FOX, kicking off SummerSlam® Weekend.

“WWE has a long history of producing the greatest live spectacles in sports and entertainment, yet nothing compares to what we are creating with WWE ThunderDome,” said Kevin Dunn, WWE Executive Vice President, Television Production. “This structure will enable us to deliver an immersive atmosphere and generate more excitement amongst the millions of fans watching our programming around the world.”

With the debut of WWE ThunderDome, WWE will take residency at Amway Center in Orlando and virtually bring fans into the arena via live video on massive LED boards, in conjunction with The Famous Group and its proprietary technology, for every Monday Night Raw®, Friday Night SmackDown® and WWE pay-per-view event. Starting tonight, fans can register Afor their virtual seat to be part of upcoming shows via www.WWEThunderDome.com or at WWE’s Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages.

“As WWE takes residency at the world-class Amway Center, we have reimagined our live event experience for today’s environment,” said Brian Flinn, WWE Chief Marketing & Communications Officer. “In partnership with The Famous Group, we will virtually bring our fans back into the show and recreate the interactive in-arena atmosphere that has been a staple of WWE events for decades.”

WWE Event Schedule for August:

• Friday, August 21 – Friday Night SmackDown®, Amway Center, 8 pm ET on FOX

• Saturday, August 22 – NXT TakeOver® XXX, Full Sail Live, 7 pm ET on WWE Network

• Sunday, August 23 – SummerSlam, Amway Center, 7 pm ET on WWE Network

• Monday, August 24 – Monday Night Raw®, Amway Center, 8 pm ET on USA Network

• Wednesday, August 26 – NXT®, Full Sail Live, 8 pm ET on USA Network

• Friday, August 28 – Friday Night SmackDown, Amway Center, 8 pm ET on FOX

• Sunday, August 30 – Payback®, Amway Center, 7 pm ET on WWE Network

• Monday, August 31 – Monday Night Raw, Amway Center, 8 pm ET on USA Network

WWE’s Amway Center residency will continue for the foreseeable future and Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-view programming will be produced on closed sets with only essential personnel in attendance. WWE will continue to administer its health and safety protocols for talent, crew and employees in conjunction with each production, including PCR testing for COVID-19, social distancing and wearing masks.