WWE has made it official: This Sunday’s SummerSlam takes place at the Amway Center in Orlando.
WWE will also hold a residency at the Amway Center for the foreseeable future Rau, SmackDown, and pay-per-view in-building, which the WWE ThunderDome is re-recognizing.
Kevin Dunn, executive vice president of WWE Television Production, confirmed the news to Sports Illustrated.
“When people think of WWE, most people think of the show we are, but it was just impossible to put on a show in the Performance Center,” Dunn said. “Move to Amway, and discover the ThunderDome, the chances are limitless.”
The new setting will be unveiled this Friday SmackDown, complete with pyrotechnics, drone cameras, and video cards.
“We can now do things production-wise that we otherwise could never have done,” Dunn said. ‘We fly drones in the arena, we lay a roof in the Amway Center, and we can project content on the roof. So when a big star like Drew McIntyre comes on the ring, the entire arena will revolve around its contents with lasers, pyro, smoke, projections on the top of the building and on the floor. It will be a large, beautiful entrance, better than WrestleMania. ”
WWE programming has delivered the energy through a live audience, and the shows at the Amway Center will have virtual fans via live video on LED boards. WWE has partnered with the Famous Group to improve its atmosphere in the arena, an element that has struggled amid empty arena shows during the pandemic. Start time Rau, people can register for their virtual site at www.WWEThunderDome.com.
“Like the NBA, we do virtual fans, but we also create an atmosphere of the type,” Dunn said. “We will not have a flat board, we will have rows and rows and rows of fans. We’ll have nearly 1000 LED boards, and it’s going to restore the arena experience you’re used to seeing with WWE. The atmosphere will be night and day from the Performance Center. This will allow us to have a production value at WrestleMania level, and that’s what our audience expects of us. We will also put arena audio in the broadcast, similar to baseball, but our audio will be mixed with the virtual fans. So when fans start singing, we’ll hear them.
“We start on Friday SmackDown, and it will be a learning experience. We have two days of testing, and we will practice like hell, then we will go to the races. We can have fans for certain entrances, stand and cheer for the typical baby faces. But someone like Bray Wyatt, who is so character-driven, the whole Amway Arena will be one big Fiend-dom. That’s our chance to be different from sports, where we can present these larger characters uniquely. This will be great for people who look at home all over the world, and for those who participate. “
The location will be a closed set, and Dunn confirmed that WWE will continue to supplement COVID-19 testing, social distance, and wearing a mask as an off-camera.
“We’re going to have a hot set that focuses on safety for our artists,” Dunn said. “Everyone is being tested all the time. It’s really important that our artists feel safe. ”
There’s no plan yet in place to bring fans into the venue, and that’s why Dunn explained that it’s potential to stay on the Amway by the end of the year.
“It’s open,” Dunn said. “Of course we want to return to the business of live events. We rely so much on our fans. The Amway people have been fantastic to work with, and we look forward to staying as long as it lasts. ”
After 38 years of television work in WWE, this is a whole new experience for Dunn and his production team.
“If you asked me a year ago, I would have said we did everything,” Dunn said. ‘But this is going to be an interactive experience, and it’s something like I’ve never produced before. Producing the show is the best part of my job, and this will be a historic challenge for our team to pull off. We’re excited to get rid of it. ”
Strikingly similar to pro sports, WWE’s shows have not been the same without crowds. Dunn is optimistic that the ThunderDome experience will add a significant, consistent jolt of electricity to the WWE product.
“We are grateful and appreciate the fans hanging out with us,” Dunn said. ‘It has been difficult. The shows have not been what we wish they were, and we would honestly say something else. We miss our fans. Our fans make our shows. Without them, it would have been really challenging. I can not wait to see the ThunderDome full of 1000 people, which will give us the energy we need to make this as entertaining as possible. I think people watching and participating will really enjoy it, and it’s going to say, ‘Wow, WWE, it’s back.’ ”
Justin Barrasso can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
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