3) Update On WWE’s Plans For House Shows
According to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE has told talent that their old way of touring is not coming back. This means that WWE likely won’t be doing any more house shows (untelevised live events).
Here is what Meltzer wrote:
There is talent in WWE that has been told in recent contract negotiations that the old way of touring is not coming back, even if and when the country bounces back from COVID.
One more step in the company pretty much admitting that is its mindset came this past week when about a dozen employees who work on the live events side, the most well known name being ring announcer Tony Chimel, were released.
The reality is the company is setting record profits without doing house shows, and the house show division had started over the past year plus to often be a money loser.
My Take:
- This seems like the best for the health of the roster as it means that they aren’t wrestling 5 nights a week. I will miss house shows though as they were always fun to attend.
2) More Backstage Frustration About WWE’s Handling Of COVID-19
According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, there is some backstage frustration in WWE about the company’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here is what Sapp wrote about Halloween Havoc:
Also, Not much of a shocker here, and seems to be a weekly article at this point, but there was a lot of frustration about NXT’s handling of COVID protocols heading into Halloween Havoc. Indi Hartwell was pulled from Halloween Havoc in a planned appearance, and several in NXT that we spoke to were frustrated with how things have been affected for a story that many looked at in such a positive light. As mentioned recently, NXT’s ability to get Hartwell over without even having her on screen was acclaimed by talent we spoke to. Frustration was compounded when classes then resumed, and the same testing protocol was kept in place — not daily testing.
My Take:
- Not a good look for WWE. Hopefully they can figure it out.
Use the buttons below for more on our WWE rumor round-up.