Top 7 WWE Superstars of the Empty Arena Era
WWE began filming their weekly programming from the Performance Centre in Orlando, Floria, with only essential personnel in attendance from March 12th onwards.Taking a cue from AEW, they have been using fans for the past few weeks, with those present being trainees at the Performance Center or NXT talent.
Elimination Chamber 2020 was the last PPV that saw fans in attendance. WrestleMania 36 was aired with no fans in attendance, making it the first-ever empty WrestleMania in the company's history.
Professional wrestling shows and UFC were the only active sports programming during the pandemic. Wrestling is a participative and emotive form of entertainment that needs the reactions of a live audience to enhance the product. It has been unusual to watch these shows with no fans in attendance, but wrestling shows have come up with unique match structures to overcome the odds.
WWE deserves credit for using cinematic wrestling matches as an innovative way to make the product memorable for fans. Both the Boneyard Match as well as The Firefly Funhouse Match from WresltMania 36 have received universal acclaim for their creativity.
WWE programming, in general, and Monday Night RAW, in particular, have seen their ratings dip to historic lows with the pandemic in play. Some people believe no fans as the primary cause behind the declining viewership.
Despite the prevailing circumstances, some Superstars have been able to use this opportunity to make a mark in the minds of the fans. They have used the current situation to their advantage and made the shows entertaining and engaging as well. For the scope of this list, we will only be including wrestlers. However, fans have also come to appreciate the work of both MVP and Zelina Vega as managers.
Let's take a look at the top 7 WWE Superstars of the Empty Arena Era
#7 Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins has come into his own recently with his 'Monday Night Messiah' gimmick. After his less-than-impressive run with the Universal Championship in the summer of 2019, Rollins needed something fresh to reinvigorate his character on the main roster.
His eventual heel turn has done wonders for both him and his career. Even though he lost to Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 36, he immediately received a world title shot at the Money in the Bank PPV.
His feud with Drew McIntyre, as well as their match at the PPV, were done incredibly well. He is presently involved in a rivalry with the Mysterio family and is hell-bent on destroying the legacy of Rey Mysterio.
The impending match between the two should be a great watch, given the in-ring skills and prowess that both Rollins and Mysterio possess. It will be interesting to see if Dominick, Mysterio's son, makes his in-ring transition into the WWE fold through this feud.
Seth Rollins is firing on all cylinders with his promos as well as character work right now. With Murphy and Austin Theory by his side, Rollins is all set to make 2020 a great year for himself, as well as his stablemates. Both Murphy and Theory have gained much-needed TV time due to their on-screen allegiance with Seth Rollins.
All eyes will be on Rollins and his bag of tricks as he tries to get one over the Mysterio family.