WWE Rumors - Talent concerned they could be released
It's no secret that we currently live in unprecedented and unpredictable times. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, it's not clear when things like travel restrictions and mass gathering bans will be lifted. It could be weeks or it could be months before life as we know it returns to normal. While many of us pine for a sense of normalcy, there are reportedly several talents in the WWE locker room that are concerned about what will happen when that time comes.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an economic strain on many large corporations and small businesses alike in the United States. Companies have either been forced to shut down or lay off/furlough a large portion of their workforce. According to the Associated Press, more than 6.6 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week. That more than doubles the record that was set just a week earlier.
While WWE has been able to keep its weekly shows on the air by holding RAW, SmackDown, and NXT at an empty Performance Center, the company is not immune to the financial strain that is gripping the country. All WWE Live Events for April have already been canceled, and the future of May travel dates is still up in the air.
For the foreseeable future, all WWE programming is set to be filmed either at the WWE Performance Center or at Full Sail University. However, the future of empty arena shows is now uncertain after a stay at home order was issued by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. One certain thing is that WWE is losing a ton of revenue from things like ticket and merchandise sales - especially with WrestleMania weekend in Tampa Bay being canceled.
Talent concerned about being released to offset lost revenue
According to Paul Davis of Wrestling News, several of stars that are lower down on the card are concerned they will be let go to help offset the loss in revenue due to COVID-19, once things return to normal that is:
“The feeling is that most of the mid-card wrestlers and the top stars will be fine but some of the wrestlers not used much on shows are worried. Eventually, travel restrictions will be lifted and WWE will be able to run shows in front of fans again but there is a realization that some fans may not be so quick to attend sports/entertainment events and WWE seems to be aware of that.”
The other concern according to Davis is that AEW is going through the same troubles as WWE. So they can no longer be relied upon as a backup plan.
"One wrestler in WWE told me, 'I think guys know they can’t depend on AEW as their safety net because they are going through their issues with canceled shows. This will be tough for a lot of guys and for a lot of people in [the wrestling business] overall.'”
WWE has made a somewhat controversial decision to move forward with WrestleMania this weekend and like other weekly shows, will be held behind closed doors with only the essential fans in attendance. The show will take place on two days this year, kicking off on Saturday night at 7 PM EST on the WWE Network.