AEW Dynamite Event Nixed Due To Coronavirus, WWE's MSG Return In Jeopardy, ROH & WrestleCon Updates
The coronavirus pandemic continues to have an impact on the world of pro wrestling.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today that the state is banning most gatherings with 500 people or more, until further notice.
"We are taking new actions to reduce the density of people across the state. Starting Friday at 5pm, gatherings with 500 people or more will not be permitted in NYS. Additionally, for facilities with an occupancy of 500 or fewer, we are reducing the legal capacity by 50%," Cuomo tweeted.
This means that next Wednesday's AEW Dynamite show from the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York will not go on as scheduled. As noted earlier, there was a makeup date of July 8 that was floating around earlier, and that is the new date for AEW in Rochester. There's no word yet on where next week's AEW Dynamite will take place, but the company is expected to issue a statement soon.
The new New York State ruling should impact WWE's return to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday, March 22, but that has not been officially announced. The Garden has not commented on a potential cancellation as of this writing.
On a related note, Newark, New Jersey Mayor Raj J. Baraka announced today that the city is advising that all non-essential public gatherings will be cancelled for the next 30 days. The AEW Dynamite "Blood & Guts" episode is currently scheduled for the Prudential Center in Newark on March 25, but this new ruling in Newark, NJ could change that. The Newark announcement from the city noted that a "non-essential group event" is defined as a gathering of 50 people or more for social, cultural, or entertainment events where people are not separated by physical space of at least 4 feet. This includes festivals and parades.
On a related note, ROH announced today that the coronavirus outbreak is forcing the cancellation of today's Las Vegas Fight Shop appearance by Marty Scurll and PCO.
"Dearest ROH Family, due to most recent developments regarding COVID-19, today's Meet & Greet with Marty Scurll & PCO @LVFightShop WILL NOT take place. The safety and health of our fans, talents and staff are always of top priority. We appreciate your understanding on the matter," Ring of Honor tweeted.
WrestleCon, who has several big events scheduled for the Tampa area during WWE's WrestleMania 36 Week, also issued a message to their fans today in regards to the COVID-19 outbreak.
"Going to pin this to the top. Please give us some time to figure out if we are having the event, cancelling, or postponing. Your individual needs will be met, but not today. We are not Ticketmaster, we arent going to keep your money," they tweeted.
WrestleCon responded to another fan tweet asking about the travel restrictions and fans coming from parts of Europe outside of the United Kingdom.
"Again, we will answer all cases once we know our own course of action. We will not steal your money. If we happen to run as scheduled, you would get a refund since you can't travel. However, unlikely we run as scheduled given current climate," they wrote back to a fan.
WrestleCon also asked fans to vote if they would "Go to Tampa" or "cancel entire Trip" when asked about downsizing but still running. They asked, "Just to get feedback that may relate to our decision making. If all WWE events were cancelled, yet it was somehow still possible that smaller groups like Wrestlecon, The Collective, ROH, were permitted to continue with events in Tampa. Would you?"
For those who missed it earlier, you can click here for the WrestleMania 36 status update after Tampa officials met with WWE officials today.
Stay tuned for more updates on the coronavirus pandemic and changes to pro wrestling plans. You can see the related tweets below:
Dearest ROH Family, due to most recent developments regarding COVID-19, today's Meet & Greet with Marty Scurll & PCO @LVFightShop WILL NOT take place. The safety and health of our fans, talents and staff are always of top priority. We appreciate your understanding on the matter.
— ROH Wrestling (@ringofhonor) March 12, 2020
Going to pin this to the top. Please give us some time to figure out if we are having the event, cancelling, or postponing. Your individual needs will be met, but not today. We are not Ticketmaster, we arent going to keep your money.
— WrestleCon (@wrestlecon) March 12, 2020
We are taking new actions to reduce the density of people across the state.
Starting Friday at 5pm, gatherings with 500 people or more will not be permitted in NYS.
Additionally, for facilities with an occupancy of 500 or fewer, we are reducing the legal capacity by 50%.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 12, 2020
Just to get feedback that may relate to our decision making. If all WWE events were cancelled, yet it was somehow still possible that smaller groups like Wrestlecon, The Collective, ROH, were permitted to continue with events in Tampa. Would you?
— WrestleCon (@wrestlecon) March 11, 2020
Again, we will answer all cases once we know our own course of action. We will not steal your money. If we happen to run as scheduled, you would get a refund since you can't travel. However, unlikely we run as scheduled given current climate.
— WrestleCon (@wrestlecon) March 12, 2020