Coronavirus To Have Major Impact On WrestleMania 36?, ROH & Booker T's ROW Issue COVID-19 Statements
It's looking more like the coronavirus will end up having a significant impact on WrestleMania 36 Week in Tampa, Florida.
Tampa area reporter Jon Alba noted on Twitter today that there could be an update on the status of WrestleMania 36 within the next 24 hours, which may not be good for WWE.
"I do believe we will hear an update on the status of #WrestleMania within 24 hours or so. And I would suspect things aren't trending in a positive direction. #WWE," Alba tweeted.
Furthermore, @Wrestlevotes also indicated today that things aren't looking good. The Twitter source has broken several recent stories, including Samoa Joe's WWE Wellness Policy suspension.
"I asked a few sources about Mania & the Corona situation. Some had no info to relay. One said: 'if it can go on as planned, it will' Safe to say WWE just doesn't know yet. All very fluid. All TBD," they wrote earlier this afternoon.
"Update: It's not looking good now," @Wrestlevotes wrote in a follow-up tweet this evening. They continued, "Guys, I want it to still happen too. Trust me. But it's not looking good at the moment. I would think they look to reschedule rather than cancel but time will tell."
As noted earlier today at this link, the City of Tampa Twitter account and the Visit Tampa Bay Twitter account told fans that WrestleMania 36 is currently scheduled to go on as planned.
The World Health Organization announced today that the coronavirus outbreak is now a pandemic. The virus has been confirmed in more than 100 countries, and has infected more than 120,000 people and killed more than 4,300 across the world. It was reported today that it could take 18 months for a coronavirus vaccine to be created. The pandemic has led to several large gatherings and sporting events moving forward without crowds or with other changes, or nixed altogether.
WWE issued a statement to ESPN earlier this month that said the show will continue, but things are quickly changing with the spread of the virus. As noted, Tampa city officials are scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss canceling or postponing major events in the city due to the COVID-19 virus, and WrestleMania 36 will surely be discussed. It's possible that some sort of announcement on WrestleMania 36 will be made to go with this meeting.
In other pro wrestling news on the coronavirus, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T announced today that his Reality of Wrestling promotion is postponing their "ROW: No Limits" pay-per-view that was scheduled for this weekend after Houston, Texas Mayor Sylvester Turner issued an Emergency Health Declaration over the virus. The event will now take place on April 11. You can see Booker's full Twitter statement below.
Ring of Honor issued an announcement today on their schedule and the coronavirus. While some international pro wrestling groups have altered their schedules because of the outbreak, including New Japan Pro Wrestling, it was announced that all ROH events will take place as scheduled. The company noted that they are closely monitoring the situation. You can see the full announcement from ROH below:
ROH UPDATE ON COVID-19
Ring of Honor, home of the "Best Wrestling on the Planet," will be proceeding as planned with all current events and activities.
ROH is mounting its 18th Anniversary (Friday, March 13th) and Past vs Present (Saturday, March 14th) shows this weekend in Las Vegas at Sam's Town Live Casino.
The safety and health of our fans, talents and staff are always of top priority and we are actively following information regarding COVID-19, known as Coronavirus. We are closely monitoring all information being made known by the government, the CDC and WHO to the public – as the situation continues to develop.
ROH cares by being proactive in taking the utmost safety precautions as recommended for all live events and recommends that all fans take their own personal safety precautions as well. Additionally, fans are urged to contact help@rohwrestling.com if they have any concerns about their health or safety at an upcoming event — and ROH will work with them to provide solutions.
As the situation continues to be monitored, any necessary changes to the event schedule and/or resolutions will be provided expeditiously.
Stay tuned for updates on WrestleMania 36 Week and the coronavirus pandemic. You can see Booker T's statement on ROW below:
#NoLimits has been postponed. See full statement below. pic.twitter.com/2KlgCPBML2
? Booker T. Huffman (@BookerT5x) March 11, 2020