Vince McMahon With Tampa Officials, Governor Recommends Cancelling Mass Gatherings, EVOLVE Update
WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon is reportedly on the ground in Tampa, Florida today to meet with city officials regarding WrestleMania 36 Week and the coronavirus pandemic.
As noted, city officials in Tampa Bay were to meet today to discuss potential changes or cancellations to sporting events and gatherings in the area, and a press conference is scheduled for 1:30pm ET. WrestleMania 36 will surely be discussed, and it's rumored that WWE's biggest event of the year will be impacted in a significant way due to the COVID-19 outbreak. There's been speculation on WrestleMania possibly being delayed until the summer, but nothing is official yet and the show is still moving forward as scheduled, as of this writing. @Wrestlevotes reported that Vince is among those meeting with city officials to discuss the status of WrestleMania.
On a related note, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated at a coronavirus press conference earlier today that he has recommended to all local Florida authorities that they postpone or cancel all mass gatherings until the pandemic subsides. DeSantis acknowledged that he does not have the authority to cancel events or force sports leagues on his own and other companies to cancel their events, but he strongly urged those actions to help prevent the spread of the virus.
Several California indie wrestling promotions will also be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced this week that public health officials in that state declared that gatherings with 250 people or more should be canceled or re-scheduled to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Smaller gatherings are allowed to proceed if the organizers implement a rule of 6 feet of social distancing. Details on the California decree can be found at this link.
WWE partner EVOLVE announced today that the weekend EVOLVE 147 and EVOLVE 148 events have been postponed due to the spread.
"This weekend's #EVOLVE147 & #EVOLVE148 have been postponed to May 8th in Livonia, MI and May 9th in Chicago. All tickets will be honored for those dates. We will have a full press release out by tomorrow as we piece everything together. We wanted to get word out ASAP. Thank you," EVOLVE tweeted, as seen below.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor spoke with Drew Garabo of 102.5 The Bone FM on Wednesday and when asked about the status of WrestleMania 36, she said the situation was still being assessed. Castor said the city and WWE hoped to still hold the big event, but they were still assessing. She revealed that they had a commission that was working on the decision for WrestleMania and all over large scale events. That commission is set to make an announcement shortly. PWInsider noted that Castor was asked about balancing the health and well being vs. the economic impact of WrestleMania, and said the health and well being is important but she also has to consider the economic windfall for citizens who need paychecks that come with the perks of having major events like WrestleMania in town. The Mayor said she takes the responsibility seriously. Castor also said WWE can "weigh in" on the final decision, but that the final call would come down to city officials.
FOX 13 News in Tampa noted that Mayor Castor was asked at a press conference earlier today about possibly canceling WrestleMania 36.
"We don't have to take immediate action for events weeks down the road," she said.
Stay tuned as we should have an update on the status of WrestleMania 36 from Tampa shortly.
This weekend's #EVOLVE147 & #EVOLVE148 have been postponed to May 8th in Livonia, MI and May 9th in Chicago. All tickets will be honored for those dates.
We will have a full press release out by tomorrow as we piece everything together. We wanted to get word out ASAP. Thank you.
? EVOLVE Wrestling (@WWNEVOLVE) March 12, 2020