Tag: ThunderDome

WWE Officially Announces Next ThunderDome Home

The WWE ThunderDome is headed to the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida.

WWE officially announced today that their new ThunderDome residency at the Yuengling Center will begin with the post-WrestleMania 37 edition of RAW on the USA Network, on Monday, April 12.

“WWE takes great pride in providing our fans and network partners with cutting-edge production and one of the most interactive atmospheres in all of television every single week,” said Kevin Dunn, WWE Executive Producer & Chief, Global Television Production. “We look forward to the next iteration of the WWE ThunderDome at Yuengling Center as we continue to take the fan experience to a whole new level.”

It was noted that more than 650,000 fans have registered for WWE ThunderDome crowds since last August.

WWE confirmed that they will continue to run closed-set tapings at the Yuengling Center, with COVID-19 protocols in place for talent, crew and employees.

There is no word yet on how long the Yuengling Center residency will run for. WWE’s first ThunderDome residency was at the Amway Center in Orlando, which began last August. They then moved to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on December 11. The Yuengling Center will be the third ThunderDome venue of the COVID-19 era.

The Yuengling Center sits on the University of South Florida campus in Tampa, and was once known as the University of South Florida Sun Dome. The venue has a capacity of 10,411 when there are no COVID-19 protocols in place. The University of South Florida currently has three teams that call the Yuengling Center home – the South Florida Bulls men’s basketball team, the South Florida Bulls women’s basketball team, and the South Florida Bulls women’s volleyball team. The teams are not currently playing due to the pandemic, so games will not be a problem for WWE.

WWE ran the Yuengling Center many years ago before there were bigger options in the area. The 1995 Royal Rumble pay-per-view was held in the arena, along with Saturday Night’s Main Event in December 1985 and SNME in December 1988. WWE would have a short move from Tropicana Field to the Yuengling Center as the drive is around 30 minutes. It’s been reported that WWE wanted to keep the ThunderDome in or near the Tampa area.

WWE will wrap their residency at Tropicana Field with upcoming tapings going into WrestleMania 37 Week. 

Below is the full announcement from WWE issued today:

WWE® THUNDERDOME™ TAKES OVER YUENGLING CENTER

STAMFORD, Conn., March 24, 2021 –WWE® (NYSE: WWE) will bring its world-class viewing experience, WWE ThunderDome, to Yuengling Center as it remains in Tampa with a new residency starting with Monday Night Raw® on April 12 at 8 pm ET on USA Network.

The move to Yuengling Center continues WWE’s longstanding relationship with the state of Florida and marks the next phase of WWE ThunderDome, which launched to critical acclaim last August at Amway Center in Orlando and has continued over the past four months at Tropicana Field in Tampa. Yuengling Center sits on the campus of one of Florida’s largest universities, the University of South Florida.

Featuring a state-of-the-art set, video boards, pyrotechnics, lasers, cutting-edge graphics and drone cameras, WWE ThunderDome provides an immersive viewing atmosphere and virtually brings thousands of fans into the arena via live video, in conjunction with The Famous Group and its proprietary technology, for every Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown® and WWE pay-per-view event. WWE ThunderDome received top honors at last year’s Sportel Awards for Best Virtual Fan Experience.

“WWE has always been a highlight of our event mix and bringing this world-class residency to Yuengling Center only strengthens our relationship,” said Kevin Preast, Executive Vice President of Event Management at Vinik Sports Group. “Hosting WWE ThunderDome is another step towards a full return of hosting more events in the area.”

“WWE takes great pride in providing our fans and network partners with cutting-edge production and one of the most interactive atmospheres in all of television every single week,” said Kevin Dunn, WWE Executive Producer & Chief, Global Television Production. “We look forward to the next iteration of the WWE ThunderDome at Yuengling Center as we continue to take the fan experience to a whole new level.”

To date, more than 650,000 fans from around the world have registered to be part of WWE ThunderDome. Fans can register for their virtual seat to be part of upcoming WWE shows via http://www.WWEThunderDome.com or at WWE’s Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages.

Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-view programming will be produced at Yuengling Center on closed sets with only essential personnel in attendance. WWE will continue to administer its health and safety protocols for talent, crew and employees in conjunction with each production, including PCR testing for COVID-19, social distancing and wearing masks.

WWE ThunderDome Reportedly Moving To Tropicana Field

WWE is set to move the ThunderDome from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, to the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, according to a report on eWrestlingnews.

The report added that WWE’s “residency at the venue is expected to last for a while” especially since MLB isn’t expected to return until early 2021. The Tropicana Field hosts home games for the Tampa Bay Rays.

As noted before, WWE had signed a short-term contract extension with Amway Center through November. eWrestlingnews added that WWE is expected to move to the new arena by early December. With the NBA and ECHL scheduled to resume in December, the Amway Center will be tied up hosting home games for the Orlando Magic and Orlando Solar Bears.

Previously, @Wrestlevotes had reported that WWE was scheduled to leave the Amway Center on November 24, and was considering other venues in North Carolina, Illinois, and Texas. However, WWE has decided to stay put in the state of Florida, especially with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis making it clear that the state has no plans to shut down and is encouraging fans to pack sports stadiums–despite the ongoing pandemic.

The Tropicana Field, established in 1990, was originally known as the Florida Suncoast Dome. In 1993, the Tampa Bay Lightning moved to the stadium and its name was actually changed to the ThunderDome.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Reportedly Moving The ThunderDome To A New Venue In December

WWE is reportedly scheduled to leave the ThunderDome at the Amway Center in Orlando on Tuesday, November 24, but they are taking the unique viewing experience with them.

It was reported today by @Wrestlevotes that WWE discussed possibly running venues in North Carolina, Illinois and Texas over the weekend.

There is no word yet on which venues are being considered, but WWE needs to find an arena where no sports teams are playing, and one that can accommodate the weight and power requirements of the ThunderDome setup. A newer arena is preferred because the weight of the ThunderDome setup reportedly will not work with older buildings. A major travel hub city is also needed because the WWE crews will be flying in and out each week.

WWE is leaving the Amway Center due to the NBA starting back up in December. The Orlando Magic uses the Amway Center as their home arena. Also, the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL are scheduled to start back up in mid-December at the Amway Center.

Florida news reporter Jon Alba revealed on Twitter that WWE’s contract with the Amway Center says they will be finished on Tuesday, November 24. You can see his tweet on the contract below.

If WWE is leaving the Amway Center on November 24, it looks like the November 23 RAW episode could be the final show to take place in that venue. This will be the post-Survivor Series edition of RAW.

WWE’s original contract with the Amway Center was set to expire at the end of October, but it was recently extended for one more month, taking them through November and the Survivor Series pay-per-view on November 22.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE To Continue Running At The ThunderDome For The Month Of November

WWE is planning on running from the ThunderDome at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida for at least one more month.

The future of The ThunderDome has been up in the air as WWE’s current residency at the Amway Center is set to expire on Saturday, October 31, less than one week after WWE Hell In a Cell. However, PWInsider now reports that WWE will be extending the length of the ThunderDome concept for at least another four weeks.

This means that the 2020 WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view on November 22 will likely take place from the Amway Center.

There’s no word yet on where RAW, SmackDown and WWE pay-per-view events will air from for the month of December. It’s been reported that WWE was looking at other venue options in the state of Florida. The next WWE pay-per-view event after Survivor Series is TLC on December 20.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE ThunderDome For SmackDown Quickly Reaches Capacity, Rules For Fans Revealed

WWE ThunderDome registration went live last night and capacity was quickly reached for the debut that will come with Friday’s SmackDown on FOX episode from the Amway Center in Orlando, which will be the SummerSlam go-home show.

WWE announced on Twitter shortly after registration for SmackDown opened, “#WWEThunderDome has reached maximum capacity for #SmackDown this Friday. Stay tuned for your chance to register for virtual seats in the WWE ThunderDome at #SummerSlam!”

WWE will have rows of fans shown on almost 1,000 LED boards for the new state-of-the-art viewing experience. ThunderDome will be used for all upcoming RAW, SmackDown and pay-per-view events for the foreseeable future.

The rules for ThunderDome registration notes that seats are selected on a first-come, first-served basis. WWE reminded fans that they will be on a live TV show, asking them to be camera-ready.

WWE also noted in the rules that they reserve the right to remove any fan from the live stream for inappropriate conduct or technical issues.

“We reserve the right to terminate your participation at our sole discretion if your attire contains any immoral graphics, images or text, any political statements, slogans, logos, graphics or other commercial identification of third-parties other than the WWE, its athletes and sponsors,” the rules note.

Below are part of the registration rules issued to fans:

All registered fans are further selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Please make sure you are camera ready. Remember, you will be appearing on a live show.We reserve the right to remove you from the live stream at any time, for any reason. The audience will be refreshed throughout the night and you may not be included in the entire broadcast. In addition, we may remove you from the live stream for any inappropriate conduct or technical issues. Watch the show through the stream on your device.

Position yourself in front of your camera from your midsection up, leaving a little room above your head. Make sure you have good lighting.

Only one fan permitted per seat.

Your attire must be appropriate and must remain on at all times.

Officially licensed WWE clothing is preferred, if available.

We reserve the right to terminate your participation at our sole discretion if your attire contains any immoral graphics, images or text, any political statements, slogans, logos, graphics or other commercial identification of third-parties other than the WWE, its athletes and sponsors.

 

Source: Wrestling Inc.