WWE May Not Bring Back House Shows/Live Events After the Pandemic
WWE has been without a touring schedule ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started, with their events happening either at the Performance Center or the Thunderdome at the Amway Center. The latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that talent in WWE have been told that the old way of touring will not happen whenever the US returns to normal.
One of the signs that they are moving in the direction of having no or few live events happened last week when a dozen employees were released. These included many who work in the live events department. The company is currently setting record profits without doing live events. Prior to that, house shows hadn’t been making as much money and were starting to be seen as a money loser for WWE.
House shows are more seen as a way for talent to develop more experience, and for the company to sell merchandise and cultivate more fans. However, when house shows went away, WWE Shop merchandise numbers went up and total sales ended up being nearly identical to when there were live events. The development of wrestlers is more of a problem with NXT, as the wrestlers on the main roster are said to be doing fine with the reduced schedule. In fact, the schedule has led to less wear-and-tear on wrestlers bodies, which means fewer injuries and longer careers.