With the exception of WrestleMania 37, WWE has been running all of their events without live fans for the last 16 months as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. That’s why tomorrow night (July 16) is such an exciting time for many pro wrestling fans, because WWE will be back on the road with live fans finally in attendance for SmackDown on FOX.
Vince McMahon is celebrating the occasion on his own personal Twitter account, which is definitely run by him and nobody else, by releasing the following “Welcome back!” video:
For over a year and a half, we have waited. This weekend, we once again welcome the @WWE Universe back! #SmackDown #MITB #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/Q1GGhLhqRD
— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) July 15, 2021
WWE is really good at producing these videos. This one is full of memorable moments with fans at their loudest. That includes moments such as Daniel Bryan’s “Yes! Movement” hijacking Raw, Roman Reigns declaring it’s his yard now, the dueling “Let’s go Cena! / Cena sucks!” chant, bloody Becky Lynch escaping through the audience after invading Raw, Elias getting booed out of Seattle, and more.
So welcome back, live wrestling fans! Now it’s time for you to let WWE know how you really feel about all of the wrestlers who have received WWE-controlled piped-in audio every week since the inception of the ThunderDome last August. How long will it be until we hear that first chant for CM Punk?
What are you looking forward to the most with the return of live fans to WWE events?
Update: Stephanie McMahon has sent out the following message to join her father in welcoming back live fans to WWE events:
Good morning,
For over a year and a half, WWE has been missing the lifeblood of our shows, our fans. No matter how hard we tried, never going off the air and continuing to produce our live content; investing in new technologies and bringing nearly one million people around the world into our shows virtually, it just wasn’t the same. We were missing our soundtrack, missing the shared experience, missing the visceral and emotional reaction that makes every bump and bruise worth it.
That all changes tomorrow night. Please watch this tribute video as shared by our Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon on Twitter this morning, and join us in opening our doors and our arms to welcome our fans back home, where we all belong.
Thank you to our friends, partners, employees, Superstars, and of course, our fans, for hanging in there all this time. The wait is officially over.
See you tomorrow!
-Steph