As global fears for the spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) heightens and major sporting and entertainment events in large stadiums are being canceled or postponed, millions of wrestling fans around the world are curious about the status for WrestleMania 36, being held in Tampa, Florida this in less than a month, at the Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, April 5. Florida has begun to accumulate it’s own cases, with 155 documented cases so far as of post time, with several in the Tampa area. One of the large concerns is that Florida has such a high percentage of elderly, who are the prime candidates for potential fatalities, and such large attractions could invite hundreds of thousands of hosts or carriers. According to reports, City of Tampa officials and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor are meeting on Thursday to discuss the possibility of canceling or postponing major events due to the coronavirus outbreak. But even if WrestleMania does get canceled, one group of indie promotions has decided the “show must go on.”
The Collective, which began last year in New Jersey/New York, is a united front of indie promotions from around the US and internationally lead by New Jersey’s Game Changer Wrestling (GCW). GCW has helped revolutionize WrestleMania Week in the past few years, beginning with the first Joey Janela’s Spring Break in 2017, by creating fun showcases for some of the US indie scene’s brightest prospects and unheralded veterans. Last year saw the creation of The Collective, which added shows from such indies as Indiana’s Black Label Pro, Ohio’s Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW), New Jersey’s Pizza Party Wrestling, and Canada’s International Wrestling Syndicate (IWS). This year’s Collective sees BLP, Pizza Party and AIW returning, plus shows from Japan’s FREEDOMS, Georgia’s ACTION Wrestling, a group of Texas indies including Inspire Pro, Heavy Metal Wrestling & Sabotage Wrestling, and such specialty shows like Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport and the 4th annual Spring Break. But the scare of the Coronavirus and the potential of the week being postponed or canceled proves to be a bigger concern for the indie promotions than the WWE. GCW’s Brett Lauderdale shared his concerns on Tuesday.
Sending out good vibes (and asking for them in return) this morning to all my friends and colleagues and even my competitors that are stressing right now. We've all worked so hard and invested so much in these upcoming events and unlike the big guys…
— brett lauderdale (@Lauderdale11) March 10, 2020
we don't have insurance policies to back us up. For alot of us, everything we have worked for is on the line. We are independent. We are small businesses with big dreams and literal years of hard work is on the line.
— brett lauderdale (@Lauderdale11) March 10, 2020
The show will go on until someone tells us the show can't go on, and we will work hard to cross the finish line and deliver everything as promised. So let's spread some positivity today and block out the fear and panic and hysteria and keep pushing forward together.
— brett lauderdale (@Lauderdale11) March 10, 2020
On Wednesday, The Collective – following a meeting from all concerned parties – released a statement to their fans, that now in the event that WrestleMania is canceled that The Collective will run as scheduled regardless.
On behalf of The Collective: pic.twitter.com/Zmtqtjbaym
— TheCollective2024 (@collective2024) March 11, 2020
Here’s the full release:
Soon after The Collective’s statement, the City of Tampa tweeted a response that WrestleMania WAS still slated to go as planned, a day before the planned meeting to discuss future events.
Hello, at this time @WrestleMania is still planned to proceed on schedule. Please contact the @WWE with questions about cancellations. The City is currently monitoring the spread of coronavirus and will work with venues as needed.
— City of Tampa (@CityofTampa) March 11, 2020
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
