Would you believe it has already been one year since WWE fans bustled through arena doors by the tens of thousands to see a live show? It’s hard to believe that a week that began by seeing over 14,000 fans in a packed Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia for the Elimination Chamber, ended on a much quieter note as that Friday’s (Friday the 13th no less) SmackDown was the first to be broadcast from the fanless Performance Center.
On Wednesday, March 11th, 2020 for NXT, WWE opened its doors to a live audience for the last time – thus marking the final time a WWE show would take place with a crowd in attendance. The COVID-19 pandemic brought the cast-iron, WWE touring schedule – in place for decades – to a screeching halt. No more grueling US-wide, house show-included schedules; no more ventures overseas. The WWE Performance Center or the Thunderdome would become the new home of RAW, SmackDown, NXT and all Pay Per Views going forward, a tradition which remains in place at the time of this writing. WWE is planning to welcome back fans for the first time in over a year, for WrestleMania 37, however it seems this will be a one-off for the time being, with full arenas not expected weekly anytime soon.
That means that this, for now, continues to be the new normal. Many big moments have taken place within the WWE over the past year, with the COVID era actually bringing about some fresh and much-needed changes to the company’s product. Let us now take a look at the top WWE moments which would have most benefited from a live, WWE audience.
It’s been an unprecedented year. We miss you, @WWEUniverse. pic.twitter.com/SAxdXd5Yex
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) March 6, 2021
Drew McIntyre Becomes WWE Champion (April 5, 2020)
2020 was really the year of Drew McIntyre. Upon debuting within the WWE in 2009, he had the “Chosen One” moniker given to him by none other than Vince McMahon. In 2014, of course, Drew – who had been performing in a bit-part, jobber comedy gimmick as a member of 3MB (with Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater) – would be released from his WWE contract. He was largely viewed as yet another failed project, tossed aside with the likes of Nathan Jones, Renee Dupree, Muhammad Hassan (through no fault of his own) and Vladimir Kozlov, to name a few. What came, of course, was a remarkable run on the indies, notably with Scottish promotion, ICW, and a run in IMPACT Wrestling which saw him capture the world title. His noticeable improvement regained the attention of the WWE and he would quickly become NXT Champion, before moving to the main roster and becoming the heelish “Scottish Psychopath” character. Before long, he was winning the Men’s Royal Rumble in 2020 and challenging Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXXVI. A remarkable turnaround and as witnessed from the Royal Rumble to RAW’s final show in front of an audience on March 2 2020, the crowd were firmly behind Drew. His big moment only missed the hot WrestleMania crowd.
Roman Reigns Becomes the Tribal Chief (August 28, 2020)
If Drew McIntyre was the top babyface of 2020, Roman Reigns was definitely the top heel. Despite missing a large portion of the year, including WrestleMania, Roman would return in a big way towards the tail end of 2020. He initially returned at SummerSlam, attacking Braun Strowman and The Fiend after their WWE Universal Championship match. This didn’t seem too different from the old Roman Reigns. The big reveal of Roman’s true intentions would follow on the following SmackDown, August 28, when Roman aligned with Paul Heyman in a backstage segment which would have received a roar from a WWE audience. The rest, as they say, is history. Roman would become the “Tribal Chief”; SmackDown would become his “island” and anyone who fails to acknowledge him as their Tribal Chief would be dealt with accordingly (as has Kevin Owens already). Roman Reigns is on an incredible run right now and it is a damn shame that the WWE Universe has missed out, in a live setting.
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Sasha Banks Dethrones Bayley as SmackDown Women’s Champion (October 25, 2020)
Before dropping the SmackDown Women’s Champion to Sasha Banks at Hell in a Cell 2020, Bayley was unstoppable. She began her second reign as champion on the October 11 edition of SmackDown in 2019, capturing the title from Charlotte Flair. What would then occur was a reign longer than the previous five combined, as Bayley would hold the title for a record 380 days. Sasha Banks, for a long time, had arguably been the most underutilized of the Four Horsewomen. She was a huge star in NXT, making history for regularly main eventing shows over men at a time when women’s wrestling wasn’t what it is now within the WWE. Then on the main roster, she was given a few title reigns where she couldn’t successfully defend the championship and her momentum was quickly derailed whilst Becky Lynch, Charlotte, and Bayley each found themselves enjoying lengthy and numerous title reigns. In beating Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Hell in a Cell, successfully defending it and presently (at the time of this writing) enjoying a 131 day title reign, Sasha Banks is finally receiving both the push and recognition she deserves. She only needed a live audience to enjoy her reign and journey with her.
Randy Orton Ignites The Fiend (December 20, 2020)
Say what you want about the lengthy and ongoing feud between Randy Orton, Alexa Bliss and Bray Wyatt, but Randy Orton igniting The Fiend in the Firely Inferno match – burning him alive – made for very entertaining, if not overly morbid viewing. The big moment at the culmination of the match may have been more difficult to pull off in front of a live audience; switching Bray out for a wax dummy might potentially prove tricky with watching eyes. But if they could pull it off, it would no doubt be a moment met with a chorus of “Holy S**t!” chants.
Royal Rumble Returns (January 31, 2021)
Every year, arguably the most hotly-anticipated WWE PPV is the Royal Rumble. It almost always features an eagerly loud and excitable crowd; the Royal Rumble matches themselves, which are almost always fun and, of course, feature a number of usually one-night-only legend returns and NXT cameos. This year’s Royal Rumble, despite missing an audience, was no different as we witnessed the returns of Victoria, Jillian Hall, Mickie James, Torrie Wilson, Alicia Fox, Carlito, Kane, Hurricane Helms and Christian. Victoria and Jillian Hall would have received big pops, with both having not featured in a WWE ring in many years (Victoria had not worked for the WWE since 2009). Carlito, similarly, would have been met with a big reception, with his noticeable physical transformation already the topic of many online wrestling forums. Christian, too, had a big moment in the match; tearfully and emotionally reuniting E&C on Edge‘s run to winning the entire Royal Rumble match. Royal Rumble events nearly always require a live audience, not only for the big returns and debuts that take place, but also the star-making moments that occur.
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Bianca Belair Wins the WWE Women’s Royal Rumble Match (January 31, 2021)
At this year’s Royal Rumble, arguably the biggest talking point of all was Bianca Belair winning the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Almost everyone is unison in their praise of Bianca, who is undoubtedly one of the most gifted and talented members of the WWE roster. Whereas she is not yet the fully polished article, she has the potential to be one of the greatest women’s wrestlers of all time. In winning her respective Royal Rumble match this year, she has announced herself to the WWE Universe in devastatingly dominant fashion. She has challenged Sasha Banks to a match for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania XXXVII on April 10-11. This could potentially be the second women’s main event of a WrestleMania night, and therefore even more of a star-making moment than her Royal Rumble victory. If the EST pulls off the big win against the BOSS, there is no doubt that moment will have to be added to this article. Bianca Belair is becoming a star before our very eyes and, just like every other moment listed above, we can only dream how much bigger the moment would have been with a hot WWE audience.
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