{"id":64588,"date":"2020-03-11T16:25:18","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T20:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/?p=64588"},"modified":"2020-03-23T00:55:22","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T04:55:22","slug":"wrestlemania-collective-coronavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/03\/11\/wrestlemania-collective-coronavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"The Collective: “Show Must Go On” Regardless of Possible WrestleMania Postponement"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/strong><\/em>, 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<\/a>, 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.”<\/p>\n

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Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Collective<\/strong>, 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)<\/strong>. GCW has helped revolutionize WrestleMania Week in the past few years, beginning with the first Joey Janela’s Spring Break<\/strong><\/em> 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<\/strong>, Ohio’s Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW)<\/strong>, New Jersey’s Pizza Party Wrestling<\/strong>, and Canada’s International Wrestling Syndicate (IWS)<\/strong>. This year’s Collective sees BLP, Pizza Party and AIW returning, plus shows from Japan’s FREEDOMS<\/strong>, Georgia’s ACTION Wrestling<\/strong>, a group of Texas indies including Inspire Pro, Heavy Metal Wrestling & Sabotage Wrestling<\/strong>, and such specialty shows like Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport<\/strong><\/em> and the 4th annual Spring Break<\/em>. 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.<\/p>\n

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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…<\/p>\n

— brett lauderdale (@Lauderdale11) March 10, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n