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Former WWE Superstar Aleister Black (now known as Malakai Black in AEW) recently spoke of the difficulties Vince McMahon faced when it came to booking shows at the start of the pandemic.
Much like the rest of the world, WWE's world was turned upside down in 2020. COVID-19 forced everybody to drastically change the pattern of their personal and professional lives. The professional wrestling industry thrives on fans and their reactions. However, during the pandemic, superstars had to perform in empty stadiums.
Malakai Black recently appeared on the Universal Wrestling Podcast. He stated that at the beginning of COVID-19, Vince McMahon did not know which superstars were getting the best reactions as there were no live audiences.
"When the pandemic hit, I was always told the reason why the booking was the way it was is because Vince was just going ‘I don’t know who’s over or not, I don’t know who’s getting a good reaction, I don’t know because the ratings are doing all this’. I don’t know, he couldn’t like track it and that made him really frustrated. Which is understandable because obviously, prior to that, I was a very well…at least, maybe well is not the right word but I was in a position where I was actually being pushed more up the ladder. I really think that the pandemic era did so much damage," Black said. H/T WrestlingInc
With shows once again back in front of live crowds, it is fair to say that fans and performers alike do not want empty arena shows from the WWE Performance Center to make an appearance ever again.
Vince McMahon welcomed fans back in 2021
After a year of performing in the absence of the WWE Universe, fans began to fill seats in arenas all across the United States in 2021.
At WrestleMania 37 last year in Tampa Bay, Vince McMahon, along with the WWE roster, welcomed their loyal fans back.
Since July 16, 2021, normality seems to have resumed. The WWE Universe has been in attendance for various editions of RAW, SmackDown, NXT and many premium live events.
