WWE under pressure from TV partner to bring back live crowds - Reports

WWE may look to bring back live crowds sooner than expected.

Live crowds returned for the two nights of WrestleMania 37, and the change in the atmosphere for this wrestling event was startlingly different. As a result, rumors continue to suggest that WWE will bring live crowds back by SummerSlam, but those reports have not been confirmed yet.

Still, according to a tweet from WrestleVotes, FOX has been pushing for WWE to bring back live crowds over the past few weeks. The network has been looking for timeframes as to when the crowds will be back because it wants WWE to start competing with other sports.

"Heard from a very reliable source that FOX has privately pushed for a return to live crowds over the past few weeks, actively seeking updates on timeframes, etc," wrote WrestleVotes. "They’d like their billion dollar investment on the same playing field as the MLB, NBA & others."

Heard from a very reliable source that FOX has privately pushed for a return to live crowds over the past few weeks, actively seeking updates on timeframes, etc. They’d like their billion dollar investment on the same playing field as the MLB, NBA & others.

— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) May 20, 2021

Another report last week from Andrew Zarian of Mat Men Pro Wrestling indicated that WWE was looking to bring back fans by July 16 -19 if possible. The announcement came after AEW announced that it will start touring once again.

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Live crowds have been absent in WWE since the start of the pandemic

WWE WrestleMania

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE has been forced to hold shows without live crowds. For a while, there were rumors that WrestleMania 36 could be canceled, but WWE went ahead by holding the event in an empty arena.

The company made the best of this undesirable situation, as it aired two fantastic cinematic matches during the show.

Here's a full look at the updated #WWE #Thunderdome set up. #WWERAW pic.twitter.com/MqeDtKi3P4

— Aaron Rift of NoDQ.com (@aaronrift) April 13, 2021

Even with this successful adaptation, the number of fans watching the product fell dramatically over the year as WWE continued to host shows without an audience. Fans had always been a large part of the atmosphere for wrestling shows, and their absence hit WWE hard.

In response, beginning with last SummerSlam, the company introduced the WWE ThunderDome as a way to virtually bring fans back to the wrestling shows.

With that being said, it's fair to expect that the company's television ratings will increase once live fans return, whenever that may be.