Pro wrestling is the only "sport" to have continued during the COVID-19 pandemic, but both WWE and All Elite Wrestling have been forced to do so without fans in attendance. To counter that, both companies have had to go to some unique lengths, including having other wrestlers act as a live crowd would.
AEW has been holding Dark and Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily's Place, but former World Champion Chris Jericho recently told WrestleZone that he believes that fans will soon be able to return to their shows.
"For us to have a crowd ready to come back when we’re ready to have them. I’d love to see that soon," he explained. "For us in Jacksonville at Daily’s Place, it’s a 6,000 seat amphitheater. You could put 1,000 people in there and space them out six feet accordingly and have a 1,000 people. I think we’re just waiting on the okay from the governor on that."
"I say, hell, start with 100 people, start with 200 people, whatever the rule is. I think we’re almost there," Jericho continued, "because if stand-up comedy has it there’s no reason why wrestling can’t have it either."
A lot of restrictions are now being lifted in Florida, so it wouldn't be all that surprising if what Jericho says soon becomes a reality. As long as social distancing measures are put in place, there's really no reason fans couldn't return, though it will be hard to avoid this potentially leading to another peak of cases if strict guidelines aren't put in place.