WWE did a test run with fans to try out their "ThunderDome" set up before tomorrow night's episode of SmackDown, and this needs to be seen to be believed. The plan is for 1000 fans to be part of this virtual experience, with their faces projected on to a series of screens around the ring.
While the stage is vastly more impressive than the empty WWE Performance Center, looking at webcam images of random fans at home doesn't make for a pretty sight and is undeniably distracting.
Luckily, we won't have to listen to them chattering away at home because piped-in crowd noise is being used. Ultimately, this is going to be something fans at home either love or hate, and you can't really fault WWE for trying to do something new. However, there are probably better ways this could have been handled as the end result doesn't look amazing.
WWE has hired out the Amway Center in Orlando until the end of October, so this is likely to be the norm for the foreseeable future, but time will tell whether Vince McMahon ends up growing bored.
Check out some "ThunderDome" screenshots below: