Ahead of last night's Hell in a Cell PPV, Paul Heyman was a guest on a special edition of The Gorilla Position podcast. He covered a number of topics, including his relationship with Universal Champion Roman Reigns. However, something particularly noteworthy is what he had to say about the "ThunderDome" concept.
WWE is using LED screens at ringside for fans at home to appear in the crowd. While it's certainly helped give shows a bigger feel, there's been something of a mixed response (especially with the piped in crowd noise that's being used in lieu of a real crowd).
For what it's worth, though, Heyman is on board with it. "The entire world has changed in 2020," he started. "Anybody that denies that is a fool. We are looking at an experience that is as close to a live crowd as one can experience right now under the current conditions. If you look at it from just a very straight perspective, we have two choices. We can either stop running shows or we can continue providing the entertainment that people turn to us for."
"So I’m a big fan of Thunderdome. Do I miss the live crowds? Absolutely. Of course I do. I’m someone who has thirty something years of experience performing in front of a live crowd. So I very much miss the live crowds. But because the live crowds are not available right now, this is as good as we are going to get in 2020."
It's a valid observation, and WWE is clearly just trying to make the best of a bad situation. Recently, the company extended its stay in Orlando's Amway Center, so it's unclear when fans will be welcomed back to WWE shows in person (it might not be this side of Christmas, anyway).