As Phase 3 of re-opening from the coronavirus pandemic continues, the office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has given clearance to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins to go full capacity of 65,000 fans at their home games, which take place at Hard Rock Stadium.
This means WWE could likely do the same with fans in attendance if they move WrestleMania 37 to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. As noted last week at this link, there are plans in place to move WrestleMania 37 from the Los Angeles area to Tampa.
While the state has given the Dolphins approval for full capacity, they are sticking with their limit of 13,000 for their next home game on October 25.
DeSantis recently urged NFL stadiums to move forward with filling their seats as the season progresses. He also said the state wants to be able to show that they’re going to be able to host the NFL’s Super Bowl LV in February.
“We expect to do a full Super Bowl,” DeSantis said. “We want to show we’re going to be able to do that.”
The NFL’s Super Bowl LV is currently scheduled for Sunday, February 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. WWE’s WrestleMania 37 is currently scheduled for Sunday, March 28. While WWE still has the WrestleMania location listed as So-Fi Stadium in Hollywood, it’s believed that they will be announcing the new venue soon – Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, where WrestleMania 36 was originally scheduled to take place before the COVID-19 pandemic hit earlier this year.
Regarding NFL crowds, DeSantis noted that the sticking point has not been a “question of government,” but one of “what the leagues have been comfortable with.”
“I fully understand, and we will work with them, they want to go slower more than anyone, so it’s not like they want to have full capacity,” DeSantis added. “But I think you can do much more than what’s been done.”
DeSantis is also pushing for a return to live music, especially at outdoor venues.
“I’ve had some folks ask me about certain restrictions,” DeSantis said. “There’s certainly no legal prohibition from them doing fans.”
WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon has been wanting to return to having fans again, and will likely get his wish to do it in front of as many fans as they can attract if the big event is moved to Tampa.
One recent report on WWE moving WrestleMania 37 from Hollywood to Tampa noted that the company already had some of the Tampa-area buildings for WrestleMania 37 Week events locked in. If the event were to stay in Hollywood, there are potential scheduling conflicts in Los Angeles with the Staples Center.
WWE would not confirm the venue change for WrestleMania 37 when asked last week, but they did issue the following statement to the media:
“We have nothing to report and given the current environment, we continue to monitor locations for all of our potential events.”
