Predecessor | Florida Championship Wrestling |
---|---|
Founded | July 11, 2013 |
Headquarters | United States: 5055 Forsyth Commerce Road, Suite 100, Orlando, Florida, United States United Kingdom: Unit 30/31, Great Cambridge Industrial Estate, Lincoln Road, Enfield, London, England |
Key people | Paul "Triple H" Levesque (EVP of Talent Relations, Head of Creative and Chief Content Officer) Shawn Michaels (VP of Talent Development Creative) Matt Bloom (VP of Talent Development, Head Coach) Sara Amato (Assistant Head Coach) Robbie Brookside, Steve Corino, Lince Dorado, Fit Finlay, Johnny Moss, Norman Smiley, Terry Taylor (Coach) |
Owner | Endeavor |
Parent | WWE (TKO Group Holdings) |
Website | recruit.wwe.com |
The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American organization, WWE, a division of TKO Group Holdings, a subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The system currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE wrestlers, as well as sports science and medical facilities. The first branch, located in Orlando, Florida, was opened on July 11, 2013. The second branch opened on January 11, 2019, in Enfield, London. [1]
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the main studio of the Performance Center in Orlando became WWE's home arena, with the company moving its weekly television programs and all pay-per-views for Raw and SmackDown (including WrestleMania 36) behind closed doors at the facility from March 2020 onward. In August 2020, WWE moved Raw and SmackDown's closed productions to an arena setting as the WWE ThunderDome—which used a larger-scale production more in line with its touring shows but with a virtual audience.
NXT and 205 Live subsequently moved to the Performance Center in October 2020, with NXT moving from its former home at Full Sail University, and its main arena being reconfigured as the "Capitol Wrestling Center" (CWC) to suit the look and feel of NXT programming. Unlike Raw and SmackDown's tenure at the Performance Center, NXT's move was permanent, and most of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in June 2021. The CWC naming was dropped in September 2021 as part of a larger relaunch of NXT, which saw a second reconfiguration of the arena.
The Orlando facility covers 26,000 square feet (2,400 m2) and includes seven training rings (including a special padded ring for high-flying moves), a strength and conditioning program, edit and production facilities including an ultra-slow camera, and a voice-over room that performers and on-air announcers can use to practice. [2] [3] The facility was opened in 2013 and replaced the training center at WWE's former developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), which was based in Tampa and had been serving as WWE's developmental headquarters since 2008. [3] [4] [5]
The Performance Center trains around 65 to 70 wrestlers at any one time. Trainees have a variety of experience levels, from beginners from non-wrestling backgrounds to experienced wrestlers from the independent circuit. Wrestlers train to improve their in-ring performance, strength and conditioning, as well as working on their characters and personality. Upcoming referees, ring announcers, commentators, and backstage interviewers also train at the Performance Center. The trainees train full-time, while also performing at weekly NXT house shows and appearing on NXT television. In addition, established WWE performers often use the facility for training and injury rehab while mentoring new trainees.
The Performance Center uses former wrestlers as trainers. The inaugural head trainer was Bill DeMott, who departed the company in 2015 and was replaced by Matt Bloom. [6] Other trainers include Sara Amato, Robbie Brookside, Norman Smiley, Adam Pearce, Mike Quackenbush, Ace Steel, Scotty 2 Hotty [7] and Sarah Stock. [8] Dusty Rhodes was responsible for developing the trainees' microphone skills and wrestling personas until his death in 2015. [9] The Performance Center includes some guest trainers, including Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. [10] [11] [12]
In addition to training contracted performers, the Performance Center is also regularly used for tryouts which operate on an invite-only basis and include athletes from a wide variety of backgrounds, including established domestic and international professional wrestlers, amateur wrestlers, NFL and NCAA American football players, and individuals from a range of other sporting and non-sporting backgrounds. [13] [14] [15]
A second Britain-based Performance Center opened in Enfield, London on January 11, 2019. [16] In April 2019, WWE announced plans to open additional Performance Centers in India and China. [17]
On March 12, 2020, WWE announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic (which resulted in the suspension of many professional sports leagues), live episodes of Raw and SmackDown would air from the Performance Center without an audience until further notice, beginning with the following day's episode of SmackDown. The company had begun filming episodes of NXT without an audience at Full Sail University the previous day, although the March 11 episode was filmed at the Performance Center and was the last show produced with a live paying audience. [18] On March 16, it was announced that WrestleMania 36, set to take place on April 5 and previously scheduled for Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, would instead be moved to the Performance Center, again without an audience and would expand to two nights taking place on Saturday April 4 and Sunday April 5. [19]
The Performance Center continued to host episodes of Raw, SmackDown, 205 Live , and Main Event , as well as the pay-per-views Money in the Bank, Backlash, and The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, before the shows and pay-per-views moved to the new, larger-scale "ThunderDome" staging (under similar restrictions, but with a virtual audience on LED screens) at Orlando's Amway Center, beginning with the August 21 SmackDown and that weekend's SummerSlam. In December, the ThunderDome relocated to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida before moving to Yuengling Center in Tampa in April 2021, and being discontinued entirely in July 2021 with the resumption of touring shows. [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]
In October 2020, beginning with NXT TakeOver 31, NXT and 205 Live moved to the Performance Center (from Full Sail University and the ThunderDome at Amway Center, respectively, as 205 Live was being subsumed by NXT), using a reconfigured version of the facility's main arena branded as the "Capitol Wrestling Center"—an homage to WWE's precursor, the Capitol Wrestling Corporation. It was designed to reflect the look and feel of NXT programming, with a virtual audience similar to the ThunderDome on an LED screen in the studio, and areas for limited outside spectators divided by plexiglass walls decorated with chain-link fencing. [25] [26] [27] [28]
For TakeOver: Stand & Deliver in April 2021, the plexiglass wall dividers were removed and live audience capacity was increased. [29] TakeOver: In Your House in June lifted almost all COVID-19 protocols, including mask requirements and the virtual audience, and expanded its seating capacity to around 300, Those who had tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 14 days were asked not to attend. [30] While Raw and SmackDown resumed a live touring schedule in mid-July, [24] NXT's move to the Performance Center was permanent. On September 14, 2021, the arena received a new stage design with the relaunch of NXT as NXT 2.0; the Capitol Wrestling Center name was dropped at this time. [31]
The following are the events that have been held at the Performance Center while being used as a home arena:
Weekly television shows | |
---|---|
Show | Dates |
SmackDown | March 13, 2020 – August 14, 2020 |
205 Live | March 13, 2020 – August 14, 2020; October 9, 2020 – February 11, 2022 |
Raw | March 16, 2020 – August 17, 2020 |
Main Event | March 16, 2020 – August 17, 2020 (aired March 19, 2020 – August 20, 2020) |
NXT (NXT 2.0 from September 2021 to September 2022) | October 7, 2020 – present |
NXT Level Up | February 18, 2022 – present |
Television specials | |
Show | Date |
NXT: Halloween Havoc | October 28, 2020 |
NXT: A Very Gargano Christmas Special | December 23, 2020 |
2020 NXT Year-End Awards | December 30, 2020 |
NXT: New Year's Evil | January 6, 2021 |
NXT's move to Tuesday | April 13, 2021 |
NXT: The Great American Bash | July 6, 2021 |
NXT 2.0: Halloween Havoc | October 26, 2021 |
NXT 2.0: New Year's Evil | January 4, 2022 |
NXT 2.0: Vengeance Day | February 15, 2022 |
NXT 2.0: Roadblock | March 8, 2022 |
NXT 2.0: Spring Breakin' | May 3, 2022 |
NXT 2.0: The Great American Bash | July 5, 2022 |
NXT 2.0: Heatwave | August 16, 2022 |
NXT: New Year's Evil | January 10, 2023 |
NXT: Roadblock | March 7, 2023 |
NXT: Spring Breakin' | April 25, 2023 |
NXT: Gold Rush | June 20 and 27, 2023 |
Pay-per-view and WWE Network events | |
Event | Dates |
WrestleMania 36 | March 25–26, 2020 (aired April 4–5, 2020) |
Money in the Bank | May 10, 2020 |
Backlash | June 14, 2020 |
The Horror Show at Extreme Rules | July 19, 2020 |
NXT TakeOver 31 | October 4, 2020 |
NXT TakeOver: WarGames | December 6, 2020 |
NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day | February 14, 2021 |
NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver | April 7–8, 2021 |
NXT TakeOver: In Your House | June 13, 2021 |
NXT TakeOver 36 | August 22, 2021 |
NXT WarGames | December 5, 2021 |
NXT In Your House | June 4, 2022 |
Worlds Collide | September 4, 2022 |
Halloween Havoc | October 22, 2022 |
NXT Deadline | December 10, 2022 |
The first WWE Performance Center facility was opened on July 11, 2013. The Performance Center replaced the training center at WWE's former developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), which was based in Tampa and had been serving as WWE's developmental headquarters since 2008. [4]
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Adam Scherr | currently competes as Braun Strowman on the Raw brand. |
Alexis Kaufman | currently competes as Alexa Bliss on the Raw brand. |
Ashley Sebera | competed as Dana Brooke on Raw, SmackDown and NXT. Released from WWE in 2023. |
CJ Perry | competed as Lana on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Charles Betts | currently competes as Chad Gable on the Raw brand. |
David Harwood | competed as Scott Dawson on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2020. |
Dean Muhtadi | competed as Mojo Rawley on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Eric Arndt | competed as Enzo Amore on Raw and NXT. Released from WWE in 2018. |
Gary Gordon | currently competes as Angelo Dawkins on the SmackDown brand. |
James Smith | competed as Bull Dempsey on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2016. |
Joseann Offerman | competed as Jojo on the NXT brand before becoming a ring announcer for Raw and SmackDown. Left WWE in 2021. |
Leah Van Dale | currently competes as Carmella on the Raw brand. |
Levi Cooper | competed as Tucker and Tucker Knight on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Mikael Vierge | competed as Marcus Louis on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2016. |
Matthew Adams | competed as Buddy Murphy and Murphy on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Natalie Coyle | competed as Eva Marie on the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brands. Released from WWE in 2017 and again in 2021. |
Pamela Martinez | currently competes as Bayley on the SmackDown brand. |
Stuart Tomlinson | competed as Hugo Knox on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2016. |
Thomas Pestock | currently competes as Baron Corbin on the NXT brand. |
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Daniel Wheeler | competed as Dash Wilder on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2020. |
Gionna Daddio | currently competes as Liv Morgan on the Raw brand. |
Michael Rallis | competed as Riddick Moss and Madcap Moss on Raw, SmackDown and NXT. Released from WWE in 2023. |
Noah Potjes | competed as Kona Reeves on NXT. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Sabatino Piscitelli | competed as Tino Sabbatelli on NXT house shows. Released from WWE in 2020 and again in 2021. |
Savelina Fanene | currently competes as Nia Jax on the Raw brand. |
Sunny Dhinsa | currently competes as Akam on the SmackDown brand. |
Stephen Kupryk | competed as Steve Cutler on SmackDown and NXT. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Adrian Jaoude | competed as Arturo Ruas on Raw and NXT. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Adrienne Palmer | competed as Ember Moon on the Raw, NXT, and SmackDown brands. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Amanda Saccomanno | competed as Mandy Rose on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2022. |
Cezar Bononi | competed mostly on NXT house shows. Released from WWE in 2020. |
Chelsea Green | currently competes on the Raw brand under her real name. |
Christopher Girard | competed as Oney Lorcan on the NXT brand. Currently he is a trainer for the Performance Center since 2022. |
Daria Berenato | currently competes as Sonya Deville on the Raw brand. |
Dylan Miley | competed as Lars Sullivan on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Gabriela Castrovinci | competed as Gabi Castrovinci on the sixth season of WWE Tough Enough . Released from WWE in late 2015. |
Gzim Selmani | currently competes as Rezar on the SmackDown brand. |
Joshua Bredl | competed as Bronson Matthews on the sixth season of WWE Tough Enough and on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2017. |
Joshua Woods | competed as Preston Cunnigham Jr on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2016. |
Kenneth Crawford | currently competes as Montez Ford on the SmackDown brand. |
Nhooph Al-Areebi | competed as Aliyah on SmackDown and NXT. Released from WWE in 2023. |
Patrick Clark | competed as Velveteen Dream on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Radomir Petkovic | competed as King Konstantine on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2016. |
Sara Weston | competed as Sara Lee on the sixth season of WWE Tough Enough and on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2016. |
Satender Dagar | competed as Jeet Rama on NXT house shows. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Thomas Kingdon | competed on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2016. |
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Babatunde Aiyegbusi | competed as Dabba-Kato, Babatunde and Commander Azeez on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2023. |
Bianca Blair | currently competes as Bianca Belair on the SmackDown brand. |
Cheree Crowley | currently competes as Dakota Kai on the SmackDown brand. |
Danielle Kamela | competed as Vanessa Borne on NXT. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Demitrius Bronson | competed on NXT house shows. Released from WWE in 2018. |
Macey Estrella-Kadlec | competed as Lacey Evans on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2023. |
Nikola Bogojevic | currently competes as Otis on the Raw brand. |
Sarah Rowe | competed as Sarah Logan on Currently appears as Valhalla on the Raw brand. |
Taynara Melo | competed as Taynara Conti on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2020. |
Victoria Gonzalez | currently competes as Raquel Rodriguez on the Raw brand. |
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Eric Bugenhagen | competed as Rick Boogs on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2023. |
Dori Prange | competed as Ruby Riott on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Julia Ho | competed as Zeda on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2018. |
Kacy Catanzaro | currently competes as Katana Chance on the Raw brand. |
Kavita Dalal | competed as Kavita Devi on NXT. Released from WWE in 2021. |
MaryKate Glidewell | competed as Sage Beckett on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2018. |
Shayna Baszler | currently competes on the Raw brand under her real name. |
Steffanie Newell | currently competes as Tegan Nox on the Raw brand. |
Thea Trinidad | currently competes as Zelina Vega on the SmackDown brand. |
Yanbo Wang | currently competes as Boa on the NXT brand. |
Zhao Xia | competed as Xia Li on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2024. |
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Allyssa Lane | currently competes as Kayden Carter on the Raw brand. |
Daniel Vidot | competed as Xyon Quinn on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2024. |
Deonna Purrazzo | competed mostly on NXT. Released from WWE in 2020. |
Dong Jianjun | competed as Taishan Dong on the NXT brand. Left WWE in December 2018. |
Jessamyn Duke | competed on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Mansoor Al-Shehail | competed as Mansoor and mån.sôör on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2023. |
Marina Shafir | competed on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Rinku Singh | competed as Veer Mahaan on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2024. |
Ronda Rousey | competed on the Raw and SmackDown brands under her real name. Left WWE in October 2023. |
Tehuti Miles | currently competes as Ashante "Thee" Adonis on the SmackDown brand. |
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Briana Brandy | currently competes as B-Fab on the SmackDown brand. |
EJ Nduka | competed as Ezra Judge on NXT house shows. Released from WWE in 2020. |
Jordan Omogbehin | currently competes as Omos on the Raw and SmackDown brands. |
Nick Comoroto | competed as Nick Ogarelli on NXT house shows. Released from WWE in 2020. |
Omari Palmer | currently competes as Odyssey Jones on the Raw brand. |
Samantha De Martin | currently competes as Indi Hartwell on the Raw brand. |
Names | Notes |
---|---|
AJ Francis | competed as Top Dolla on SmackDown and NXT. Released from WWE in 2023. |
Anriel Howard | currently competes as Lash Legend on the NXT brand. |
Emily Andzulis | currently competes as Ivy Nile on the NXT brand. |
Gurvinder Malhotra | competed as Shanky on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Released from WWE in 2023. |
Jacob Kasper | currently competes as Julius Creed on the Raw brand. |
Sidney Bateman | currently competes as Scrypts on the NXT brand. |
Simone Johnson | currently training as Ava for the NXT brand. |
Taylor Grado | currently competes as Jacy Jayne on the NXT brand. |
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Benjamin Buchanan | currently competes as Brooks Jensen on the NXT brand. |
Bronson Rechsteiner | currently competes as Bron Breakker on the SmackDown brand. |
Drew Kasper | currently competes as Brutus Creed on the Raw brand. |
Priscilla Kelly | currently competes as Gigi Dolin on the NXT brand. |
Faith Jefferies | currently competes as Nikkita Lyons on the NXT brand. |
Bobby Steveson | currently competes as Damon Kemp on the NXT. |
Gable Steveson | currently competes for the NXT brand under his real name. |
Joseph Fatu | currently competes as Solo Sikoa on the SmackDown brand. |
Karissa Rivera | currently competes as Elektra Lopez on the SmackDown brand. |
Parker Boudreaux | competed as Harland on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2022. |
Stephanie De Lander | competed as Persia Pirotta on the NXT brand. Released from WWE in 2022. |
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Amelia Herr | competed as Sloane Jacobs for the NXT brand. Released in November 2022. |
Theresa Schuessler | currently competes as Fallon Henley on the NXT brand. |
Tracy Hancock | currently training as Tavion Heights for the NXT brand. |
Sydney Jeannine Zmrzel | currently competes as Maxxine Dupri on the Raw brand. |
Breanna Ruggiero | currently competes as Brinley Reece on the NXT brand. |
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Caleb Balgaard | currently training as Kale Dixon for the NXT brand. |
Valerie Loureda | currently competes as Lola Vice for the NXT brand. |
Issac Odugbesan | currently competes as Oba Femi for the NXT brand. |
Karl Fredericks | currently competes as Eddy Thorpe for the NXT brand. |
Roman Macek | currently training as Luca Crusifino for the NXT brand. |
Lea Mitchell | currently competes as Kelani Jordan for the NXT brand. |
Tiller Bucktrot | currently training as Trey Bearhill for the NXT brand. |
Chukwusom Enekwechi | currently training as Tyriek Igwe for the NXT brand. |
Rickssen Opont | currently training as Tyson DuPont for the NXT brand. |
Jade Cargill | currently competes on the SmackDown brand under her real name. |
Anna Keefer | currently training as Adriana Rizzo for the NXT brand. |
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Anthony Luke | Future NXT rookie that has yet to receive a developmental contract |
Beau Morris | currently training as Drake Morreaux for the NXT brand. |
Brogan Finlay | currently training as Uriah Conners for the NXT brand. |
Copeland Barbee | Future NXT rookie that has yet to receive a developmental contract |
Coy Wanner | Future NXT rookie that has yet to receive a developmental contract |
Andrezj Hughes-Murray | currently training as Dion Lennox for the NXT brand. |
Ezekiel Balogun | Future NXT rookie that has yet to receive a developmental contract |
Hayden Pittman | Future NXT rookie that has yet to receive a developmental contract |
Hunter Smallback | Future NXT rookie that has yet to receive a developmental contract |
Malachi Jeffers | currently training as Je'Von Evans for the NXT brand. |
Jonah Niesenbaum | Future NXT rookie that has yet to receive a developmental contract |
Josh Black | Future NXT rookie that has yet to receive a developmental contract |
Kevin Robertson | currently training as Keanu Carver for the NXT brand. |
Lucky Ali | currently training as Saquon Shugars for the NXT brand. |
G'Angelo Hancock | currently training as Tavion Heights for the NXT brand. |
Chukwusom Enekwechi | currently training as Tyriek Igwe for the NXT brand. |
Vlad Pavlenko | Future NXT rookie that has yet to receive a developmental contract |
Ajiea Lee Hargrave | Future NXT rookie that has yet to receive a developmental contract |
Breanna Covington | Future NXT rookie that has yet to receive a developmental contract |
Kennedy Cummins | currently training as Carlee Bright for the NXT brand. |
Derrian Gobourne | is one step closer to becoming a current NXT rookie but has ended up here at the performance center |
Destinee Brown | Future NXT rookie that has yet to receive a developmental contract |
Emma Maria Diaz | Future NXT rookie that has yet to receive a developmental contract |
Jade Gentile | currently training as Jazmyn Nyx for the NXT brand. |
Harleigh White | currently training as Kiyah Saint for the NXT brand. |
Tylynn Register | currently training as Lainey Reid for the NXT brand. |
Peyton Prussin | currently training as Kendal Grey for the NXT brand. |
Tamyra Mensah-Stock | is one step closer to becoming a current NXT rookie but has ended up here at the performance center |
Olena Sadovska | currently training as Zena Sterling for the NXT brand. |
|- |Template:Thunder Keck |recently attended a tryout and got selected to report to the performance center [32] |} |- |Template:Vincent Winey |recently attended a tryout and got selected to report to the performance center [33] |} |-
The British branch was located at the Great Cambridge Industrial Estate in Enfield, London [34] and was opened on January 11, 2019. [16] The center was 17,000 square feet and included 2 rings. [35] [36]
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Marie Gabert | competed as Jazzy Gabert on NXT UK. Released from WWE in 2020. |
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Amy Samardzija | competed as Candy Floss on the NXT UK brand. Released from WWE in 2021. |
Names | Notes |
---|---|
Benjamin Timms | currently competes as Nathan Frazer on the NXT brand. |
In August 2015, Orange County Sheriff's Office deputies shot 29-year-old Armando Montalvo outside the Performance Center after he threatened them and ignored commands. Montalvo was "obsessed" with female wrestler AJ Lee and made numerous attempts to trespass through the facility, despite an injunction against him by WWE. [37] [38] Days after the shooting, Montalvo claimed he was bipolar when he was questioned by detectives. He faced trial in February 2016 on charges of aggravated assault, resisting an officer with violence, and trespassing. A public defender representing Montalvo has entered a written plea of not guilty on his behalf. [39]
On April 19, 2018, WWE filed an emergency restraining order against Montalvo after he returned to the Performance Center the previous month and harassed the employees. In addition, Montalvo posted a threatening message to WWE wrestlers and staff on his Instagram account. [40] On May 7, 2018, Montalvo was arrested for missing his court date with WWE. [41]
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind their flagship event, WrestleMania. It is also considered one of the company's five biggest events of the year, along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank, referred to as the "Big Five". The event has been broadcast on pay-per-view (PPV) since the inaugural 1988 event and via livestreaming since the 2014 event.
Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the second longest-running pay-per-view (PPV) event in history, behind WWE's flagship event, WrestleMania. In addition to traditional PPV since the inaugural 1987 event, it has aired via livestreaming since the 2014 event. It is also considered one of the company's five biggest events of the year, along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, and Money in the Bank, referred to as the "Big Five".
Kia Center is an indoor arena located in the downtown core of Orlando, Florida. The arena is home to the Orlando Magic of the NBA, the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, and the Orlando Predators of the National Arena League.
WWE NXT, also known simply as NXT, is an American professional wrestling television program. It is produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, featuring performers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The show currently airs live on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the USA Network.
NXT TakeOver was a series of periodic professional wrestling events produced by the American promotion WWE for its NXT brand division. The first TakeOver was simply titled TakeOver and was held in May 2014 as the brand's second major live event, after Arrival in February. TakeOver subsequently became the name for NXT's major events that were held several times a year. Beginning with the second event, TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way, many events included a subtitle, which either revived old WWE event names or were named after the event's location, some of which occurred annually, but some of the later ones were simply titled by their installment number. A total of 36 TakeOver events were held from May 2014 to August 2021.
WWE 205 Live is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by WWE. It premiered on November 29, 2016, as a replacement for WWE Superstars, and ended on February 11, 2022. The show originally aired exclusively on the WWE Network until March 2021 when the American version of the WWE Network merged under Peacock, after which, it was available on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network in international markets.
WWE Clash of Champions was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. It was broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and the livestreaming service, the WWE Network. The event was established in 2016 and replaced Night of Champions in the late September slot of WWE's pay-per-view calendar. The event was moved to December in 2017, but returned to the September slot after the event was reinstated in 2019. An event was originally scheduled for 2021 but was canceled and replaced by that year's Extreme Rules event. Similar to Night of Champions, the theme of the event was that all active WWE championships available to each brand division featured at the event were defended.
The 2020 Survivor Series was the 34th annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on November 22, 2020, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. It was WWE's final PPV presented from the Amway Center during the COVID-19 pandemic as the ThunderDome was relocated to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida due to the start of the 2020–21 ECHL and NBA seasons. The theme of the event was brand supremacy and featured wrestlers from the two brands against each other—unlike the 2019 event, NXT was not included at this year's event. The event also celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Undertaker's WWE debut—his retirement ceremony closed the event. This was the fourth Survivor Series event to take place in the state of Florida.
The 2021 Royal Rumble was the 34th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on January 31, 2021, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was the first Royal Rumble event held since the death of Pat Patterson, who created the Royal Rumble match. This is the only Royal Rumble event to not have live fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 SummerSlam was the 33rd annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on August 23, 2020, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, and was WWE's first pay-per-view to be broadcast from the ThunderDome bio-secure bubble. It was also the first SummerSlam since 2011 to not feature Brock Lesnar, who competed in the main event match for the past six years and in 2012. Additionally, it was the first SummerSlam since 2009 to feature MVP.
2020 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.
The 2020 Clash of Champions was the fourth and final Clash of Champions professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on September 27, 2020, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. An event was planned for 2021, but its September date was instead given to Extreme Rules. As per the theme of the event, all championships available to the Raw and SmackDown brands at the time were defended with the exception of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, which was originally scheduled to be defended; however, the match was canceled as the champions were not medically cleared to compete.
The WWE ThunderDome was a bio-secure bubble created by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, in partnership with the full-service fan experience company, The Famous Group. It was launched in August 2020 as a way for professional wrestling fans to attend WWE events virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bubble was a videoconferencing crowd system and arena staging utilized for broadcasts of television shows and pay-per-views of the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. It worked by users signing up days before an event, logging in and joining at their allocated call time to be seen on a screen at the event in real time. It was free of charge to spectate an event.
The 2020 NXT Halloween Havoc was the first annual Halloween Havoc professional wrestling event produced by WWE, and 13th Halloween Havoc event overall. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event aired as a special episode of WWE's weekly television series NXT, broadcast on the USA Network. It took place on October 28, 2020, at the Capitol Wrestling Center, hosted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The television special was hosted by NXT wrestler Shotzi Blackheart.
The 2021 NXT: New Year's Evil was the inaugural NXT: New Year's Evil professional wrestling television special produced by WWE, and second New Year's Evil overall. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event took place on January 6, 2021, at the Capitol Wrestling Center, hosted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, and it aired live as a special episode of WWE's weekly television series NXT on the USA Network. This was the first WWE event to have a New Year's theme since the New Year's Revolution pay-per-view in 2007, and was the first New Year's Evil branded event since the former World Championship Wrestling's (WCW) Monday Nitro on December 27, 1999; WWE acquired WCW in 2001. The show was hosted by NXT wrestler Dexter Lumis.
WWE Superstar Spectacle is a series of professional wrestling events produced by the American company WWE. The events have primarily targeted the promotion's Indian market, and have showcased talent of Indian heritage.
The 2021 Fastlane was the sixth Fastlane professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on March 21, 2021, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was WWE's final pay-per-view presented from Tropicana Field during the COVID-19 pandemic as the ThunderDome was relocated to the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida due to the start of the 2021 Tampa Bay Rays season. It was the first Fastlane event held since 2019 and the last until 2023. It was also WWE's first pay-per-view event to air on Peacock in the United States, and the last to be available on the standalone version of the American WWE Network before its shutdown on April 4.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant disruption to different combat sports, particularly during the years of 2020 into 2021.
A virtual audience is the use of videoconferencing as a substitute for an in-person studio audience or spectators during a television program or sporting event. A virtual audience allows users to attend a television taping or other event virtually by viewing it via livestreaming, and having audio and video of themselves streamed via webcam to screens at the studio or event site.
NXT WarGames was a professional wrestling event produced annually by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's developmental territory NXT, it was broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and the livestreaming services Peacock and the WWE Network. The event was originally established in 2017 and held under the NXT TakeOver series. In September 2021, WWE discontinued the TakeOver series with the 2021 WarGames being NXT's first major event held following TakeOver's discontinuation.