WWE News: Superstar Discusses Backstage Reaction To First ‘Friday Night SmackDown’ Without A Crowd
WWE superstar Mojo Rawley recently appeared on Busted Open Radio to discuss a variety of topics, one of which included the first-ever Friday Night SmackDown from the Performance Center, which took place with no fans in attendance.
As quoted by WrestlingNews.co, the superstar revealed that he wanted to be part of the historic event, as the show didn’t have an audience. However, his familiarity with the Performance Center meant that the experience wasn’t too surreal for him.
“It was insane. [But] I was pretty excited about it. You know, being at the Performance Center having a show with no fanfare. I mean that’s what we do, what WWE is about [reacting to fans]. That’s how we gauge all of our matches. [I was] curious and intrigued to see what it was gonna be like. Not only that, like I said I’m there training every day.”
According to Rawley, the building was like a “ghost town” that day, but he was intrigued to see how they’d transform the center to accommodate a wrestling show. He discussed wondering where they’d set up catering and locker rooms, while also revealing that he hardly saw anyone the entire day.
1. @WWE #Smackdown was fantastic last night even with no live fans.
2. @RobGronkowski will be on #SDLive next week.
3. Thank you to everyone behind the scenes for making yesterday work.
4. Apologies for beating the heck out of @MichaelCole with @TripleH. pic.twitter.com/6oCHisUlAg— Dean “Mojo” Muhtadi (@MojoMuhtadi) March 14, 2020
The superstar also said that WWE called him at the last minute to see if he could attend the show. When he got the call, he was in the Bahamas having a holiday on the beach, which the superstar revealed was rare for him as he rarely takes time for himself. Of course, as soon as he got the call, he was on the next flight to Florida.
Rawley also stood out in the episode. He wore a pink suit and was featured in a segment that saw him attack Michael Cole. Even though there weren’t any fans in attendance, he appeared to have a fun time on the show.
The Performance Center will be the venue for all of WWE’s weekly shows until the coronavirus pandemic calms down. Tomorrow’s Monday Night Raw will even feature a couple of Hall of Famers in attendance, though there won’t be any fans there to cheer them on.
The future of WWE programming is uncertain for now, and how the company moves ahead with upcoming shows will likely change in accordance with the current pandemic. However, the company is ensuring that the business is moving forward as usual, even though the shows have been forced to adopt a more experimental format.
