*UPDATE*
WWE issued the following statement to ESPN about the report that SmackDown in Detroit has been cancelled:
“WWE has not cancelled Friday Night SmackDown in Detroit, however, based on the current situation, we are putting contingency plans in place in the event that upcoming WWE shows are cancelled by government officials, civil authorities and/or local venues.”
ORIGINAL STORY
Friday Night SmackDown on March 13th was scheduled to air from Detroit, Michigan but according to PWInsider, that show is no longer taking place in Detroit as its been cancelled. The site is reporting that this week’s show will broadcast live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. 205 Live will also air from the PC following SmackDown. The decision was made this afternoon due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
CBS Tampa reporter Ryan Bass noted on Twitter that Tampa, Florida mayor Jane Castor will meet with city officials on Thursday about possibly postponing or cancelling major events due to the Coronavirus. The ‘City Of Tampa’ Twitter account tweeted out the following today:
“Hello, at this time @WrestleMania is still planned to proceed on schedule. Please contact the @WWE with questions about cancellations. The City is currently monitoring the spread of coronavirus and will work with venues as needed.”
Major events such as the NCAA tournament is at risk of being postponed or cancelled due to the Coronavirus and the NBA announced that the remainder of their season is suspended until further notice.
Scheduled for Friday’s SmackDown is the return of Jeff Hardy, Paige coming to confront SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley and the return of John Cena as he is set to face “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36. It is also noted in the report that there is no word on if Monday Night RAW will follow suit on relocating their show to the Performance Center.
GCW The Collective put out a statement on Twitter which read that regardless of the decision that is made on Thursday concerning WrestleMania, their shows will continue on as scheduled. The Coronavirus has caused New Japan Pro-Wrestling to cancel the majority of their March events which included the New Japan Cup. DDT Pro, Tokyo Joshi Pro, Pro Wrestling NOAH and several more promotions have canceled their March shows and forthcoming events due to the virus outbreak.
