Kevin Owens has detailed how he got a feel for what was working in the ThunderDome era.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses were forced to adapt. WWE was no exception as full arenas were out of the question. WWE’s answer was the ThunderDome.
Since there were no fans in attendance, it was difficult for the performers to determine what worked. Kevin Owens told ESPN The Game 102.5 that it was the WWE staffers who helped him know what was hitting it off inside the ThunderDome.
“For me, I was lucky in a way because it took me 15 years wrestling on the Independents before I got to WWE. For those 15 years, I ended wrestling in front of very small crowds sometimes, as little as 20 people. When we got into that setting and we were wrestling in front of 15 or 20 crew members and that was about it, it wasn’t that foreign to me.
“What I did, I started using the camera crew, the tech guys, everyone, the announcers…I started using them as my audience because all of those guys have been with WWE for so long. I know that if I’m entertaining them in some way and they come up to me and say, ‘Hey, that’s good stuff,’ they’ve seen it all so I know that I’m putting out quality work and that the people at home are most likely enjoying it as well. That’s how I attacked it.”
WWE has returned to live crowds regularly. The company is gearing up for its biggest show since the pandemic era. While WrestleMania was held inside a stadium at limited capacity earlier this year, SummerSlam will have the higher attendance. The event is being held inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.