It's been a long tme since I actually watched any WWE; however, I watched some last night. They didn't use cardboard cutouts, they had a capacity crowd in attendance, a capacity crowd of actual people live on TV sets, etc.
It did look kind of cool.....
Apparently they started that concept back in August:
The WWE ushered fans back into the arena through virtual reality
Vince McMahon announced the ThunderDome concept during a Friday Night Smackdown event in August.
It includes pyrotechnics, lasers, and drone cameras. And, crucially, video boards which feature fans who can enter the arena virtually and react in real time to the chaotic energy taking place at each and every event during the pandemic.
Stephanie McMahon's mission to oversee the return an audience inside an arena, reacting to the WWE's superstars, had arrived.
It has proven so popular that 130,000 people* have requested entrance to the arena since its launch, last month.
"The ThunderDome is not one piece of technology … it's many different departments that the WWE has put together to create this energy, experience, and environment, from a broadcast [point-of-view] and the fans coming in virtually," said Slusser.
"We work with the WWE on one aspect — the virtual fans."
Slusser said that whenever the WWE uses its drone camera technology, incorporating a wide angle view, one can see the entire audience which consists of thousands of fans watching live at home who might be screaming, cheering, or booing, depending on what is happening at the event.
"Those moments give me chills because nobody has ever done anything to that scale before," he said. "It's mind-blowing when you see it all put together with all those people, those live faces.
"The crowd gets so intense, so emotional about these moments, and you could feel it, see it, and see them reacting to it.
"The wrestlers play off it, too," he said. "Those moments when you can feel the emotion of the crowd … those are my favorite moments."
Entire article:
https://www.insider.com/inside-wwe-thunderdome-a-futuristic-arena-for-the-coronavirus-era-2020-9
*
https://heelbynature.com/wrestling-news/wwe-news/how-to-be-a-wwe-virtual-fan-wwe-thunderdome-application/#:~:text=Register To Be A WWE,with a new registration form.
