Future NFL Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski is still scheduled to make his WWE SmackDown debut this Friday, March 20th - even if there won't be any fans in attendance. As of this writing, the WWE is still planning to air Raw and SmackDown at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, although those plans could change quickly given the national emergency at hand.
According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer (H/T Wrestling News), the former New England Patriots tight end will take part in multiple matches as part of his newly signed WWE deal. One of those will likely take place at SummerSlam, which is scheduled to take place in Boston on August 23rd.
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Gronkowski, 30, is an obvious fit for the WWE given his charismatic persona and, obviously, his athleticism. He first dipped into the WWE waters back in 2017 when he helped his good friend, WWE superstar Mojo Rawley, win the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 33 and he immediately came off as a natural.
Last August, Gronk explained that he was interested in having a big match with the company, but doubted that he'd ever be a full-time talent.
"With wrestling, I don't feel like I would be a full-time wrestler, but there is one thing I'm down for," Gronkowski said (H/T ESPN). "And that's to do one crazy match. Practice it for a little bit, go out there -- like in a Royal Rumble -- go out there, I got my friend in WWE [Rawley], practice it and do a full-on WWE match. I'm not saying when, maybe five years. I got the rest of my life to do that. I've always dreamed about doing that, just one time, going in there and going full-out. That may be a possibility, one time, down the road."
It remains to be seen what the WWE has planned for the early stages of Gronk's professional wrestling career, but we expect to learn more this Friday.
WWE Announces SmackDown, Wrestlemania Plans Amid Pandemic
Tonight's edition of WWE SmackDown, featuring John Cena, will be held without fans at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
WWE will not be cancelling tonight's episode of SmackDown due to the coronavirus outbreak, but they will be changing the location and holding the event without any fans in attendance.
The company has announced that tonight's show, which was scheduled to take place at Little Caesers Arena in Detroit, will instead air live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. As always, fans watching from home can catch the action on Fox starting at 8pm ET.
Tonight's show will feature multiple returning superstars including Jeff Hardy, who hasn't been seen on WWE television in almost a year, and Paige, who is expected to issue a response, and possibly a new challenger, to SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. Additionally, John Cena will be back to address "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt ahead of their Wrestlemania match.
Speaking of Wrestlemania 36, the WWE is currently moving forward as if the event will be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on April 5th. The company issued the following statement on Thursday:
"While we remain committed to hosting WrestleMania at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, April 5, we are putting contingency plans in place in the event that it is cancelled by government officials, civil authorities and/or local venues," the statement read. "The health and safety of our fans, performers and employees are our top priorities and we are monitoring the situation closely with our partners and government officials in Tampa Bay."
All other major sports, with the exception of the UFC, have already postponed or cancelled future events until further notice. Needless to say, it's highly unlikely that there will be any fans in attendance if the WWE does hold Wrestlemania 36 on April 5th.
