If you haven’t heard about Vince McMahon’s latest and greatest, The Thunderdome- you have probably been living under a rock. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have often thought of what fan engagement in sports, specifically wrestling is going to look like not only during this Covid crisis but afterwards as well. Vince created this virtual fan experience called the Thunderdome to allow fans to participate virtually in ring from the comfort of their home via video conferencing. The idea itself is pretty cool, but along with any sort of technological advancement also comes flaws and room for improvement. Having been a dedicated supporter of the WWE for many years and also having a passion for technology I was excited to try this out and share my experience and opinions with all of you!
When I first learned about the Thunderdome I made it my mission to be apart of it. While learning the registration process, I found it difficult to register as the dome becomes full within a matter of minutes, sometimes seconds after the WWE releases the tweet. After trials and tribulations, success and failure I have learned some tips and tricks to ensure a wonderful Thunderdome experience . Don’t worry, I will give away most of my secrets, but not all of them as I guide you through the Thunderdome Fan Experience as if you were sitting in the Performance Center yourself.
The Thunderdome is live for fans during WWE’s regularly scheduled programming including RAW, Smackdown, 205 LIVE and Pay Per View programs as well. On September 4th, after attempting the previous week without any luck- I was in! I hovered the WWE twitter account, notifications on awaiting the release of the greatly anticipated registration link. Within minutes of filling out the registration form, I was sent a confirmation email which gave me a call time, more information as well as a set of rules. I did not realize before getting accepted into the Thunderdome how serious this was going to be. Vince was not messing around and had a strict set of guidelines with rules such as No drinking, sleeping, eating, swearing or wearing AEW Merchandise allowed. Failure to follow theses guidelines may result in being kicked off of the show, permanently banned from the Thunderdome and mailed a ticket from Vince McMahon himself. I read over the rules, ensured I knew the drill and then prepared for an exciting evening with an early call time of 7pm. This meant that I would be on air during the 605 Live show prior to Smackdown starting. At 6:55pm, I was anxiously awaiting 7pm to hit ‘enter’ on the link as quickly as I could. I was extremely disappointed to receive a message that said “We are sorry. The Thunderdome is at Max Capacity”. I was devastated and frankly, a bit annoyed that I had put in all of this work for what seemed like nothing. Being the persistent man I am, I refreshed the page (even thought it suggested not too!) and within a matter of seconds I was being redirected into the THUNDERDOME!
Once I was in, I was greeted by a director who informed us that we would be going live on FOX for the entire world to see! He then went over some basic rules, and instructions which involved cheering, hand movements and choreographed booing. I felt like I was at the Performance Centre with a inside peek on the development of the show. Hearing “Go time in 5 minutes. Everybody take your seat and get ready to rumble!!!” Made me super excited and got everyone in the Thunderdome fired up for a night of Smackdown. Fans are also required to stay within a outline on their screen to ensure a appealing visual for the wrestlers and viewers at home. After being on the air for almost 2 full hours I was cycled off so that someone with a later call time could also join. I was thrilled to have been live for as long as I was and was still riding the Thunderdome high for several days afterwards. Since this day, I have been in the Thunderdome a few more times and it only gets better as each show passes.
The one thing that wrestling needs is a live audience as the wrestlers use their energy as fuel to their fires. Having fan involvement adds a whole other level of entertainment and I think the Thunderdome encapsulated this perfectly. My one ‘downfall’ or suggestion for the WWE would be to improve the registration process and perhaps also provide priority access to WWE Network subscribers. Being a Canadian, I go through quite the process to have this luxury in Canada and this shows fans dedication to the WWE in its entirety. Another way to improve upon this fan experience would be to have an option to purchase a ‘seat’ where you would have more screen time or possibly a larger camera view. With the hundreds of LED video screens that wrap around the ring, this leads to some video production limitations with camera angles. A way they could improve upon this would be to have a 360 degree video board with a multiple viewing options. If fans had control over where they were during the Thunderdome it adds a more personalized experience for die hard WWE fans.
If I had to give you my Top Five pieces of ‘Thunderdome’ advice it would be:
1. Turn on your WWE Twitter notifications. This is how they alert the fan base of when registration opens. I have learned through observation that this typically occurs on Mondays and Wednesdays around lunch.
2. Read over the rules before entering as you can potentially be kicked out without any notice or warning. Here is the link to the rules and regulations: https://comicbook.com/wwe/news/wwe-thunderdome-rules-registration-no-smoking-obscene-gestures-led-screens/
3. Ensure you have a strong working internet connection and the correct versions of Safari or Google Chrome. For Mac Users you must have Safari 14 or later. For PC Users you must have Chrome or Firefox 86. I don’t recommend this experience from an iPhone as you wont get the full screen experience but If this is your only option it will only work on iPhones 6 and newer.
4. Remember that if you are watching the show simultaneously the view from the Thunderdome will be slightly ahead of the FOX programming. This can be a bit annoying to some viewers as reaction times can be a bit delayed. I recommend just watching the show from within the dome, and maybe recording the programming on FOX to try to find yourself later!
5. On that note, My last tip is to dress to impress and be active on camera. Ensure you are looking your best in your favourite WWE gear. I wore my new, Stone Cold Steve Austin shirt and had made some signs as well. Unfortunately, I did not see myself on TV the first couple of times but I recently found myself from last weeks Monday night RAW! I have linked the photo below.
I hope that this has helped you to understand and appreciate the WWE Thunderdome as much as I do. If you love wrestling you will have to agree with me that this is a pretty cool way to engage fans during a time when we can not physically be present. I would love to hear if you decide to give this a try. Comment down below if you think that this idea will be adopted as the new normal.
See you in the THUNDERDOME!
