We're all craving live events, right? I don't mean small bar concerts either. (No offense to those though but it's like a sip of water in the desert.) The bulk of 2020 was filled with virtual fans in the stands during the reboot of the NBA's 2020 season and even WWE jumped into the "no fans allowed" era. WWE, in true sports entertainment fashion, introduced fans to their  "Thunderdome" for their televised events, which was a digital spectacle like never seen before. The entertainment behemoth brought fans into their arena virtually with led screens displaying fans where you would normally see actual fans in attendance. It looked great on television but product-wise, it was less than stellar. (That's only my opinion.)

Eventually, WWE would bring back fans for the show of shows, WrestleMania, in Tampa Bay, Florida. It was so great seeing fan reaction in real life, in real-time. But, for now, WWE's Thunderdome is back with updates and a new venue. I was able to snag a seat at WWE's Smackdown on Fox, post-WrestleMania and, though it was entertaining at times, I was left with a "meh" mentality.

WWE via Peacock
Credit: WWE Thunderdome
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Don't get me wrong, it was interesting being a part of the one-hour show, virtually speaking. During commercial breaks, there was a voice in my ear (via AirPods) announcing how long commercials breaks would last when commercial breaks were about to end, and to hype up "the crowd" during promos and matches. All-in-all it was fun but I don't feel a need to do it again. One thing is certain, it made me anticipate the return of sports entertainment to Rockford or Chicago. Here's a recap of the episode.

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JB Love is ½ of  Q98.5's Lil Zim & JB In The Morning, weekday mornings from 5:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram.

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