A remodeled and renamed Performance Center will be hosting NXT TakeOver 31 this Sunday. The venue has been renamed as Capitol Wrestling Center as a tribute to the company founded by Jess McMahon in 1953.
The venue will have video walls around the ring with virtual fans, just like the ThunderDome, as well as live fans in limited capacity.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Triple H, the man behind NXT, opened up on the COVID-19 safety precautions that will be taken to make sure everything goes smoothly.
Triple H on the safety measures for TakeOver
The Game detailed during the interview that every COVID-19 safety precaution will be followed under the supervision of medical personnel. There will be friends and family present, along with the fans in groups.
“There will be a contingent of fans in attendance, some of which will be talent, others will be friends and family and some will be fans. We will take every safety precaution that there is. All of this was signed off by our medical staff. Everybody that walks in the building will be PCR tested, take a questionnaire and be medically screened. There will be plexiglass pods with fans that are in groups, and the groups will vary in size. Everyone will wear masks, and each group will never be near anyone else.”
Triple H went on to say why it was so important that they do everything safely. It was for the sake of the fans, who determine every turn of the storylines.
“We’re taking every single precaution we can, which needs to be done safely, and it’s important to us because fans are the lifeblood of what we do. The real core of this is the fans in those seats reacting to what we do. That gives us our energy and our drive. They dictate the story, and having them there makes all the difference in the world.”
On the new look of Performance Center
Triple H revealed that the renovated Performance Center will have the extravaganza of the ThunderDome. But it will also have the gritty vibe NXT is known for.
“The Capitol Wrestling Center captures the feel and the vibe of NXT. We will have all the bells and whistles of the ThunderDome, but we’ll keep that NXT feel. It’s edgier, darker and raw—you’re walking into the ultimate heavy metal soundstage.”
NXT TakeOver 31 will be headlined by a title match between NXT Champion Finn Balor and Kyle O’Reilly for the Championship belt.
We are ready to TAKE OVER tomorrow night on @wwenetwork!#WWENXT #NXTTakeOverhttps://t.co/B8NbGB5uJA
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) October 3, 2020
