During recent television tapings, WWE allowed some fans to be part of the audience. They joined the NXT Superstars in the crowd. The company hopes to eventually phase out all the NXT talent so that the audience will consist of regular fans.
Reports suggested that WWE did not let the NXT Superstars know they were bringing in regular people as well. According to several reports, it seems WWE bringing in friends and family as part of the audience is just “the beginning.”
Phase two will “ween out NXT recruits” and by the end, only the friends and family will remain. While only specific fans will fill out the Performance Center, the NXT Superstars will be kept around in case they need to “fill out” the audience.
In the third phase, the audience will comprise of only live fans. The company is shooting at 50% capacity currently and the belief is that by showing fans as a live audience, fans at home will believe “things are returning to normal.”
The final phase will see the company return to normal and begin touring again for television and pay-per-view events by fall of this year.
However, it was said that “the train is likely to come off the tracks again” as a second wave of COVID-19 is likely.