Welcome to the Grapevine! This section of Smark Henry is where we round up all the important founded and unfounded rumors floating around the pro wrestling scene that you may have missed over the past few days. Remember to take everything with a grain of salt!
News on the Capitol Wrestling Center
The Capitol Wrestling Center, which is the current WWE Performance Center, debuted on today's NXT Takeover 31. The main reason for the rebranding is that Full Sail University would not allow WWE to tape their shows with fans, while the company wanted to proceed with an audience. It is aimed to be a "refresh" for the NXT brand as well as they continue their weekly competition against AEW on Wednesday nights.
Fans must undergo COVID-19 testing in order to enter the CWC, in which they will be watching the show from custom-built pods similar to the one used by Michael Cole during his feud with Jerry Lawler in 2011. The CWC quickly reached capacity at the show. (Source: Wrestling Inc)
We say: Well, even though they've set precautions, this still seems dangerous as hell. We can only hope, really, that nothing goes wrong with the fans being let in to watch the shows—especially with the recent outbreak that slipped past them.
Ben Carter drawing a lot of interest
Free-agent wrestler Ben Carter, who recently wrestled a couple of highly-regarded matches on AEW Dark and AEW Dynamite, is drawing a lot of interest from companies after his appearances on the brand. AEW is naturally interested, as well as other unidentified companies, while there may have been interest from NXT. (Source: Fightful Select)
We say: Guy deserves it. If you haven't seen his match versus Lee Johnson on the very free AEW Dark, go do that now.
Let us know what you think of today's news in the comments!
Photo from WWE
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