The WWE ThunderDome era kicked off in a big way as Vince McMahon returned to introduce fans to the company’s new home on SmackDown.
However, the chairman had barely started his speech before the stunning, start of the art set-up at the Amway Center was transformed into The Fiend’s own hellish playground.
Bray Wyatt’s sinister alter ego walked to the ring as Vince stood defiantly in front of him, staring him down but looking understandably unnerved.
The tense showdown – which instantly showed off the capabilities of the ThunderDome technology itself – gave way as Braun Strowman walked down to save the boss from an attack.
The recent technical glitches started almost immediately, with RETRIBUTION surrounding the ring as the virtual fans watched on.
In a brilliant move, The Fiend made a smart and swift escape from the situation as the lights dropped, only for him to disappear when they came back on.
The pack – which has grown in numbers over the past few weeks – attacked Strowman, beating down the Universal Champion before the rest of the SmackDown locker room all piled out to send the faction running.
This led straight into the night’s opening match between Sheamus and Big E with the rest of the roster still stood around the ring to keep an eye out for any more intruders.
It was an exciting way to kick off a new era as WWE is promising to give its audience a whole new way to enjoy their televised events with the ThunderDome.
The company is moving from the Performance Center to Amway and there are massive changes in place as the promotion gets settled into its new home for Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-views.
With a fresh, state-of-the-art set, video boards, pyrotechnics, lasers, cutting-edge graphics and drone cameras, it sounds like these events will look like nothing we’ve seen before.
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