WWE’s ThunderDome Home Destroyed By Hurricane Milton
As Hurricane Milton wreaks havoc in Florida, WWE’s former ThunderDome home of Tropicana Field has been wrecked.
Hurricane Milton arrived on land in Florida on October 9th bringing with it a trail of destruction. Millions of people remain without power and running water in the state as the hurricane begins to pull away but tragically lives have been lost in St Lucie County on Florida’s east coast.
Tropicana Field, located in St Petersburg, Florida and home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays has also been destroyed with shocking footage emerging of the stadium’s roof all but gone.
The roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, was ripped apart by Hurricane Milton. pic.twitter.com/JdIomWdTnZ
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 10, 2024
What Is WWE’s Connection With Tropicana Field?
Tropicana Field played an important role in one of the darkest periods in WWE history as it was home to the company’s ThunderDome for five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From December 2020 until April 2021, WWE produced Raw, SmackDown, TLC, the 2021 Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and Fastlane all in front of no fans.
With the baseball season approaching in April 2021, WWE left its residency at Tropicana Field to relocate the ThunderDome to the Yuengling Center before crowds could return to shows later that year.
WWE brought the 2024 Royal Rumble to Tropicana Field in January which set an attendance record of 48,044 as Cody Rhodes won the men’s Rumble match for the second year in a row.
AEW boss Tony Khan has helped out with hurricane relief efforts from the recent Hurricane Helene which devastated Asheville, North Carolina as well as other communities in the southeastern United States. TNA had pledged ticket sales from a recent TV taping to the relief effort after the company was forced to cancel an event in Spartanburg, South Carolina.