WWE has yet to announce a date and location for the 2021 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, which always takes place in late January.
Well, that's less than two months away now. The company will have to finalize its plans and make an announcement soon, but complicating matters is Vince McMahon's apparent desire to have fans present at the Royal Rumble.
In regards to possibly having fans, WrestleVotes reports that WWE wants a decision by Jan. 7 with "a possible announcement of sorts coming that weekend." A source told WrestleVotes that right now, there's a 50/50 chance of it happening.
The March 11 episode of NXT marks the last time where WWE had fans in attendance. For the next five months, the company would run its shows at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
WWE had to quickly alter its plans for WrestleMania 36, which was originally scheduled to take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay. They ultimately decided to make WrestleMania a two-night event, with the non-cinematic matches taking place at the Performance Center.
For a short period, they used NXT superstars as fans, where they would cheer on the faces and boo the heels. WWE later moved to the Amway Center (also in Orlando), debuting the ThunderDome concept on the Aug. 21 episode of SmackDown Live.
WWE will be relocating from the Amway Center to Tropicana Field (home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball) in St. Petersburg on Dec. 11. This should be WWE's long-term home, since the MLB regular season doesn't begin until late March or early April.
There have been several reports about Vince wanting fans in attendance for some of his events, but he has yet to get his wish. It's impossible to predict when fans will be allowed again, and what the capacity will be for future events. For what it's worth, Dave Meltzer recently reported that WWE isn't planning to allow fans inside Tropicana Field at this time.