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Florida Gov. Rick De Santis cleared the way for the WWE to resume production in Orlando on Monday amid the coronavirus pandemic, declaring it an essential business.
“With some conversation with the governor’s office regarding the governor’s order, they were deemed an essential business. And so, therefore, they were allowed to remain open,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said during a news conference Monday, via USA Today.
A DeSantis spokesperson told CNBC “that the WWE is considered an essential business because it is ‘critical to Florida’s economy. It is important to note that professional sports activities may only be considered essential if the event location is closed to the general public.’”
The decision seems odd, with the number of people diagnosed with the coronavirus continuing to rise around the world (almost two million) and in the U.S. (almost 600,000), including Florida (more than 21,000).
The NBA ,NHL and MLB remain on the sidelines and the NCAA canceled all winter and spring championships because of COVID-19.
So what gives with the WWE?
It’s rather simple, once you look at the bottom line.
Forbes reports the WWE feared it “would be in violation of its TV contracts if it did not begin airing live programming again.” That put millions of dollars at stake.
On top of that, Vince McMahon, the CEO of WWE, just shut down the XFL because it ran out of money and had to file for bankruptcy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
McMahon’s wife, Linda, a former CEO of the WWE, served in President Donald Trump’s administration from 2017 to 2019 as head of the Small Business Administration.
CBNC reports Linda McMahon is currently the chair of American First Action, “a pro-Trump Super PAC. DeSantis, a Republican, tied himself tightly to Trump’s agenda when he ran for governor in 2018.”
So is it any surprise that DeSantis, who’s rode Trump’s coattails, gave the green light for the cash-strapped McMahons, Trump’s friends and political allies, to re-open the WWE as an essential business?
And for what it’s worth, two days before the return of the WWE on Monday, the company confirmed it was dealing with its first case of the coronavirus.
