Coronavirus Updates: UFC, WWE MSG Update & More, AEW, NJPW, NWA, & More Indies

New York Commission Not Allowing UFC to Hold Events in the State

The New York State Athletic Commission reportedly has informed UFC that their UFC 249 will not be allowed to take place in the state of New York due to recent guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and New York state government, according to Post Wrestling.

UFC 249 had been originally been scheduled to take place on April 18th at the Barclays Center in New York City.

WWE’s Coronavirus Testing Protocols

In an official statement to Sports Illustrated, WWE provided an update on how the company is currently handling the coronavirus situation in Orlando, Florida.

““In consultation with WWE Medical Director Dr. Maroon, WWE Associate Medical Director Dr. Dugas and ringside physician Dr. Westerfield, as a best practice and precautionary measure all WWE performers and staff are required to participate in medical screenings prior to entering WWE’s training center, which is now operating as a closed set.”

MSG Event Rescheduled, More House Show Events Cancelled

Madison Square Garden announced that WWE’s event on March 22nd at the venue has been officially postponed and rescheduled for June 27th. It was also announced that WWE will honor all original tickets purchased at the rescheduled event.

NXT’s house show events this weekend in Fort Pierce and Citrus Springs, Florida have rescheduled to June 26th and July 10th respectively.

WWE’s house show events on March 22nd in Bossier City, Louisiana and March 28th in Milwaukee, Wisconsin have been cancelled.

WWE announced that their upcoming tour of South Africa has been rescheduled to September 10-12 due to the recent national state of disaster declared by the South African government.

More on Last Night’s AEW Dynamite Taping

AEW officials reportedly considered plans of holding a very limited public attendance for Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite with tickets priced at $10 and the entire live gate being donated to charity, according to PWInsider. It was reported that those plans were eventually scrapped due to the ban on public gatherings from the Jacksonville city government.

AEW also reportedly taped more matches than usual before and after Dynamite as potential insurance in case they are unable to hold television tapings next week, according to WrestlingInc. It was reported that if next week’s Dynamite is able to go on as scheduled, then those matches taped will be used for the next two weeks of Dark.

NJPW Provides Company Status Update

Sports Illustrated held a recent interview with New Japan Pro Wrestling president Harold Meij and one of the topics discussed included the current status of their events and how the company is handling the coronavirus outbreak situation in Japan.

“At this moment in time, our events, up to and including March 21, have been canceled. Everyone involved in this situation wants to get back to business as usual immediately afterward, and we are working toward that. The situation is fluid, however, and we have to act responsibly. The coronavirus has dramatically affected how sports and events-based businesses worldwide are able to operate. Being the biggest professional wrestling organization in Japan put a spotlight upon us and gave us a significant social responsibility. It has been our duty to not just act in the best interests of our fans, wrestlers and staff, but of society at large.”

NWA Selling Special Merchandise to Help Talent and Staff Affected by Coronavirus

The National Wrestling Alliance announced that they are currently holding a special offer on merchandise at their online store. All proceeds generated from eligible merchandise will go directly towards their staff and talent affected by the recent shutdown of NWA events.

The merchandise eligible are the NWA Logo Men’s Tank Top, NWA Powerrr Stack Men Tank Top, NWA Logo Women’s Tank Top, NWA Powerrr Stack Women’s Tank Top, and WE ARE NWA POWERRR T-Shirt.

More Indie Events Impacted by Coronavirus

The following indie events have been canceled or impacted by the coronavirus:

• The Cauliflower Alley Club announced that this year’s reunion event has been postponed to September 21-23.
• Revolution Pro Wrestling announced that they have suspended all of their events until the first weekend of May.
• Fight Club: PRO announced that this year’s Dream Tag Team Invitational tournament has been rescheduled to June 19-21 due to recent recommendations from the British government.
• Stardom announced that they will be making an official announcement soon regarding the status of this year’s Cinderella Tournament.
• PROGRESS Wrestling announced that this year’s Super Strong Style 16 tournament has been postponed to August 1-3. It was also announced that their March 29th and April 20th events in London, England have been cancelled while their May 9th event in Manchester and May 10th event in Leeds have been postponed.
• Game Changer Wrestling announced that they will be holding a two-day Acid Cup 2 tournament event on March 19-20 at an “undisclosed location.” It was also announced that they are holding an Indiegogo fundraiser with all proceeds going towards their talent and referees.