World Wrestling Entertainment has found itself among the services considered “essential,” amid the coronavirus pandemic. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said the state has deemed World Wrestling Entertainment an essential business, meaning the company can go back to holding live shows despite the state's stay-at-home order that lasts through the end of the month. WWE has in recent weeks been broadcasting pre-taped shows with no fans in attendance. This includes WrestleMania, which this year was taped without an audience at the WWE's Performance Center in Florida.
A memo from DeSantis' office specifies that "employees at a professional sports and media production with a national audience" are considered essential, although only if the production is in a location closed to the general public. A DeSantis spokesperson said these services are essential "because they are critical to Florida's economy." The WWE in a statement said, "We believe it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times," we are producing content on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance following appropriate guidelines while taking additional precautions to ensure the health and wellness of our performers and staff."