WWE Smackdown Cleveland Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

CLEVELAND (WJW) – After 18 long months, Cleveland fans welcomed the return of WWE Smackdown with Rocket Mortgage Zone Friday evening.

This is the first major indoor live event without any capacity restrictions since the pandemic began.

“There’s nothing like having that live barometer. That’s what we think of the fans. They are there to let you know immediately if something is good, if they love it or if they hate it. And that’s what I love, instant feedback on what we do,” said Big-E, WWE Superstar.

Wrestling stars say they’re ready to rumble in front of live fans.

“I will never take our WWE universe for granted again. Not that we did. But over the past year and a half, not having fans has been a challenge,” said Natalya, WWE Superstar.

Perhaps no one is more pumped than Northeast Ohio native Dolph Ziggler.

“I’ve been doing this for 17 years and when you’re in the back, the lights are off and the music is on, the hair on your arms stands up. We get a little spoiled doing it every night. We take that for granted,” said Ziggler, WWE Superstar.

In the arena, masks are optional, but recommended for those who are not vaccinated.

Cleveland is just the fourth stop on Smackdown’s summer tour.