WWE WrestleMania Could Be Cancelled Due To The Coronavirus Outbreak

WWE WrestleMania could be forced into cancellation due to the recent coronavirus outbreak.

'The Granddaddy of Them All' is the promotion's biggest event of the year and is set to take place in Tampa, Florida on Sunday 5 April.

But the recent coronavirus outbreak is putting WWE's showpiece pay-per-view at risk.

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Chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon has explained that the safety of fans and talent alike are the company's top priority.

"The health and safety of not only our fan base, but also our superstars, really does come first," she told the Tampa Bay Times.

"We don't want to put anyone in a bad situation ever, regardless of the circumstance. Those are not risks worth taking."

WWE held their Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia last week and fans were pictured wearing face masks in an attempt to avoid the virus.

"Given the number of live events that (WWE) does, it's constantly monitoring global events," WWE's executive vice president of special events John Saboor explained.

"There are active and ongoing discussions at play internally, like there are in any sector of American business, and certainly families as a whole. So I think those will continue."

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Tampa Bay authorities have noted that they are aware of the ongoing issues and are prepared for any situation.

"You've got to be nimble, and you've got to be ready," executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission Rob Higgins said. "Thirty-six days is a long time, so it's hard to predict. I think we just continue to information gather as much as possible, so that we are as prepared as possible."

"And if necessary," McMahon added, "enact those measures."

WrestleMania is currently set to be headlined by Drew McIntyre vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship as well as Roman Reigns challenging Goldberg for the Universal Championship.

Elsewhere, John Cena will return to the ring for the first time in over a year to face 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt.

The sporting world has been ravaged by the coronavirus outbreak with multiple summer events facing cancellation, including the Olympic Games.

Italian football has also seen numerous games postponed over the last two weeks with Serie A games being played behind closed doors.

This summers European Championships are also in a 'waiting stage'.

Topics: Wrestlemania, Coronavirus, Wrestling News, Wrestling, WWE

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a journalist for SPORTbible and he has previous experience with Manchester United. He has spoken to some of the biggest names in sport including Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch, WWE COO Triple H and WWE legend The Undertaker. May or may not do a decent impression of Jamie Carragher.

@DanMarland_