WWE Closes Facility Out Of Caution As Hurricane Ian Makes Landfall

According to the National Hurricane Center, things are looking bleak for certain parts of Florida as Hurricane Ian made landfall on Florida's west coast at 3:05 p.m. ET as a Category 4 storm. Certain WWE stars like multi-time Women's Champion Natalya have expressed how concerned they are for the storm to travel over the areas of Florida where they reside. WWE is taking extra precautions as the hurricane plows towards Orlando; PWInsider notes that the WWE Performance Center has been closed today out of concern for safety.

Additionally, the report notes that a former New Japan Pro Wrestling star who exited the company in August when his contract expired, Karl Fredericks, was spotted at the WWE Performance Center earlier this week. Fredericks' last match under New Japan's banner occurred on May 15, defeating AEW's QT Marshall at the NJPW Strong Philadelphia tapings. He was subsequently scheduled for a tournament to crown the first-ever New Japan Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions but would be replaced by Yuya Uemera to team with Christopher Daniels. Fredericks has been in the industry for nearly a decade now and has also appeared on "AEW Dark" and indie promotions like West Coast Pro.

The severity of Hurricane Ian seems to only grow, with more than 800,000 people in the state without power in cities like Collier, Charlotte, Lee, Sarasota, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties, according to poweroutage.us. Tornado warnings, flood warnings, and extreme wind warnings have all been deployed throughout the various counties the storm will affect, with the Orlando Sentinel reporting near Category 5 sustained winds as high as 155 mph. Stay tuned for updates on how the storm affects those within the pro wrestling industry, as Florida is a hot spot for talent to live.