Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings revealed that World Wrestling Entertainment is considered an essential business by Gov. Ron DeSantis.During a press conference on Monday, Demings said the wrestling entertainment company wasn’t initially considered essential. "With some conversation with the governor's office regarding the governor's order, they were deemed an essential business. And so, therefore, they were allowed to remain open," Demings said.Demings said, though he did not know the specifics of a WWE personality who tested positive for COVID-19, he hoped the business would make changes to care for its employees."I would assume from a business prospective, the WWE is doing that analysis of its own family," Demings said. The WWE has been holding shows in Orlando without live audiences, including Wrestlemania. The governor's office said WWE is considered an essential business along with professional sports and media production with a national audience as long as the location they use is closed to the general public.The governor's office said the services were added because they are critical to Florida's economy. WWE said in a statement that it believes that providing people with a distraction is more important now than ever. "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. As a brand that has been woven into the fabric of society, WWE and its Superstars bring families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance," the statement said.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings revealed that World Wrestling Entertainment is considered an essential business by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

During a press conference on Monday, Demings said the wrestling entertainment company wasn’t initially considered essential.


"With some conversation with the governor's office regarding the governor's order, they were deemed an essential business. And so, therefore, they were allowed to remain open," Demings said.

Demings said, though he did not know the specifics of a WWE personality who tested positive for COVID-19, he hoped the business would make changes to care for its employees.

"I would assume from a business prospective, the WWE is doing that analysis of its own family," Demings said.

The WWE has been holding shows in Orlando without live audiences, including Wrestlemania.

The governor's office said WWE is considered an essential business along with professional sports and media production with a national audience as long as the location they use is closed to the general public.

The governor's office said the services were added because they are critical to Florida's economy.

WWE said in a statement that it believes that providing people with a distraction is more important now than ever.

"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. As a brand that has been woven into the fabric of society, WWE and its Superstars bring families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance," the statement said.