The NBA and NHL seasons remain paused, while the MLB season never commenced, all sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic.



Boxing has been absent since March, too, as large gatherings have been banned, but the sport, along with the UFC, could be among the first to break free from hiatus.



A memo delivered April 9 from the Florida Division of Emergency Management, in which WWE was earmarked as essential services (though not by name), paved the way for combat sports to resume.



Item No. 3 deems essential “employees at a professional sports and media production with a national audience — including any athletes, entertainers, productions team, executive team, media team, and any other necessary to facilitate including services supporting such production — only if the location is closed to the general public.”



Later that day, WWE’s flagship program, “Raw,” emanated live from the WWE Performance Center in...