WWE Tag Teams with Cohesion for Consistent, Clear Audio at Pro Wrestling’s Top Events

World Wrestling Entertainment, better known as WWE, captivates millions of ultra-dedicated fans across its hundreds of tour stops and on multiple top-rated television broadcasts. Cohesion, the audio system chosen by WWE, provides consistent coverage, clarity, and output for each venue while satisfying broadcast needs for one of the globe’s most anticipated events each week.

Total viewership for WWE Raw and Smackdown, the world’s most-renowned and highest-rated wrestling programs, tracks in the millions for each program, according to Sports Illustrated. Annual global total attendance, according to estimates from Pollstar and other sources, figures at nearly two million spectators.

For the better part of two decades, Clair Global System Engineer Dan Laveglia has designed and deployed hundreds of system configurations for this long-time client. Together with Lance Vardis, WWE FOH mixer, they have driven the audio experienced at thousands of WWE shows.

“The sound system is a huge part of the show. Together with state-of-the-art lighting, video and pyro, it’s like a rock concert without the band,” says Vardis. “We’ve chosen Cohesion for its ability to provide a clear and accurate reproduction of our audio program. It is especially effective for the vocals. Cohesion makes it easy to mix, and the audience can hear every word.”

Laveglia recalls an early experience with the Cohesion CO12 line array loudspeaker: “We were in a stadium somewhere and I recall turning it up after the setup was complete. The coherence of the vocal reproduction was tremendous. It was mind boggling that a PA system could sound like that.”

Laveglia and Vardis, along with expertise from broadcast A1 Marc Lanciaux, agreed that a Cohesion CO8 system met the WWE’s touring needs. “We knew it was a perfect fit,” explains Vardis. “The system was very compact and easy to fly, and the Cohesion engineering team developed some specialized products and accessories to accommodate this unique deployment. Part of our agreement with WWE was that we could fit in the same truck space we were using. The CO8 enclosures ticked all the boxes—and it sounded great.”

Laveglia and Vardis have two distinct approaches for WWE’s stadium events. In open air venues, a square superstructure with a roof covers the ring, from which hang eight arrays of sixteen Cohesion CO10 alongside twenty-four Cohesion CP218 II+ subs flown six-high in each corner. The CO10 enclosures cover from 50–75’ to the edges of the stadium, and fill arrays of six-high CO8 ensure coverage for the area closest to the ring.

The second option uses the same CO10 array configuration but from a circle truss over the ring and flown 80–100’ high. In this configuration, they wrap the CO10 arrays hard at the bottom and eliminate the fill arrays. On the circular truss, the mains are split by eight arrays of CP218s.

“Lance and I really like this one,” says Laveglia. “The coherence of the loudspeakers themselves, coupled with this cohesive arrangement of arrays, makes a very powerful system.”

“Different venues dictate different system configurations for us,” Vardis adds. “We always work with the show’s designer to deploy the system so that it doesn’t interfere with other production elements. For us, we always want to ensure coverage and clarity. Cohesion is so flexible that we have been able to develop approaches that just work.”

“The audio system, like other line arrays, is broken into various zones so that we can tailor the response to the different seating sections,” explains Laveglia. “Closer seats have a subtle high frequency roll off to keep the sound from being too harsh in the near fill areas. We typically add some high frequencies to the upper portions of the array to assist in covering the far seats, but Lance and I agree that Cohesion generally sounds the best when you do the least to it!”

The system also provides nuanced and effective low end, characteristics crucial to the pageantry of WWE matches not lost on Vardis:

“When the wrestlers come out for a match, with lasers and pyro going off, and the entrance music playing loud, it’s a big, big deal! The crowd is on their feet, screaming and carrying on. The CP218 II+ subs are fantastic at providing the impact we need to complete the picture. They are very powerful and musical at the same time. We have ‘thump mics’ under the ring to pick up the sounds of the mat, so when the wrestlers get thrown down, you really hear that thump. It adds that beef as it bellows through the room.”

WWE continues to grow a diverse and robust audience, known as the “WWE Universe,” with increasing streaming options. As such, the company has redoubled its efforts to create a memorable and visceral impact on the audience, particularly with live audio at the major events on the calendar.

“Previously we kept the audio levels moderate in the venue to help the guys in the truck to manage their mixes, but that is all changing,” summarized Vardis. “[WWE] has pressed us to make it louder, so we’re pushing the system harder all the time. I have asked Dan for a CO12 system to use for our upcoming WrestleMania show in Las Vegas. We want to give [WWE] what they are looking for, so we’re starting with 128 CO12 and 32 subs. I’m really looking forward to mixing on that!”