World Wrestling Entertainment supersized WrestleMania in 2020. In 2026, the company intends to do the same thing to SummerSlam.
WWE announced on Thursday morning that the 38th edition of WWE’s “Biggest Event of the Summer” will not only emanate from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but it will also be a massive two-night event.
The company’s announcement on X drew significant attention online.
There are many interesting tangents to come from this news. Firstly, it seemed like the writing was getting to be on the wall. In 2021, WWE made a big return to live events amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They held SummerSlam from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Then, the company held it at Nissan Stadium, the Tennessee Titans home, in 2022. They will hold this year’s event this August in Cleveland at the Browns’ stadium.
In other words, WWE had been in the process of making the event grander—for good reason. SummerSlam is the company’s second-biggest event of the year, and they frequently consider it “The Biggest Event/Party of the Summer.” So, the writing had already formed on the wall.
With a roster that’s only grown in size and talent, playing nice with everyone and letting more superstars on the show may help matters, too. You don’t want to get too deep into pacifying, but in an ego-driven business, appeasing everyone is almost as big a priority as booking and constructing shows and events.
Minnesota reportedly was in the running for WrestleMania 41, but the company opted to hold the event in Vegas instead. One might imagine that a two-night SummerSlam is the company’s way of appeasing the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
How WWE will sell the two-night event overall remains to be seen. But they did leave a potentially interesting clue on Thursday afternoon. Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque announced that the King and Queen of the Ring Tournaments winners this weekend will get a first-class ticket to SummerSlam and be rewarded with a title shot.
If that remains consistent, that will only help matters going forward.
[WWE on X]
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022