WWE is reportedly heading for the bright lights of Las Vegas as Sin City has emerged as the frontrunner to host 2021’s biggest party of the summer, SummerSlam.
Dave Meltzer has reported in his latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Allegiant Stadium in Vegas is the current front runner to host the summer spectacular. Meltzer also notes that the decision to host SummerSlam in the stadium is not 100 percent finalised within WWE, he expects an announcement imminently. Something that he is more certain of is the date of SummerSlam falling on the 22nd of August.
Meltzer also notes that the choice of Las Vegas for the event is interesting as the city has historically not been a great market for WWE. WrestleMania IX that was held in the 16,000 seat stadium at Caesar’s Palace failed to sell out, but Meltzer notes that was almost three decades ago.
If SummerSlam is held at the home of NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders then it would be the first combat sports event to be held in the stadium. Meltzer says that WWE wanted to go to a tourist city and expect fly-in visitors to attend. With the world opening up once again post-pandemic, Meltzer also mentioned that the company surely expects more people to be willing to travel again in three months’ time when SummerSlam comes around.
Allegiant Stadium had also reportedly been mooted as a future WrestleMania location, with the domed stadium likely to be able to hold up to 60,000 fans when configured for a WWE setup.
WWE has also announced their return to live touring beginning in July. The Money In The Bank pay-per-view will take place on the 18th live from Fort Worth, Texas. The company’s first show back on the road in front of fans will be the 16th of July’s SmackDown on Fox.