WWE formally announced last week that it had canceled the SummerSlam live event scheduled to take place in Boston on Aug. 23 and stream live on WWE Network. The show itself isn’t canceled, but Boston mayor Marty Walsh made it clear that events with crowds would not be permitted in his city (smart move) due to COVID-19 so WWE was forced to change course.
However, one key element missing in WWE’s announcement was a new venue for SummerSlam. Most figured WWE would announce that the show would be taking place at the WWE Performance Center in Florida, where the company has been taping all of its shows since the COVID outbreak began in March. But WWE simply said that the event would go on as scheduled and further details on a venue would be forthcoming.
WWE actually had several events planned around SummerSlam in Boston, holding court in TD Garden for the entire weekend, with SmackDown starting the festivities on Friday, followed by NXT Takeover on Saturday, SummerSlam on Sunday and then RAW on Monday to close out the four-day residency inside the venue.
Earlier this week WWE did announce intentions to run an NXT Takeover show around when SummerSlam will take place later next month, but there was no indication whether or not the shows will run from the same venue.
Speaking of venues, now there are reports that WWE head Vince McMahon wants to run SummerSlam, and perhaps some of those abutting events, from some sort of outdoor venue, with a socially-distanced crowd. There has been no reporting on where the event could take place, but the @Wrestlevotes Twitter account, which has broken big WWE stories in the past, speculated that the company is looking to hold the show in a venue somewhere in the Northeast, but it hasn’t found a state that has agreed to do so.
Other outlets have reported that WWE has even considered hosting SummerSlam on a boat or on a beach somewhere, and it’s been reported that Vince McMahon wants to do something “wacky” for SummerSlam this year.
Vince McMahon? Wacky? Jeez, the possibilities here are endless.
Regardless, we know the show will be happening from somewhere. WWE has already announced that Randy Orton will Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championships in the main event of the show and the Street Profits will defend the RAW Tag Team Championship against Andrade and Angel Garza.
WWE has its earnings call for the second quarter this week, and it’s possible we’ll learn more about the SummerSlam location then.