WWE has confirmed SummerSlam will not take place at the TD Garden in Boston due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it doesn’t mean the pay-per-view event will be at the WWE Performance Center as the company is looking to host it at a different location. According to the Twitter account WrestleVotes, WWE is looking to host SummerSlam at an outdoor location in the Northeast. As of now, no states in the area are allowing that to happen because of the growing coronavirus cases.
Furthermore, reports state Vince McMahon wants to do something “wacky” for this year’s SummerSlam. It is not known how “wacky” McMahon wants to get, but Mike Johnson of PWInsider Elite reported there had been talks to moving the show on the beach or a boat. The idea for the boat is some or all the matches on the card would be held there. In another report from Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live states McMahon doesn’t want SummerSlam to be just another event in an empty area with fans wearing masks.
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This is the reason WWE hasn’t yet to announce a location for SummerSlam, but a decision has to be made soon since the show is less than a month away. If WWE is able to host SummerSlam in an outdoor location, a limited number of fans could be allowed to attend and they could be spread out to prevent anyone from getting COVID-19. For AEW, all the shows are taped at Daily’s Place, which is an amphitheater in Jacksonville, Florida, that can hold over 5,000 fans.
Ever since the start of the pandemic in March. WWE has held their shows at the Performance Center in Orlando. At first, WWE had no fans in attendance, and this included WrestleMania 36, which took place in April. Now, WWE has a live audience, but it’s with Performance Center trainees and NXT stars. If WWE can get an outdoor location for SummerSlam, they will likely try to host more events at different locations this fall.
SummerSlam is considered WWE’s second-biggest event of the year behind WrestleMania. The matches that have been announced so far are Randy Orton vs. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, and Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Andrade and Angel Garza. SummerSlam is scheduled for Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. ET on the WWE Network.
