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Thursday, May 23, 2024 Issue #7244
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

SummerSlam as a two-night show is certainly an interesting idea, but one which I don't really agree with. The show itself is not "big" enough to attract the WrestleMania-type of visitors plus Minneapolis isn't really the tourist city where one would go oh yeah, let's make a holiday out of it too. But yeah, interesting strategy.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

TWO-NIGHT SUMMERSLAM 2026 ANNOUNCED FOR MINNEAPOLIS

- WWE in partnership with Minnesota Sports and Events, today announced that Minneapolis will host WWE SummerSlam over two nights on Saturday, August 1, and Sunday, August 2, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium. The 2026 edition of SummerSlam will be the first Premium Live Event in Minneapolis since TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs in 2019 and will mark the first time WWE will host a stadium event in the city. In addition to the massive two-night event, WWE and MNSE will deliver a host of fan and community events in the days leading up to and after SummerSlam. “U.S. Bank Stadium is an absolutely world-class venue, situated in a city with rich wrestling history and an amazing fan base,” said Chris Legentil, WWE EVP, Talent Relations & Head of Communications. “We’re excited to bring two nights of SummerSlam to Minneapolis in 2026.” “U.S. Bank Stadium is honored to host WWE’s SummerSlam on Minnesota’s biggest stage in 2026,” said Michael Vekich, Chair of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority. “We look forward to providing a warm welcome and best-in-class experience at U.S. Bank Stadium for WWE Superstars, staff, fans, and guests.” “We are thrilled to welcome the WWE Universe to Minnesota for SummerSlam,” said Wendy Blackshaw, President and CEO of Minnesota Sports and Events. “We will make this summertime wrestling extravaganza accessible for fans of all ages. Through a variety of festivities and ancillary events in the Twin Cities and affordable tickets to the main events at U.S. Bank Stadium, this will be a SummerSlam for all.” U.S. Bank Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Vikings, is a state-of-the-art indoor facility in the heart of Minneapolis which opened in 2016. The stadium has hosted several high-profile events such as Super Bowl LII (2018) and the NCAA Men’s Final Four (2019). In 2023, The Athletic named U.S. Bank Stadium the NFL’s top venue. The announcement comes on the heels of a record-breaking ticket on-sale event for this year’s SummerSlam which will take place at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Saturday, August 3. In 2023, SummerSlam at Ford Field in Detroit set a gate record for any non-WrestleMania event with $8.5 million, which has since been surpassed by the 2024 Royal Rumble in January. To learn more about registering for pre-sale opportunities, please visit: .

MINNEAPOLIS FINALLY GETS ITS BIG STADIUM WWE SHOW

- Minneapolis finally secured their big WWE event although it wasn't the WrestleMania they were hoping for. The city of Minneapolis and Minnesota Sports and Events made three bids for three separate WrestleManias, all unsuccessful although their latest bid for WrestleMania 41 was taken away from them in the 11th hour by the city of Las Vegas. Minneapolis originally bid to host WrestleMania 33 which then went to Orlando and also bid to host WrestleMania 36 which went to Tampa and then to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city was the frontrunner for WrestleMania 41 for several months and Wendy Blackshaw, Minnesota Sports and Events President and Chief Executive Officer, was hopeful that they got the show. But the news of WrestleMania going to Las Vegas earlier this month shattered Minneapolis' hopes of getting the big event and Blackshaw said that although disappointed, they remain in discussions with WWE about future events in Minnesota. WWE's announcement of an event 800 days away is rare although not unprecedented. The company previously had announced locations for three WrestleManias after the pandemic, with Tampa, Dallas, and Los Angeles WrestleManias announced in January 2021. The U.S. Bank Stadium will now host SummerSlam in 2026 and in what is a first, SummerSlam will be held over two nights just like WrestleMania. If this is something that's new moving forward or just a "gift" to Minneapolis remains to be seen. Located in downtown Minneapolis, the $1 billion U.S. Bank Stadium opened in 2016 and has a seating capacity of 73,000. It is the home of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and it already played host to the Super Bowl in 2018. Taylor Swift currently holds the indoor record at the stadium packing in 98,774 fans.

KING AND QUEEN OF THE RING WINNERS TO GET TITLE SHOTS AT SUMMERSLAM

- WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque announced at the King and Queen of the Ring Kickoff show held at the WWE Experience in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that the winners of the two tournaments will get something more than just a crown. Triple H said that the two Superstars who will walk out of Jeddah as king and queen will receive a championship opportunity on their respective brand at the upcoming SummerSlam in Cleveland. Gunther has already secured a spot in the final while the Smackdown finalist will be determined tomorrow in a match between Randy Orton and Tama Tonga. Lyra Valkyria is also in the finals for Raw and her opponent will be either Bianca Belair or Nia Jax. The stipulation will certainly increase the importance of the two tournaments as they could end up main eventing the biggest event of the Summer. WWE has two more PLEs after King and Queen of the Ring in the form of Clash at the Castle and Money In The Bank.

NXT RATING

- NXT this week drew 654,000 viewers, up 87,000 viewers from the prior week. It had NBA Playoffs competition against it but no NHL semi finals. The show had a 0.17 rating in 18-49, down 0.01 from last week and placed #9 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

ONLY 665 SEATS AVAILABLE FOR NXT BATTLEGROUND

- Just 665 seats will be made available for the NXT Battleground premium live event from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas next month. Pre-sale for the show kicked off today on AXS.COM with the codes WWEVIP/UFCSOCIAL and all tickets available in the pre-sale are priced $250 plus taxes and fees for a total of $271.08. Tickets go on sale to the general public tomorrow at 10AM PT. This will be the smallest NXT special outside the WWE Performance Center and while the location comes "free" since it's part of the TKO Group properties, even a complete sell out will result in just over $160,000 in gate. A full crowd will be just slightly larger than what we see weekly on NXT TV from the WWE Performance Center.

TKO MERGES WWE AND UFC LIVE EVENTS TEAMS

- TKO Group announced today that it has combined the WWE and UFC live event teams into one unit titled TKO Live Events Strategy Team. The aim of the new team is to drive revenue growth strategies across key areas, including live event development and scheduling, tourism incentive programs, ticketing, and fan experiences. This new structure aligns with TKO’s efforts to leverage the power and expertise of both UFC and WWE to maximize event revenue potential and pursue growth opportunities and cost synergies. Peter Dropick, who has played an important role in driving UFC’s industry leading live event success for nearly two decades, and who is a pivotal member of the senior executive team that has led UFC to five consecutive years of record revenue, has been elevated to lead the integrated unit as Executive Vice President, Event Development and Operations for TKO. Dropick will work closely with UFC, WWE, and TKO leadership, including UFC President and CEO Dana White, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque, UFC COO Lawrence Epstein, WWE President Nick Khan, and TKO CFO Andrew Schleimer, to leverage the massive global popularity of UFC and WWE and continue to grow the TKO live events business domestically and internationally. “Demand for live sports and entertainment has never been stronger, and we believe our portfolio of events will continue to drive the growth of our business,” said Andrew Schleimer, Chief Financial Officer, TKO. “The newly integrated TKO Live Events Strategy Team will focus on creating operational efficiencies and developing strategies to leverage the broader economic benefits we bring to host cities, including partnering with local governments and maximizing revenue opportunities from site fees.”

AEW WORLD TITLE #1 CONTENDER TO BE DECIDED NEXT WEEK

- The next number one contender for the AEW World title will be decided on the May 29 episode of Dynamite live from the KIA Forum in Inglewood, California in a casino gauntlet match. This show is the post-Double or Nothing episode and the winner of the match will get his shot at the upcoming Forbidden Door pay-per-view on Sunday, June 30 at the UBS Arena in Long Island, New York. No participants have been revealed yet for this match. AEW held this type of match a month ago on Dynamite where the winner became the number one contender for the AEW International title. Will Ospreay ended up winning the match.

TONY KHAN RETURNS ON AEW TV AFTER ATTACK FROM THE ELITE

- Tony Khan returned on AEW television for the first time since he was taken out by The Elite several weeks ago on Dynamite. The AEW President showed up at the end of the broadcast, driving Darby Allin and his flamethrower to the arena to go help Bryan Danielson in his fight against The Elite. Allin fist-bumped Khan and then made his way out to the arena where The Elite were beating up Danielson. Allin switched on the flames as soon as he appeared and Danielson recovered, throwing Nicholas Jackson off the stage and onto a table below. Matthew, Okada, and Perry then retreated, standing behind the AEW announce table as Nicholas screamed in pain. All this while Allin still had flames coming out continuously from his weapon. Khan's absence for a couple of weeks from AEW TV was to sell his attack and even showed up for the NFL draft the following day in a neck brace. You can see the segment at .


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