WWE President and Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan recently shared why the organization decided to hold SummerSlam 2021 on Saturday, rather than the traditional Sunday slot.
“Peacock allows us to test a few things, in terms of dates. SummerSlam, that’s on Saturday. Traditionally, we’ve gone on Sunday with pay-per-views,” Khan told Recode Media. “We believe, on the sports calendar, there are certain days where there should be sports and there aren’t sports. We believe Saturday is one of those.”
Khan further explained that in the past, WWE hasn’t done well financially in Las Vegas when it’s held events on Sunday.
“No one has ever said, ‘Let’s go to Vegas and go crazy on a Sunday,'” Khan continued. “[Vegas] is a Friday and Saturday night town. We thought Saturday would work for us in Vegas and the ticket sales are reflective of that. We have a big audience and a big gate.”
This year’s SummerSlam will feature John Cena challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship, Goldberg challenging Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship, Nikki A.S.H. defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair defending the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks, among other bouts.
It was also recently confirmed that Becky Lynch will be “in attendance,” marking her official return to WWE since exiting the ring for maternity leave. Fans will recall that Lynch’s last WWE match was at WrestleMania 36 in April 2020, where she retained the Raw Women’s Championship against Shayna Baszler. Shortly after, Lynch announced she was pregnant and relinquished her Women’s Championship to Asuka. Lynch isn’t expected to make a full-time return to the ring until October.
WWE previously announced that all fans attending SummerSlam 2021 at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, NV, will be required to wear face masks. The venue shared in a statement posted to its website, “In response to rising COVID-19 cases, and in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and State of Nevada Emergency Directive 047, all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a face mask while inside the stadium.”
SummerSlam 2021 takes place Saturday, Aug. 21 at 8 p.m. ET. Not only will the event be available on Peacock but also in select movie theaters across the United States, courtesy of Iconic Events Releasing, for the first time ever.
Source: Recode Media, via Fightful
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