WWE SummerSlam 2021 to Be Held at Raiders' Stadium in Las Vegas on August 21
June 5, 2021
WWE announced Saturday during the Belmont Stakes pre-race show on NBC that SummerSlam will take place Aug. 21 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Arash Markazi @ArashMarkaziWWE just announced on NBC before the Belmont Stakes that SummerSlam will take place Saturday, August 21 in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium, the new $1.9 billion home of the Las Vegas Raiders. The event is expected to draw a sellout crowd of around 72,000 fans. https://t.co/oO9HuH8ewx
It was previously announced that WWE was departing from its usual practice of holding pay-per-views on Sundays in favor of staging SummerSlam on a Saturday night.
SummerSlam is one of WWE's biggest events every year, but it is an even bigger deal this year since it will occur in the midst of WWE returning to the road to tour in front of live fans.
WWE held shows without fans for most of 2020 and 2021 thus far with the exception of WrestleMania 37. Recently, WWE announced that it will return to touring beginning with the July 16 episode of SmackDown.
The first pay-per-view on the tour with fans in attendance will be Money in the Bank in July, but SummerSlam will be an even bigger show at a bigger venue.
Leading up to the official announcement of SummerSlam's location, Bret McCormick of Sports Business Journal reported that WWE was considering six NFL stadiums as the SummerSlam venue.
Those stadiums were Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida; SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California; NRG Stadium in Houston; Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; and Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Other rumors are persisting as well, and if they come true, they could cement SummerSlam as the biggest wrestling event of 2021.
Among the rumors is that WWE is planning to have superstar rapper Cardi B host the show, per Andrew Zarian of Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast.
That would be a major coup for WWE in terms of generating interest, especially after having rapper Bad Bunny wrestle a match at WrestleMania 37.
Also, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Paul Davis of WrestlingNews.com) is reporting that WWE is working on potentially making Universal champion Roman Reigns vs. John Cena the main event of SummerSlam.
Cena has not wrestled in WWE since WrestleMania 36 last year because he has been focused on his career in Hollywood, but bringing him back against the top star in WWE today would be the biggest spot possible for Cena.
All signs point to SummerSlam being a spectacle, and Saturday's announcement of the venue was the first step toward making that a reality.
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