The coronavirus pandemic has greatly affected WWE in the last couple of months, but future problems are in their sights as well. As things currently stand, SummerSlam will take place from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on August 23. Due to the unknown situation with travel, social distancing, and more, rumors are swirling that both the date and location of the event may be changed.
Both WrestleMania 36 and Money in the Bank took place from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. The dates were left relatively the same except for the fact that WrestleMania took place over two nights instead of the typical one.
According to the Twitter account for WrestleVotes, a lot of changes could be on the way for SummerSlam . They recently reported that WWE is actively seeking a new location for the pay-per-view and are hoping for it to happen with fans in attendance.
Georgia and Florida are the two specific states mentioned as possible locations for the event.
Wrestling Inc. reported that Mayor Marty Walsh announced that festivals and parades would not be allowed to take place in the city all summer. That move keeps large groups from coming together in one place, and that would make it virtually impossible for WWE to hold an event there.
What I’ve learned from sources on SummerSlam.
– WWE wants to remain as is, city of Boston has made it clear that’s not likely – WWE is activity hunting for a new location w/ fans – Keep an eye on the South, FL & GA. – Date MAY be pushed into September – No word on TakeOver
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) May 13, 2020
SummerSlam is typically the way that WWE ends the summer and pushes ahead into the remaining four months of the year. If a new location ends up being necessary, though, it could cause the date to move into September.
NXT usually has a TakeOver event on the day before SummerSlam as they do with the other big PPVs. There has been no word about whether that event will happen at all, and WWE canceled one in early April, which was to precede WrestleMania .
In that instance, some of the matches took place on the weekly NXT television show on the USA Network.
SummerSlam weekend is also a possible time for the postponed WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony to take place. If everything ends up changing for August, it may have to be delayed or rescheduled again as well.
Backlash is going to take place at the WWE Performance Center in June, but there has been no determination for Extreme Rules in July. WWE is taking things a couple of weeks at a time as health officials and state governments continue to update guidelines and regulations related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
