World Wrestling Entertainment made headlines on Thursday with a major announcement. WWE revealed that SummerSlam will not only take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2026, but that also, the event will move to two nights.
WWE made a similar decision four years ago when it turned WrestleMania into a two-night extravaganza. This would mark the first occasion for SummerSlam and is a major indication that the company will continue to make the event feel bigger. They’ve held it in football stadiums in each of the last three years and will again in 2024 when they go to Cleveland, where the event will emanate from the Browns’ stadium, Cleveland Browns Stadium.
A few of us here got together to give our instant reactions to this major story.
SummerSlam is moving to two nights in 2026. What’s your instant reaction?
Ben Axelrod: Obviously, there’s a lot that stands out about this announcement. Starting with the location, this seems like a clear make-good to Minneapolis, which many considered to be the frontrunner to host Wrestlemania in 2025 before Las Vegas ultimately got the nod. The logical solution would have been to give Minneapolis Wrestlemania in 2026, but considering Nick Khan’s comments regarding Philadelphia, I think it will be a while before we see Wrestlemania in a cold-weather city again (even if that city’s stadium happens to have a roof.
The other noteworthy aspect is that WWE’s already committing to making Summerslam a two-night event, a distinction that’s only been reserved for Wrestlemania since 2020. As TKO prioritizes site fees, I think we’ll continue to see more two-night events moving forward, whether it’s stretching out major shows like Wrestlemania and Summerslam or adding a UFC and/or Powerslap component to the events. Either way, it’s clear that TKO is no longer in the business of one-offs; when they come to your city, they’re taking over the town.
Robert O’Neill: I think moving SummerSlam to a two-night event makes a lot of sense, especially with Thursday’s other WWE news item, that the winners of the King and Queen of the Ring Tournaments will get title shots at the event starting this year. That presumably will be an annual thing going forward leading up to the 2026 two-night debut. SummerSlam has always kind of felt like WWE’s second-biggest show of the year and with WrestleMania going to two nights now, SummerSlam following suit is logical.
A two-night draw that you can start building as early as late May, assuming the King and Queen of the Ring Tournaments remain at this time of year going forward, also adds another layer of prestige and hype to the event. This is pivotal now that it has joined the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania as events being held in football or baseball stadiums every year rather than basketball arenas, as was the case for a long time.
Chris Novak: I think this was trending in this direction for the past few years, so it makes sense that they’re going to super-size SummerSlam. Last year, there was a bit of outcry over the card, with several noteworthy stars like Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley left off the card. Certainly, some problems can exist with trying to fit everybody in. You don’t want to pacify anybody, but you also want to take stock of the big names and make sure they’re tended to. Pro wrestling is an ego-heavy business, after all.
In saying that, I think that it’s a great idea. I think the fact that WWE announced that the KOTR and QOTR winners will be rewarded with title shots at the event is a sign of things to come. You can argue that the Royal Rumble is a vehicle to sell WrestleMania. If they want to sell a two-night SummerSlam, then you need attractive matches. Lining up big championship matches is certainly one way to get the job done. The fact that they’ve already put that in motion will only heighten the experiment in two years when it comes time for the event.
WWE is red-hot business-wise. While a two-night SummerSlam two years from now might be ambitious, it’s not surprising.
