WWE worried about Summerslam 2021 cancellation amid COVID-19 spike

Bengaluru, August 5: As COVID-19 cases have started to spike around the United States, WWE Officials are seemingly concerned that they could be forced to move back to the ThunderDome in the coming weeks.

There is still no official word from their side but it appears that the company is shuffling the backup plans, according to several reports.

It was first noted by Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam that, internally the WWE head-honchos believe that they will have to return to the Performance Center, or another venue with the ThunderDome setup, within a few weeks.

It was also noted that there’s an internal feeling that SummerSlam “can/will be canceled” from the currently scheduled venue, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The insider feeling is that WWE fully expects they will not be on the road in just four weeks time, as there is concern about “how they will be able to proceed in a non-contained environment.”

In an update to Bodyslam's report, Wrestlevotes mentioned that WWE sources say SummerSlam at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, August 21 is still the plan as the event is just less than three weeks away. WWE is also said to have had conversations with Las Vegas officials and Allegiant Stadium reps, and everything is on the track, as of last morning.

“Source says SummerSlam happening at Allegiant Stadium is still the plan, with the event being just 2 weeks out. WWE has had conversations with the city and venue, and as of this very moment, all things remain on track."

WWE officials reportedly do not expect another round of full lockdown in effect, but they are anticipating bans on mass gatherings to be announced in the coming weeks. Even if SummerSlam 2021 goes down per schedule, the recent reports suggest WWE might just have to halt down their current touring procedure through the cities.

Hence, Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men wrestling podcast also previously reported that WWE has already been working on contingency plans in case the pandemic forces more shutdowns. It was noted that WWE has been in touch with at least 6 or 7 venues to potentially run shows, there if the pandemic situation becomes worse in the upcoming days.

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The #UniversalTitle will be on the line at Your Summer Vacation Destination when @JohnCena challenges @WWERomanReigns, streaming LIVE, August 21 on @peacockTV in the U.S. and @WWENetwork everywhere else. @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/kfFTCp1KPS

— WWE (@WWE) July 31, 2021

In the meantime, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas recently updated their COVID-19 protocol going by the local Govt. Body's mandate and announced that all individuals entering the stadium must wear a face mask, irrespective of their vaccination status.

WWE recently stated on their Q2 earnings call that they have sold 40,000 of 45,000 tickets to SummerSlam as of last week. By this time they might just have sold out the SummerSlam 2021 pay-per-view event that announced the following matches on the card, thus far:

– Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. John Cena

– WWE Championship Match: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Goldberg

– RAW Women’s Championship Match: Nikki Cross A.S.H. (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley