July 31, 2023 Observer Newsletter: WWE SummerSlam card takes shape, questions surround AEW All In

WWE runs what will be the biggest SummerSlam show in recent history on 8/5 at Ford Field.

The show will be the biggest in a few ways. It’s a virtual lock that, given the growth of Peacock and the growth of WWE popularity this year, will be the most number of people watching in North America or any SummerSlam show in history. It will be the second largest attendance (it won’t beat the 1992 show at Wembley Stadium) and will likely be the largest gate for any non-WrestleMania show ever in the U.S. (the target is $7.3 million based on how gates are usually measured and $7.7 million that WWE announced for Royal Rumble including Ticketmaster fees).

They’ve peaked big as well with the main event, with the Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso match not only being for all three belts that Reigns & Paul Heyman carry around as Universal champion, but even more significant in the storyline, the lei Reigns wears which makes him Tribal Chief. The match is being billed as Tribal Warfare, another name for an anything-goes, no DQ weapons match.

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