Report: WWE Moving Raw and SmackDown Tapings to Orlando's Amway Center After SummerSlam

On Thursday reports from WrestleVotes, EWrestlingNews and Spectrum Sports' Jon Alba all dropped [...]

By Connor Casey

On Thursday reports from WrestleVotes, EWrestlingNews and Spectrum Sports' Jon Alba all dropped stating WWE's annual SummerSlam pay-per-view would take place at the Amway Center in downtown Orlando on Aug. 23 rather than the Performance Center several miles away. Alba also reported at the time that episodes of Raw and SmackDown could also move to the arena, writing, "Per a source: #WWE is not just exploring #SummerSlam at Amway Center in Orlando, but also utilizing the facility going forward for other events. ... The arena is currently 'closed' until next year, which would seemingly mean nothing is on the docket."

WrestleVotes then confirmed that report later in the afternoon, "Strong sense of enthusiasm at the Performance Center today... All TVs after this coming Monday's RAW will indeed be live and from the Amway Center in Orlando. Some normalcy on the horizon."

All episodes of Raw and SmackDown (along with the last four pay-per-views) have taken place inside the PC since mid-March.

"It's worth noting #WWE has saved a ton of money on production costs this year due to not being on the road (per the last quarterly financial report), so if it were a money matter of leasing Amway, that would seem very doable," Alba continued. "If #WWE could secure some sort of lease at Amway Center, it's not out of the realm to suggest limited fans could eventually return to the tapings given how big the arena is. Plenty of room to social distance. #AEW has been running with some invited guests, distanced."

WWE has yet to make any sort of official statement regarding Summerslam's location or a change in procedure for television tapings.

As of now, NXT TakeOver: XXX will still take place at Full Sail Live on Aug 22.

Here's the card for SummerSlam:

  • WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton
  • WWE Universal Championship: Braun Strowman vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt
  • Raw Women's Championship: Sasha Banks vs. Asuka
  • SmackDown Women's Championship: Bayley vs. TBD
  • United States Championship: Apollo Crews vs. MVP
  • Raw Tag Team Championships: The Street Profits vs. Andrade & Angel Garza
  • Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins

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