The WWE hosted WrestleMania 37 with a reduced fan capacity earlier in the year, with the pandemic still making large crowds an impossibility, but the company apparently intends to make up for that in a big way in the near future. If it wasn't already apparent that the WWE had big plans for this year's SummerSlam by booking Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium, several new rumors have surfaced that indicate the the upcoming pay-per-view is getting set up to be even bigger than WrestleMania.
SummerSlam 2021 marks the first time the annual PPV event will be held in an NFL stadium, which means the WWE will have to really pack in some huge matches and a lot more to fill out all those seats to full capacity. Obviously, fans will already be eager to get back to major live events like this, but they may be more inclined to do so after hearing this rumor from reporter Jon Alba: the WWE is reportedly plotting for Roman Reigns to take on John Cena for SummerSlam's main event. Cue the fireworks and that instantly recognizable theme.
It's true that John Cena has been away from WWE duties for a good while now, and missed WrestleMania 37 amidst talk of his return at the time. However, Jon Alba noted that a summer appearance at a pay-per-view shouldn't be a problem
John Cena going to war against Universal Champion Roman Reigns may not have been a match-up fans would have been hungry for years ago, but now that Reigns has gone heel under the guidance of Paul Heyman, it's certainly a more intriguing contest. Additionally, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and with Cena having been away from WWE since his loss to Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36, it would be his first match in over a year and a half.
A big event like that needs an equally eye-grabbing host, and according to Wrestling Inc, the WWE is aiming high to get one of its most famous hosts yet for SummerSlam. It's reported that rapper Cardi B is being sought out to host the proceedings, which would be a huge get given her massive mainstream success. It's become a meme in recent years that WWE is slow to the curve when it comes to trends, but perhaps the recent wins the organization has had working with Bad Bunny has made all involved understand the appeal of paying extra for big names. Wouldn't hurt to get Megan Thee Stallion involved, either.
Another SummerSlam rumor circulating claims that Brock Lesnar will make a return to go toe-to-toe with current WWE Champion Bobby Lashley. The latter has made some noise over wanting to take on Lesnar, and while the wrestling world has gobbled that up, multiple sources say that as of last week, Lesnar has not been contacted for any such thing. Of course, with his friend Paul Heyman currently working as a talent alongside Roman Reigns, one would think that conversation would be fairly easy to pull off without too many folks finding out.
Should the WWE manage to pull those two marquee matchups together, on top of everything else that hasn't come to light yet, it sets the stage for a massive night for the WWE. So massive, in fact, that it wouldn't be crazy to think all 65,000 seats might get filled rather quickly. Of course, nothing has been officially announced as of yet, but the WWE is almost definitely wanting to go all out for one of the first opportunities to really win over fans with one of its mega-events. Especially after all the roster shakeups and behind-the-scenes changes as of late.
SummerSlam 2021 is set to take place on Saturday, August 21 in Las Vegas. Anyone without tickets will be able to stream the action on Peacock.
