WWE’s reason for running more house shows | Exclusive
In the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided some insight on WWE’s decision to run more house shows this summer.
WWE announced this week that it will be holding 10 main roster house shows in the United States as part of its Summer 2026 Tour. The dates are set for July-August and will be happening on either Thursdays or weekends. They include stops in New Mexico, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, Virginia, New Hampshire, Georgia, and South Carolina.
Domestic house shows had mostly been phased out in the post-pandemic era, but Meltzer reports that, with a significant amount of young talent added to the roster, WWE thought it was a good idea for them to get more experience at non-televised events.
Meltzer wrote:
- What we were told is that with more younger wrestlers on the roster than before, they felt it was good for them to get more experience away from television so this was the time to expand the schedule. Plus, unlike a few years ago when the company wasn’t as popular, there will almost surely be a nice profit margin doing the house shows. The idea in the past was less shows created more of a demand for shows and that was one of the reasons for cutting back, and the belief that the older roster could use less dates and wear and tear and they had enough experience. The attempt is to get a younger roster now and they could use more reps before a crowd.
Cody Rhodes, Oba Femi, Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins, Jade Cargill, Trick Williams, and Drew McIntyre are advertised for the tour. Rhodes, the current Undisputed WWE Champion, has been a big proponent of WWE having more house shows and even pitched the idea to the company’s top brass.
It’s expected that ticket prices for these events will be more affordable than other WWE events.
The promotion also has live events in Europe and South America coming up, along with one house show date in Canada.
Here is the full list of newly announced domestic dates:
WWE Summer Tour house show schedule —
- Saturday, July 11: WWE Summer Tour at Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico
- Sunday, July 12: WWE Summer Tour at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Thursday, July 16: WWE Summer Tour at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Saturday, July 25: WWE Summer Tour at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton, California
- Sunday, July 26: WWE Summer Tour at Dignity Health Arena in Bakersfield, California
- Thursday, July 30: WWE Summer Tour at Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield, Illinois
- Thursday, August 6: WWE Summer Tour at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia
- Thursday, August 13: WWE Summer Tour at SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire
- Saturday, August 29: WWE Summer Tour at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia
- Sunday, August 30: WWE Summer Tour at North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, South Carolina
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.