WWE announces 25-city live tour as fans return in big way this summer

WWE has announced the return of live crowds as part of a ’25-city schedule’ starting this summer.

In July, the pro wrestling giant will be back in front of a physical audience for the first time since WrestleMania 37, which was itself the first time fans had been at a show in over a year.

In a statement on WWE.com, the company said: ‘WWE will return to Live Event touring with a 25-city schedule through Labor Day. The tour will debut this July in Texas with a trio of shows.’

The first three events on the calendar will be SmackDown (July 16), Money In The Bank (July 18) and Raw (July 19).

All three will take place in Texas, at the Toyota Center in Houston, the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth and the American Airlines Center in Dallas respectively.

Meanwhile, the company confirmed: ‘Additional tour stops and on-sale dates will be announced in the coming weeks.’

WWE hasn’t had fans back regularly since March 2020, as they initially switched to airing shows from the Performance Center in Orlando during the pandemic.

They eventually moved production to the ThunderDome, which is currently housed at the Yuengling Center in Tampa having had residencies at Orlando’s Amway Center and Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

Both nights of WrestleMania 37 itself were held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, which means the SmackDown show on July 16 will be the first show outside of Florida since the pandemic hit.

Similarly, AEW recently confirmed they would be getting back on the road this summer with a series of live Dynamite events outside of their Jackonsville base.

They will get underway a week before WWE, with a show set for July 7 at the James L. Knight Center in Miami.

Boss Tony Khan said: ‘We’ve missed touring cities, meeting the fans and hearing their roar during our lives shows.’

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