Backstage Notes On WWE SummerSlam And Cardi B Possibly Hosting The Show
WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan is reportedly the man behind WWE SummerSlam taking place in Las Vegas this year.
It was reportedly Khan's idea to hold the biggest show of the summer in Las Vegas, and he's been big on that idea since then, according to Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast.
Khan is also big on the idea of SummerSlam being a big spectacle this year. We've noted how Cardi B is rumored to be the SummerSlam host, and word is that Khan is also high up on the idea of the rapper hosting the pay-per-view.
It was also said that the goal for SummerSlam this year is to go really big. This is in line with the report from earlier this week that indicated WWE is working on WrestleMania-level plans for SummerSlam.
Multiple sources have reported that WWE is looking at John Cena vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns as the SummerSlam main event this year.
Regarding Cardi B, Khan spoke with Alfred Konuwa of Forbes earlier this year after the rapper made several WWE-related tweets and got into it with Lacey Evans on Twitter after being name-dropped during a RAW Legend Night segment. At a time when WWE was finding success with rapper Bad Bunny, Khan confirmed that they also had eyes for Cardi.
"Yes, and specifically the two that you just mentioned," Khan said of Bad Bunny and Cardi B, in response to a question on WWE partnering with popular musical acts. "Obviously, there is no touring right now, so the ability to get Bad Bunny for however long this run is going to be—and you're going to see a lot of him—I don't believe that would have existed in a world where Bad Bunny was on tour. That's going to be a continual effort, so we're always going to watch Bad Bunny, Cardi B to get involved."
Khan added in that Forbes interview, "It made it a touch easier to get a deal done this time because they weren't—over the course of however long the deal is—is not in 25 different cities during that time. The bulk of concert money is made in the summertime. It doesn't appear as if there are going to be big tours during the summer, even we're all hopeful, so we'll see what other folks we're talking to and who you'll see in the mix."
Khan's comments on Bad Bunny and Cardi B were made in early February. Bunny went on to make several RAW appearances, then teamed with Damian Priest for a WrestleMania 37 win over The Miz and John Morrison. WWE also sold a ton of Bad Bunny merchandise, and picked up a significant amount of mainstream media attention thanks to the rapper, and now they are hoping to find similar success with Cardi.
WWE SummerSlam is scheduled for Saturday, August 21 from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stay tuned for updates.