WWE Confirms Massive UK Stadium Show
WWE has finally confirmed that the company will run a huge stadium show in the UK in September – at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium!
The news was made official today, much to the delight of wrestling fans in the United Kingdom – and the event could see almost 80,000 fans in attendance!
The show will take place on September 3rd, which is a Saturday.
In a press release, which was also distributed in Welsh via WWE.com, it was announced.
“WWE today announced that the first major WWE stadium event to be held in the United Kingdom in more than 30 years will emanate from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on Saturday, September 3, 2022.
Located in the heart of Cardiff, the capital of Wales – a cultural and sports destination with a world class record in hosting events – the Principality Stadium is a state-of-the-art, multi-faceted event destination and home to the Wales national rugby union team.”
John Porco, WWE Senior Vice President, Live Events, said the show will be on a par with SummerSlam 1992 – which took place in London 30 years ago.
“The weekend will be filled with a variety of WWE experiences that we believe will leave a lasting memory, on par with SummerSlam at Wembley Stadium in 1992.”
WWE Heads To The UK
In September, Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT broke the news that WWE was planning a major return to the UK with the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales the front runner to host the event.
The report had added that one feature of the venue – its retractable roof – was an attractive feature to the company, which is understandable given the unpredictable British weather.
Formerly known as the Millennium Stadium, the venue was renamed in 2016 for sponsorship reasons, and is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it’s the home of the Wales national rugby union team and has also held the national team’s football games as well.
The typical capacity for the stadium sits at just under 75,000 however a boxing bout in 2017 featuring Britain’s Anthony Joshua is reported to have brought in a crowd of 78,000 fans.
Meanwhile, WWE’s first ever British WWE Champion Drew McIntyre is said to have been part of the meetings regarding the event that took place while the company was in the UK on a live event tour.
In 1992, WWE held their only UK stadium show – but it was a big one! 30 years ago this year, SummerSlam was taken to Wembley in London, England. The main event saw Englishman The British Bulldog capture the WWF Intercontinental Championship from brother-in-law Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart in a classic encounter.
The last time the company held any sort of pay-per-view event in the UK was in June 2003 at the Telewest Arena in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. On that occasion, ten thousand fans packed the arena to witness a main event that saw Triple H defeat Kevin Nash to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.