SummerSlam 2025 marks a new record for WWE. This year’s “Biggest Party of the Summer” has already garnered buzz as the first edition of the annual Premium Live Event (PLE) will be a two-night show. But now, it has also become the most expensive event to produce.
WWE SummerSlam 2025 Gets $7M Site Fee in New Jersey
TKO COO Mark Shapiro recently mentioned at the JPMorgan conference that SummerSlam 2025 is getting a $7M site fee in New Jersey. The show is scheduled for the August 2-3 weekend and will emanate from MetLife Stadium, one of WWE’s renowned venues.
New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) is set to provide $7,125,250 in public funds to East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium in support of the first two-day WWE SummerSlam PLE in August.
With SummerSlam’s record-breaking site fee, the show has surpassed some major WWE PLE’s in the past, including some WrestleMania editions.
According to “Wrestlenomics,” the top five highest site fees and incentives for a WWE PLE are SummerSlam 2025 (at the number one spot), WrestleMania 38, WrestleMania 41, WrestleMania 32, and Clash at the Castle 2022. Other shows on the top list include Backlash 2023 and Royal Rumble (2023, 2024).
Is SummerSlam Getting a WrestleMania Rematch This Year?
Based on the promotional poster released a few days ago, speculations ran rampant that Cody Rhodes would get his rematch against Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena in the main event of SummerSlam.
The American Nightmare was last seen at the Show of Shows, where John Cena scored a tainted victory over him. He refused to speak about his loss to Cena, who has since called himself the “Last Real Champion.”
The 48-year-old veteran wants to ruin wrestling and take the Undisputed WWE Championship with him when he retires in December.
Rhodes is expected to be back before the Biggest Party of the Summer, but it is unclear if his first move would be to go after Cena. More importantly, the Franchise Player may not want anything to do with the former champ, as he has already beaten him.
Meanwhile, Cena defeated Randy Orton at Backlash on May 10. Post-show, he attacked R-Truth, supposedly setting up a future title match against Truth. It is also believed he will square off with a few old rivals in the coming months, including AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, and CM Punk.
Where that leaves The American Nightmare is anybody’s guess at this point. Be that as it may, a large section of the WWE fanbase believes Cody Rhodes will ultimately overcome the odds and defeat John Cena to regain the Undisputed WWE title.