WWE’s decision to expand its house show schedule this summer is driven by a desire to give its growing crop of younger talent more in-ring experience away from the cameras, according to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
WWE announced 10 main roster house shows across the United States for July and August, running on Thursdays and weekends with stops in New Mexico, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, Virginia, New Hampshire, Georgia, and South Carolina. Domestic house shows had largely been phased out in the post-pandemic era. Meltzer explained the reasoning behind the return.
“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 among the names advertised for the tour. Rhodes, the current Undisputed WWE Champion, has been a vocal advocate for WWE running more house shows and previously pitched the idea to company leadership. Ticket prices are expected to be more affordable than standard WWE events.
WWE also has live events scheduled in Europe, South America, and Canada this summer.