WWE: SummerSlam Plans Update, Paul Heyman Removed from Talking Smack, Extreme Rules 2021 Date

WWE SummerSlam 2021 Main Event Plans Update

As noted before, WWE is rumored to be working on plans for a match between John Cena and Roman Reigns to take place at this year’s SummerSlam event on August 21st in Las Vegas, Nevada. A potential road block for those plans is the recent announcement of Cena being involved in a new film called Argylle, which is currently scheduled to start filming next month in Europe.

Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that despite Cena’s new filming commitments, WWE officials currently have locked in their plans for the main event of this year’s SummerSlam event to be Cena vs. Reigns for the Universal Championship.

Meltzer reported that depending on when the filming begins for Cena’s new film, he could potentially finish up in time or even possibly get a few days off from his filming work in order to potentially be able to compete in this year’s SummerSlam event.

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Paul Heyman Reportedly Pulled as Co-Host of Talking Smack

This past week’s episode of Talking Smack on the WWE Network and NBC Peacock featured Pat McAfee filling in for co-host Paul Heyman.

Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that McAfee’s appearance was not meant to be a one-time type deal and instead he will become the new permanent co-host of Talking Smack alongside Kayla Braxton.

Meltzer reported that the official reason for Heyman’s removal from his co-host role is currently not known besides it just being a sudden decision made by WWE officials.

Meltzer also reported that there have been some talks within the company of how they will handle SmackDown’s post-show following the resumption of weekly touring. The one thing that reportedly will not change is the show still would not air immediately after SmackDown due to FOX who do not want it to air before their West Coast audience gets the chance to see that week’s episode of SmackDown first.

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WWE Announces September Dates for Extreme Rules 2021 & Other TV & Live Events

WWE recently announced a new set of dates for their upcoming events for the month of September, including this year’s Extreme Rules event.

This year’s Extreme Rules was announced to be taking place on September 26th at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Full list of upcoming WWE events for September 2021:

• September 11th – WWE Supershow at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC
• September 12th – WWE Supershow at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York
• September 13th – WWE Raw at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
• September 17th – WWE Friday Night SmackDown at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
• September 18th – WWE Live at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina
• September 19th – WWE Live at the James Brown Arena in Augusta, Georgia
• September 20th – WWE Raw at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina
• September 24th – WWE Friday Night SmackDown at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• September 25th – WWE Supershow at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania
• September 26th – Extreme Rules 2021 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio
• September 27th – WWE Raw at the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio