WWE is negotiating to bring its SummerSlam pay-per-view event to Orlando on Aug. 23, a city spokeswoman said. Though no fans would be allowed inside, it would bring life to an arena that has been dormant since a Billie Eilish concert on March 10. Just days later, the pandemic put an end to most public gatherings of any size.
The wrestling promotion, whose last public live event was March 11 with a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of about 400 fans at the company’s training facility in east Orlando, has continued to stage wrestling shows multiple times per week during the pandemic, largely on a closed set, and was declared an “essential business” by Gov.