SummerSlam coming to Minneapolis in 2026

Why it matters: It's the first WWE premier event in the Twin Cities since Tables, Ladders, and Chairs in 2019. SummerSlam was last held in Minneapolis in 1999 when then-Gov. Jesse Ventura was a guest referee.

By the numbers: Last year's SummerSlam generated $8.5 million from nearly 60,000 people at the gate at Detroit's Ford Field and drew two million viewers on Peacock, Axios' Troy Smith writes from Cleveland, where the event will be held this year.

• Both figures were records for a WWE non-WrestleMania event until the 2024 Royal Rumble eclipsed it in January.

Between the lines: Minnesota Sports & Events had budgeted $5 million in its failed bid for WrestleMania in 2025.

• The state-funded sports commission declined to say how much it promised WWE for SummerSlam, though the Ohio Department of Development awarded WWE $1.6 million in tax credits ahead of this year's SummerSlam.

The bottom line: This likely means WrestleMania — which draws massive crowds to host cities — isn't coming to Minneapolis anytime soon.