WWE has announced it will return to touring this July, and the Superstars appear to have been told the news at the same time as the fans.
After a few weeks of rumors, WWE has officially announced when it will officially return to the road. A statement released via WWE.com has announced a 25-date tour will kick off with an episode of SmackDown in Houston, Texas on July 16, 2021. Money in the Bank will then air live from Fort Worth two days later before Raw rolls through Dallas's American Airlines Center the night after that.
Fans Return To The Fold
The rest of the dates are yet to be announced, but if all goes to plan, July 16 will be the long-awaited return of fans being back in buildings for the long term. AEW has been welcoming fans back for a few months now in a limited capacity, but only at Daily's Place. It will have a capacity crowd at Double or Nothing next weekend, and will also return to touring in July.
As for how WWE broke the touring news to its Superstars, a couple of tweets following the announcement suggest it didn't. Well, not before it revealed the news to the rest of the world. Xavier Woods replied to WWE's tweet announcing the news with a rather sarcastic, "oh, good to know!" Shinsuke Nakamura reacted by celebrating the fact he and his fans will be able to sing together again.
Bye Bye ThunderDome
Other than WrestleMania 37, WWE has not had fans in its buildings for well over a year. Its first pandemic shows took place in a plain-looking Performance Center before its creative minds dreamt up the ThunderDome. An arena filled with screens that it continues to use until today, and will use up until the final Raw before fans return for SmackDown on July 16.
Odds are the reactions from fans on that first show back will be electric. It may also explain why WWE decided to reshuffle its PPV schedule. Money in the Banks traditionally takes place earlier than July. However, the suitcase-driven PPV is arguably the fifth-biggest show of the year and will provide the perfect backdrop for the first big show with fans in attendance, other than WrestleMania 37, for 16 months by that point.