The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority has granted permission to reroute funding that was initially allocated for its American Rescue Plan, set up amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, to play a supporting role in bringing WWE SummerSlam to East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium next year.
According to reports by the Sports Business Journal, the authority has validated a commitment of .125 million to back MetLife Stadium in their efforts to lock in and play host to the first-ever two-day WWE pay-per-view event, penciled in for August 2-3, 2025.
The funding redirected from the American Rescue Plan was initially injected amidst the pandemic to help “address the detrimental economic impacts of the public health emergency by extending support to hard-hit industries like tourism, travel, and hospitality.” The anticipated economic advantage of hosting WWE SummerSlam 2025 for New Jersey rings up to a robust million.
In addition, the state of New Jersey had earlier been on the receiving end of a staggering .24 billion in federal relief funds during the pandemic in May 2021. These must be portioned out by the close of 2025 and needs to be fully used by the end of the following year.
The authority is known to have redirected .5 million from the American Rescue Plan to aid the Prudential Center in Newark in hosting UFC 288. These funds were earmarked “to bolster sporting events, attractions, and promotions.”
Finally, it’s worth noting that WWE SummerSlam 2025 will hold the distinct honor of being the inaugural two-night event in the history of SummerSlam.