WWE to Resume Live Touring in July

WWE will start a 25-city touring schedule this summer that runs from July 16 through Labor Day.

WWE is returning to the road.

Beginning this July, Sports Illustrated has confirmed, WWE starts a 25-city touring schedule that runs through Labor Day.

The tour starts with three events in Texas. SmackDown is set for July 16 in Houston at the Toyota Center. Two days later, the Money in the Bank pay-per-view will take place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. The next night’s Raw on July 19 will be hosted by the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

The weekly two-hour SmackDown has benefited tremendously from the presence of Roman Reigns, Sasha Banks, and Bayley, but it will undoubtedly be enhanced with the presence of a live crowd. The three-hour Raw has struggled to resonate with viewers on a weekly basis, and it will also receive a jolt of adrenaline from a packed house.

Live events also spell the end of WWE’s ThunderDome. The final show in the ThunderDome is scheduled for Monday, July 12. NXT will continue to run out of its Capitol Wrestling Center, which is produced in the WWE Performance Center.

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.