WWE bringing SummerSlam to Ford Field

World Wrestling Entertainment will stage its largest area event in 16 years when it brings its annual summertime extravaganza, SummerSlam, to Ford Field on Aug. 5.

The highly anticipated event will be the first time WWE has presented a show at Ford Field since WrestleMania 23 packed a reported 80,103 fans into the Detroit Lions' home in April 2007, setting an attendance record for the venue.

Tickets for the event, which will be held on a busy Saturday night in downtown Detroit, go on sale April 14 via Ticketmaster channels. Pre-sale information can be found on WWE's website. The event also will be streamed live on Peacock.

"This is a big deal that we're coming, and that it's in Ford Field. I think it's going to be extremely exciting," WWE Superstar Sami Zayn told The Detroit News. "SummerSlam on its own is already a pretty big deal. And then when you add in Detroit and you add a stadium component to it, all of a sudden it becomes a really big deal. And then everybody gets more excited about it, and that sort of circular pattern goes from fans to performers back to the fans. So there becomes this heightened energy the closer you come to it."

SummerSlam is the second-biggest show on WWE's calendar, following its flagship annual event, WrestleMania. This year's WrestleMania will be held over two nights, April 1-2, at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium.

PREVIOUSLY: Sami Zayn still climbing the WWE mountain as 'Smackdown' hits Detroit

Tuesday's announcement comes amid several recent shakeups at WWE. Last month, executive chairman Vince McMahon returned to the company after stepping down from his role as CEO and chairman last summer, following allegations of sexual misconduct. Upon his return, in which he reportedly plans to oversee a sale of the company, McMahon's daughter, Stephanie McMahon, resigned from her position as co-CEO and chairwoman of the board.

Following McMahon's return, Detroit's Police and Fire Retirement System filed a class action lawsuit against WWE to prevent the sale of the publicly traded company to another entertainment conglomerate.

For now, it's business as usual at WWE, and the sports entertainment company's live Friday night program "Smackdown" emanated from Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 20.

The night of SummerSlam already is shaping up to be a hot one in downtown Detroit: Madonna will be performing a hometown concert on her Celebration Tour at Little Caesars Arena, and next door to Ford Field, the Detroit Tigers will be hosting the Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park.

SummerSlam was created in 1988 and is the company's third-longest running annual premium live event, behind WrestleMania and the Thanksgiving-timed Survivor Series.

Last year's SummerSlam was held in Nashville's Nissan Stadium in front of a reported crowd of 48,449, and the previous year's event was held in Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium and was attended by 51,326 fans. Prior to 2021, SummerSlam had traditionally been held in arenas.

The last time SummerSlam was held in Metro Detroit was 30 years ago at The Palace of Auburn Hills. That event in August 1993 saw Lex Luger defeat Yokozuna in the main event, although Luger did not win the WWF championship title, since his victory was by count-out (and as pro wrestling fans know, the belt doesn't change hands on count-outs). SummerSlam '93 also featured appearances by the Undertaker, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, the Steiner Brothers and Razor Ramon.

SummerSlam will be WWE's first Pay-Per-View event in Detroit since the company held its Hell in a Cell event at a then-new Little Caesars Arena in October 2017.

Other PPV events that WWE has staged in Detroit since WrestleMania 23 include Night of Champions in September 2013, Over the Limit in May 2010 and the Royal Rumble in January 2009, all at Joe Louis Arena.

WrestleMania 23 featured Vince McMahon and a pre-politics Donald Trump in a hair vs. hair "Battle of the Billionaires" match. McMahon ultimately lost, and had his head shaved by the future 45th President of the United States.

That event — timed to the 20th anniversary of WrestleMania III, the mega-event that drew a reported 93,173 fans to the Pontiac Silverdome and took the then-WWF to a new level of popularity — kicked off WrestleMania's stadiums era, and the event has been held in football venues ever since, aside from the pandemic-affected 2020 event.

More:Larger than life: An oral history of WrestleMania III

WrestleMania started being held over two nights in 2020. In 2024, WrestleMania XL will be held April 6-7 at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.

SummerSlam adds to a busy extracurricular 2023 schedule for Ford Field. The stadium is also set to host concerts by Luke Combs (April 22), Taylor Swift (June 9 and 10), Morgan Wallen (June 29), Ed Sheeran (July 15), Beyoncé (July 26) and Metallica (Nov. 10 and 12), and starting in April will be home to the USFL's Michigan Panthers and Philadelphia Stars. That's in addition to a mix of Monster Jam and supercross events.

The Lions' 2023 schedule has not yet been announced, but last year's NFL preseason kicked off Aug. 11.

agraham@detroitnews.com

@grahamorama