Triple H Explains Why WWE Turned SummerSlam Into a Two-Night Event

Triple H says if you’re going to do it big, do it really big — and that’s exactly why WWE has expanded SummerSlam into a two-night event.

Speaking on WFAN in New York City with Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque broke down the decision behind turning one of WWE’s biggest shows of the year into a full weekend experience. According to him, it’s a move that’s already proven itself with WrestleMania, and it’s all about delivering for fans on every level.

“Look, it has been successful for us on the WrestleMania side for sure—the two-night WrestleManias are destination weekends. People plan their year, their vacation around it.”

Triple H explained that for WWE fans, events like WrestleMania — and now SummerSlam — are full-blown vacations, with fans arriving days in advance and filling out their schedules with WWE-related experiences.

“A lot of folks come in on Thursday, they’re going to the World, seeing all the memorabilia, getting autographs, coming to SmackDown on Friday night, then the Saturday-Sunday events. NXT in the afternoon sometimes on Saturdays, all the way through to Monday night. This time, we’ll be at Barclays Center. If you’re a fan, there’s nothing like it. It’s going to Disney for pro wrestling.”

He said the momentum from WrestleMania’s two-night success proved that the model works, both for the fans and the business.

“It’s worked for us at WrestleMania. It’ll work for us at SummerSlam. It’s going incredibly well. The business is there—so let’s take it.”

Beyond SummerSlam, Levesque also talked about how hard it is to keep anything under wraps in the modern era of wrestling. With social media and fan speculation nonstop, WWE had to evolve — and that’s what led to pulling back the curtain with WWE: Unreal on Netflix.

“You can’t, if you’re bringing in a new talent, like you gotta hide him at a different airport… The second you do, it’s everywhere. People want to report on everything.”

Despite concerns from some purists about exposing too much, Triple H said most of the people criticizing are already dissecting everything on podcasts and forums anyway. For him, the goal is to invite fans into the chaos and passion behind the scenes — just like Drive to Survive did for F1.

“I think this opens up the doors to a lot of people that aren’t necessarily fans, but that can watch this and appreciate all that goes into it… and hopefully that leads to them becoming WWE fans for life.”

With SummerSlam now a full weekend and WWE: Unreal opening up new fan access to the creative process, Triple H says WWE is thriving by giving fans more of what they already want — and that includes the idea that no great moment is ever truly finished.

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