WWE: SummerSlam 2026 Countdown Kickoff Event Set For 5/2 at Mall Of America, Drew McIntyre WWE Abscense Update, Updated List of Female Indies Talents Participating in WWE Tryouts in United Kingdom

May 1, 2026

SummerSlam 2026 Countdown Kickoff Event Set For May 2nd at Mall Of America

The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota announced that WWE will be holding a SummerSlam 2026 Countdown Kickoff event at their venue this Saturday.

Mall of America’s official website:

Get ready, Minnesota — the countdown to SummerSlam starts here.
Join us this Saturday at the Huntington® Bank Rotunda at Mall of America® as WWE kicks off the road to SummerSlam 2026 at U.S. Bank Stadium this August.
Experience the energy of WWE live with appearances from LA Knight — YEAH — and Maxxine Dupri, hosted by Dana Wessel from 93X.
This high-energy fan event will feature:
* Live Superstar appearances
* Giveaways and prizes
* A chance to win tickets to SummerSlam
Whether you’re a lifelong member of the WWE Universe or just looking for an unforgettable Saturday, this is your chance to be part of the excitement as Minnesota gears up for the biggest event of the summer.
Event Details:
Huntington® Bank Rotunda
Saturday
1 p.m.
The road to SummerSlam starts now.

This year’s SummerSlam event takes place on August 1-2 at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Drew McIntyre WWE Abscense Update

Drew McIntyre has been noticbly absent from WWE since his Unsanctioned match against Jacob Fatu at this past April’s WrestleMania 42 Night 1 event in Las Vegas, Nevada.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that the reason for McIntyre’s current abscense from WWE is due to him being in Scotland for the filming of the remainder of his scenes for the upcoming Highlander reboot film.

It is currently not known when McIntyre will be returning to WWE.

Updated List of Female Indies Talents Participating in WWE Tryouts in United Kingdom

As noted before, WWE is currently holding new talent tryouts this week in the United Kingdom. Among those who were revealed to have been invited for the tryouts were Safire Reed, Daemon Atlas, Gia Taylor, Austin Milward, and Ema Corsi.

Twitter user Alex, @lexveraux, recently posted a list of female indies talents who are participating in WWE’s tryouts this week in the United Kingdom.