"Two weeks before we were going to begin" - AEW personality reveals WWE canceled major SummerSlam plans

The launch of AEW brought many welcomed additions to the pro wrestling industry, including one significant perk: jobs. Wrestlers now have more places to perform, but behind-the-scenes workers also have more options than they have had in the past. One fan-favorite AEW star has revealed an amusing backstage story from his time with WWE on how unique SummerSlam plans were nixed.

RJ City began training for a pro wrestling career after graduating high school and debuted on the Canadian indies in August 2006. While City worked for ROH and TNA at times, he no longer wrestles. He joined AEW in 2023 to work as a creative writer, host, and interviewer.

The 36-year-old currently hosts Hey! (EW) on AEW's YouTube channel, co-hosts Meal and a Match on the TBS YouTube channel with Renee Paquette, and has been hosting AEW Zero Hour pre-shows and preview specials with Paquette and Jeff Jarrett.

City produced digital content for WWE in 2020 and 2021, notably appearing on YouTube for The Bump, Watch Along specials, and other projects. The former IWC World Heavyweight Champion appeared on, and wrote sketches for, WrestleMania After Dark with RJ City, which premiered on WWE's YouTube channel after WrestleMania 37 ended.

During a recent Sign-it-Live session with Highspots, City revealed how there were plans for a SummerSlam After Dark special.

"We did a wonderful thing called WrestleMania After Dark. It was a comedy special. It’s on YouTube, it’s on Peacock for I don’t know how long, between night one and two of WrestleMania 37, the WrestleMania that rained and they all stalled. So, it aired then, they loved it. They’re like, ‘This is fantastic,’ and they said, ‘Let’s do another one.’ So we had planned and we had written SummerSlam After Dark and two weeks before we were going to begin production on it, they gutted the whole digital department," RJ City said.

City continued and revealed how he had plans for several stars to be involved with SummerSlam After Dark, including Tugboat (aka Fred Ottman), Shayna Baszler, Asuka, and actor James Adomian as Jesse Ventura.

"So these [notes RJ drafted for the special] are all the bits that were planned and submitted for SummerSlam After Dark, including a phone call with James Adomian as Jesse Ventura. I was gonna have Tugboat on the show. See what you missed out on? I was gonna have Shayna Baszler on. I was gonna have Asuka on the show and play my favorite game, ‘Is André the Giant hot?’ We just bring up a photo and we discuss," RJ City said. [H/T to POST Wrestling]

City began a friendship with David Arquette after they worked for TNA together in 2018. City and the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion have teamed up and went against each other, with City defeating Arquette in a CWFH match in July 2018.

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AEW Revolution 2025 details announced

All Elite Wrestling has officially announced its sixth annual Revolution pay-per-view. The big event will be held on Sunday, March 9.

AEW confirmed this week that Revolution will be held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, during the second week of March. Tickets go on sale to the general public on January 13, but a presale is set for January 7. A new look and feel for Revolution was also revealed, seen below.

Revolution 2024 was headlined by the retirement of Sting. The special pay-per-view was held at the historic Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC.