Add as a preferred source on Google Penta and Chad Gable could be in line for a prominent spot on the card at WWE SummerSlam, the two-night event scheduled for August 1-2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Gable will challenge Penta for the WWE Intercontinental Championship after winning a seven-man Gauntlet Match on the July 13 episode of Raw. WWE has not yet announced which night the match will take place, but both nights are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, ESPN is expecting the match to occupy one of the slots reserved for the event’s first hour.
WrestleVotes reported:
“As of this writing, ESPN is expecting one of the featured matches for the first-hour windows to be Penta defending the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Chad Gable, @WrestleVotes Radio on @FightfulSelect has learned.”
That window carries real commercial value for WWE. At WrestleMania 42, the first hour of each night aired on ESPN’s linear networks, while the full show was available through the ESPN App. Penta already had that showcase on night two, when he defended the title in a Ladder Match that drew more than 1,822,000 viewers.
The possible move isn’t coming out of nowhere, either. On June 18, WrestleVotes had already reported on a strong internal push for Gable to be featured prominently at SummerSlam, which is being held in his home region.