St. Petersburg and Seminole Movie Theaters To Show WWE SummerSlam

Man does this bring me back to my childhood. For the first time, World Wrestling Entertainment will have viewings of its pay-per-view event SummerSlam in movie theaters. The event happens August 21 and normally is only seen on pay-per-view on cable television or on the WWE Network now found on the Peacock streaming service.

While it's a first for SummerSlam, it is also a bit of a throwback to an earlier time. Back when I was a kid, pay-per-view wasn't a thing yet. The first few WrestleMania events in the 80s were instead shows on big screens at arenas around the country on closed-circuit television. You would buy tickets just as you would for a live pro wrestling event. The environment was pretty electric so I think this idea of doing this to get people back in movie theaters is a brilliant one.

When pay-per-view came around, it was a colossal effort. You had to go the cable company and put down a deposit on a special converter box. In later years, the process became as easy as pressing a button on your remote. But by that time, my years as a pro wrestling fan were behind me.

2 theaters here in the Tampa area are participating. Both are on the Pinellas side. You'll be able to watch SummerSlam at the Studio Movie Grill in Seminole or at the CMX Tyrone in St. Pete.

I didn't have to find a closed circuit TV spot for WrestleMania 4. Mom bought me tickets to the real thing!