WWE brings the summer party to Texarkana with its Live SummerSlam Heatwave Tour on Friday, July 26.
One of the most popular WWE events, SummerSlam will feature a double main event: Seth Rollins against Baron Corbin in the Universal Championship Street Fight; Becky Lynch facing Lacey Evans for the Raw Women's Championship Match.
Held at the Four States Fairgrounds Entertainment Center, the raucous festivities begin at 7:30 p.m.
In addition to those wrestlers, other WWE Superstars slated to perform include Braun Strowman, A.J. Styles, The Usos, Bobby Lashley, Samoa Joe, Ricochet, The Revival, Cesaro and more. Tickets are on sale now.
Strowman, a big man on the tour who weighs 385 pounds and tops 6 feet 8 inches, said this past week that wrestlers are getting ready for the tour and preparing to get folks "revved up" and excited.
"All your favorite Raw Superstars are going to be in Texarkana, myself included, the monster among men," Strowman said, adding, "You name it. The Raw Superstars are going to be invading Texarkana, looking to kick the summer off for you guys."
The card may change, but he's currently scheduled to face Lashley here in Texarkana. "You never know what happens in between here and there. I might get hold of him before we get to Texarkana," Strowman said, "but I might save it for you guys."
He enjoys heading out every week to put a smile on people's faces, he admits. "That is what WWE does. We travel all around the world, week in and week out, entertaining people. And that's what I look forward to the most, is taking the people outside the norm," Strowman said. He encourages people to escape the Texarkana heat and come inside for an air-conditioned good time with WWE Superstars.
In his wrestler bio at WWE.com, Strowman is described as possessing brute strength and "lack of a conscience." Career highlights include victories in the 2018 Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, the Greatest Royal Rumble, Raw Tag Team Championship and the 2019 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
"Braun Strowman is basically the Incredible Hulk in real life. He means well and tries to do as well as possible but every now and again his temper gets the better of him and he just smashes everything in sight," Strowman admitted. He enjoys being the largest athlete on the current roster.
"I have a whole lot of past Superstars legends, careers and, let's say, legacies riding on me because, face it, I'm the last of a dying breed. There's not many dinosaurs left in the industry," he said. He's got to keep doing it for the big men of the world, he says.
When he's not flashing his signature moves of the running powerslam and reverse chokeslam, Strowman relaxes by doing something else physical. He works out.
"I spend a lot of time in the gym. It's my happy place, per se, my iron church. I go there to unwind and, you know, the iron is always truthful to you. It will let you know when you're having a good day. It will tell you when you're having a bad day. It will never lie to you," Strowman said. It helps him enjoy life. Then there's eating.
"It takes quite an abundant amount of food to keep the meat castle that I am going," Strowman said.
Asked about getting involved with WWE, he points out that for his while life he's enjoyed being the peacock, so to speak, showing off and getting attention for it. "WWE recruited me out of World's Strongest Man," he said. "I competed in World's Strongest Man competitions for three years."
Now, just a few years later, Strowman is "getting ready to blow the roof off another building," he said.
And in his WWE time, what's the accomplishments for which he's most proud? It has to do with the community.
"The things we do with charity, the kids, giving back to the community. That is, without a doubt, the greatest thing to me about being a WWE Superstar," Strowman said. It's about walking into a children's hospital and everyone's face lighting up. They're able to get lost in the moment watching his character, and this motivates him on the tough days.
"Those smiles are what keeps me going," Strowman said.
(Tickets start at $15. Purchase tickets at FourStatesFair.com or the Four States Fairgrounds Box Office. More info: 870-773-2941.)