WWE has never shied away from cross promotional events. This is especially true in the lead-up to any of its PPVs, but this recent one with World of Tanks is much bigger than the previous partnership. Following the introduction of WWE into World of Tanks, the wrestling giant and developer Wargaming are building on that partnership for a new kind of crossover.
Wargaming and WWE have announced the "SummerSlam Showdown" event that will see two WWE stars battle it out via World of Tanks. Leading the first team is current WWE wrestler Lacy Evans who will be battling against the Texas Rattlesnake and WWE Legend Stone Cold Steve Austin. The battle will be hosted by WWE announcer Corey Graves.
The match will see Austin and Evans command a team of tanks that will head into battle for a best of three competition. The battle is part of a much larger streaming event that will take place later today. It is part of WWE's regular Tribute to the Troops through charitable exercises and support for the US military. The first event of the day will focus on WWE Superstars Kofi Kingston and Big E cooking more than 1,000 meals that will be delivered to veterans. The stream is being held two weeks ahead of SummerSlam which will no longer be in Boston.
It's set to be a whole day of streaming with the strange battle occurring as the penultimate event. It is unknown whether this match will be a "work" or a "shoot" but regardless of the reality of the bout it may be worth a watch just for the absurdity of it all. Although it still makes more sense than the recently revealed WWE Cage Match tabletop game.
World of Tanks is available now for iOS, Android, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.