Backstage Note On WWE Survivor Series In San Diego, CM Punk Reveals A Backstage WWE Secret, New WWE RAW Match Announced (7/21/25)

WWE is reportedly set to receive a $5 million site fee for hosting Survivor Series in San Diego this year.

According to a report from Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, the San Diego Tourism Marketing District (SDTMD) approved $650,000 in June to help secure the event at Petco Park. Public records show that the event is supported by a $5 million budget.

Thurston noted, “The San Diego Padres submitted a budget for the WWE event that includes $4.25 million in additional expenses, on top of the $650,000 from the SDTMD to cover the bid fee. Records repeatedly refer to a total budget of $5 million.”

It’s still unclear who will be responsible for covering the remaining costs or exactly what they will go toward. It’s also unknown how much of the full amount WWE will ultimately receive.

WWE Survivor Series is scheduled for Saturday, November 29, at Petco Park in San Diego, California.

The SDTMD estimates the event will generate 18,000 hotel room nights and return approximately $3.6 million in revenue to the city’s lodging industry. SDTMD Executive Director Colleen Anderson told Wrestlenomics, “Global media coverage that specifically showcases the City of San Diego as a desirable destination is a consideration but not a determiner. Hotel room night revenue during slower periods in hotel occupancy is the primary consideration when awarding grants.”

Bayley and Lyra Valkyria will finally get their opportunity at the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on WWE RAW, where they’ll face current titleholders Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez.

RAW General Manager Adam Pearce made the announcement via social media, noting that Bayley and Lyra were originally set to compete for the titles at WrestleMania 41. However, those plans were derailed when Becky Lynch attacked Bayley ahead of the event and took her place in the match.

You can check out the updated lineup for tonight’s episode of WWE RAW below:

* WWE World Tag Team Championships Number One Contenders Match: LWO (Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro) vs. The Creed Brothers (Julius Creed & Brutus Creed) vs. New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston)
* Rusev vs. Sheamus
* Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross
* WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria & Bayley
* Roman Reigns to speak.
* CM Punk to open the show.
* Becky Lynch has a proposal for Lyra Valkyria.

Starting July 29, WWE will offer fans an even deeper behind-the-scenes look with WWE Unreal, a new docuseries premiering on Netflix.

While WWE shows are tightly scripted with scheduled commercial breaks, sponsor spots, and strict end times, that doesn’t always guarantee every segment runs exactly as planned.

During a recent interview with SportBible, CM Punk revealed a backstage secret on talent going over time. He said,

“It’s one of the secret rules. As long as it’s really, really good, you can get away with it. Going 20 minutes over and you suck, that’s no good. I don’t want to cut into anyone else’s segment and there’s a lot of times I have X amount of time for something and I don’t think I need all that time, I’ll just go out there and go short. I would rather go short than long. If Rhea [Ripley] is in the next segment, I can nudge here and be like, ‘Hey, you guys need two minutes? I can give you two minutes’.”

He continued, “That’s the way a lot of the talent work together. I know there is a lot of Bloodline segments or stuff with The Rock, when it’s really good and the crowd’s going absolutely banana for it – you can’t really rush through it. The overseas crowds, they love to sing and they love their soccer chants. You want the fans to react and don’t want to step on that because that makes the moment special.”