Tag: saudi arabia wrestlemania

WOL: WWE WrestleMania 43 going global despite backlash

Posted on by Andrew Zarian

Andrew Zarian is back with another episode of Wrestling Observer Live Sunday edition, this week on location, talking all things professional wrestling.

The big story of the week was WWE’s announcement that the 2027 edition of WrestleMania will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He discusses how this is being perceived and if the country has evolved enough to become a tourism destination that can support such an event.

He also discusses the impact on all the independent shows that are usually part of WrestleMania weekend.

He also talks about the comments from TKO’s Mark Shapiro where he said that Vince McMahon priced his product for families and didn’t take full advantage of the potential. This is further proof of this not being McMahon’s company anymore.

Also, AAA x WWE Worlds Collide took place, and Dominik Mysterio is the new AAA Mega Champion after what turned out to be a very entertaining show.

Plus, early previews of AEW All Out, WWE Wrestlepalooza, and the quiet release of Andrade.

Click here to listen or watch below

WWE announces Saudi Arabia will host WrestleMania 43

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A few days after the news accidentally got out, WWE officially confirmed that WrestleMania is coming to Saudi Arabia.

WWE held a press conference in Las Vegas on Friday with Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Saudi official Turki Alalshikh announcing that WrestleMania 43 will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2027. It will be the first time WrestleMania — WWE’s marquee event dating back to 1985 — has ever been held outside of the United States or Canada.

An exact date for the two-night event was not announced, but it was said that the show is being held as part of the Riyadh season festival.

In the announcement, Levesque positioned this as the next step in the WWE-Saudi relationship and an opportunity for WWE to show how much of a global brand it has become. He called the fans in Riyadh some of the best WWE fans on the planet.

“We could not be more excited for this opportunity,” Levesque said. “This is an opportunity to show the world what I think most people already know: that WWE is a global brand that reaches every corner of the world and excites fans from everywhere.”

WWE legends Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker were in attendance at today’s press conference, along with current stars Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Stephanie Vaquer, Logan Paul, and Seth Rollins.

Levesque stated that WWE president Nick Khan was the “driving force” behind the deal for Saudi Arabia to host WrestleMania.

The Saudi government has become one of WWE’s closest partners since their controversial business relationship began in 2018. Next year, WWE Royal Rumble will be held in Saudi Arabia on January 31, 2026.

Las Vegas is hosting WrestleMania 42 in 2026 before the event comes to Saudi Arabia in 2027.