Tag: Wwe wrestlemania 43

Tony Khan: idea of big AEW event during WWE WrestleMania 43 weekend ‘potenitally viable’

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Tony Khan doesn’t dismiss the idea of a big wrestling weekend to counter WrestleMania 43.

During Sunday’s Double or Nothing media scrum, Khan was asked if AEW could fill in a gap this coming April when there’s no big domestic event taking place, as WrestleMania 43 will be in Saudi Arabia. Khan’s answer suggests it could happen.

“I think it is potentially viable,” he said. “And it’s a very interesting thought. We’ll have to see what happens in the world landscape between now and then, but it’s a very interesting possibility.”

Will Ospreay, Thekla, and Khan all took questions from the media following Sunday’s AEW Double or Nothing event in Queens, New York. Here are the highlights:

Will Ospreay

  • Regarding a possible match against Swerve Strickland in the Owen Hart Foundation tournament, he said he hasn’t spoken to Swerve Strickland in a year and they haven’t crossed paths, so he’s interested in seeing where it goes.
  • He thinks Callum Newman is “playing a dangerous game” but the United Empire are all strong and are “rolling good.” 
  • Regarding Wembley, Ospreay said every kid wanted to be a football player and when he was a kid, he worked with his family at the stadium and watched people going into the building. It would mean so much to him to headline that show and win a title that means a lot to him. Nothing is going to stop him from getting that match.

Thekla

  • Tony Khan mentioned that international talent was coming in when Thekla asked who was next.
  • She predicted Skye Blue would win the Owen Hart tournament and is ready to see her step up.
  • “I always knew I was good, now I know I am the f***ing best,” she stated.

Tony Khan

  • Khan said that Double or Nothing was “one of the best nights in the history of the company.”
  • He thought Mick Foley and Renee Paquette would make a great pair moving forward, and will be doing so for a long time to come.
  • Regarding MyAEW plans, Tony Khan says they are focused on the international market for it but does have a domestic component. He says there are plans for additional promotions to be included with the service.
  • Regarding Madison Square Garden, Tony Khan retold the story of the first Dynamite being planned for MSG, with the building’s management calling him to express interest, only to get another phone call saying they were no longer interested. He said it was similar to Lucy from the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip pulling the football away from Charlie Brown.
  • Someone asked about the NYSAC not allowing blood or brawling in the crowd. Khan thought they hit a home run with the show, and was glad to keep the state of New York happy tonight.
  • He was asked about how he is looking to differentiate ROH and AEW. Khan said the ROH show is a bit different in presentation where he focuses more on younger talent, particularly women, as well as pure wrestling rules. He also said he wanted to make sure veteran ROH stars had a presence on the television show.
  • Khan said he was proud of Darby Allin’s title run, he’s just about done everything he has set out to do and had one of the greatest World title reigns in the company. He additionally said he would be interested to see what Kevin Knight had to say after turning against Darby Allin.
  • Khan continued to praise Paramount and David Ellison, saying the deal is done. He pushed his relationship with Ellison, pushing he had worked with Skydance over NFL collaborations. He also took time to say he didn’t like Netflix’s idea of seperating TBS and TNT from HBO Max.
  • For Dynamite this Wednesday, Khan said he had several matches planned but can’t put the show together until wrestlers get medically cleared.
  • He sent his best wishes to Rebel and is considering doing a Fight for the Fallen event to benefit ALS research, urging fans to support that research. 
  • Regarding usage of CMLL’s micro wrestlers, he said he hasn’t thought much about that, but would put it under consideration.

Update on ‘targeted’ WWE WrestleMania 43 date

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WrestleMania could be moving back to the end of March in 2027.

WrestleVotes reports that the weekend of March 27, 2027 is the “targeted” date for WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That would coincide with the end of the annual Riyadh Season festival. WWE has not officially confirmed the date for the show yet — and WrestleVotes says the weekend of April 10 is also on the table.

Traditionally, most WrestleManias have been held in either late March or early April. WWE made a change starting in 2025 to push the event back to mid/late April so WrestleMania would avoid going against Final Four weekend of the NCAA basketball tournament.

The WrestleVotes report states that it’s possible but unlikely that, for one year only, WrestleMania could return to a one-night event for WrestleMania 43. Fightful adds that WWE’s broadcast partner ESPN is said to prefer two nights.

While there’s been some uncertainty amid the war between the United States & Israel and Iran, WWE is moving ahead with its plans for Saudi Arabia. The company announced today that Night of Champions 2026 will be held in Riyadh on Saturday, June 27.

WrestleMania 43 will be the first time WWE’s marquee event has ever been held outside of the United States or Canada.

Before Saudi Arabia was chosen, Nashville, Tennessee was in consideration as the host city.

Nick Khan says WrestleMania 43 still planned for Saudi Arabia, addresses this year’s ticket sales

Posted on by Josh Nason

Despite the current war in the Middle East, WWE president Nick Khan is still planning on next year’s WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia.

Khan appeared at the SBJ CAA World Congress of Sports in Los Angeles on Wednesday where he brought up next year’s show, saying “We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi. First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. We’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”

He did not mention, nor was asked, about the next imminent WWE premium live event set for Saudi Arabia which was reported as being planned for June. It has yet to officially be announced but is one of three WWE PLEs set to take place there in 2026.

According to The Sporting Tribune who attended the event and provided the quotes found here, Khan “downplayed criticism surrounding WWE’s Saudi Arabia events, describing negative feedback as a ‘vocal minority’ and reiterating that company decisions are driven by ratings, revenue and relevancy” — a line he has used before.

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Khan alluded to this year’s WrestleMania 42 ticket sales at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium being slower than last year.

When asked about the sales, Khan said they are “feeling good” and said they think that after setting records the last two years, “we think it’s going to get close to that record, but fingers crossed.” He remained steadfast that all is well and that demand is strong, even on the secondary market.

From the Tribune:

“The marketplace dictates the ticket price,” Khan said, noting that even lower-priced tickets can quickly be resold at higher rates, underscoring continued consumer demand.

Status of upcoming WWE shows in Saudi Arabia under discussion

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

The ongoing conflicts in the Middle East may have prompted WWE to discuss its upcoming two shows in Saudi Arabia.

Our Bryan Alvarez recently noted that there have been discussions about the two WWE shows in Saudi Arabia this year, as well as next year’s WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh. Alvarez emphasized that although there have been discussions, no decision has been made yet.

Alvarez also made it clear that he was not reporting on anything that had already been cancelled or was getting cancelled in the future, and was instead emphasizing the discussions that took place in WWE about their upcoming show status in KSA.

Earlier this year, WWE successfully held the Royal Rumble 2026 PLE in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on January 31, 2026. Two more unnamed WWE PLEs are also planned to take place in Saudi Arabia later in May and November. Both of these events are set to be followed by next year’s WrestleMania 43.

Titus O’Neil: I feel safer in Saudi Arabia than most places in US

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE ambassador Titus O’Neil is fully on board with the company’s decision to bring WrestleMania to Saudi Arabia.

Appearing on TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast, O’Neil responded to the backlash that WWE holding WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia in 2027 has received. O’Neil said he feels safer in Saudi Arabia than a lot of places in the United States — and he doesn’t believe we as Americans have the right to point fingers at anyone.

“I can say this, you know, because I’ve been to Saudi Arabia several times now: I feel safer in Saudi Arabia than I do in most places — or a lot of places — in the United States of America,” O Neil said.

“I think in the United States, we have this mindset that we’re the greatest country in the world. And we are a great country, but people don’t move to the United States because we’re the greatest country in the world. They move because we have the greatest amount of opportunity. And I think that the biggest difference between places like overseas in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Middle East, all those places and the United States are morals and convictions. They actually live by theirs, whether you like them or not. They’re going to pray five times a day. They’re going to stop during the day, and they’re going to do their thing no matter what, who likes it and don’t like it.

“You don’t hear about mass shootings in Saudi Arabia. You don’t hear about mass shootings in China. You don’t hear about mass shooters in Japan. I think if people went over to Saudi Arabia or had a chance to go there, their views would change dramatically. And I’m not saying that they get it all right, but we don’t get it all right either to be pointing fingers at anybody.”

O’Neil said there were a lot of “scare tactics” and “scare verbiage” when he went to Saudi Arabia the first time for WWE, but he saw a group of kids playing on the beach at 1 a.m. one night. When he asked his driver the next morning if people in Saudi Arabia were worried about that, the driver said no because there would be an automatic death sentence if the kids were sexually assaulted, beaten, kidnapped, or brutalized.

“So kids are safe over there, but kids are not safe in the United States,” O’Neil said. “My perspective of us going to Saudi Arabia for WWE — yeah, it’s business, but it’s also changing cultures. When we first went over there, women were just now, they were just now getting introduced and being able to drive. Things are changing over there.”

O’Neil said WWE doesn’t care what color fans are, what religion they practice or don’t practice, or where they come from. He believes holding WrestleMania in Riyadh is a chance to show what unity can look like and how other cultures embrace what WWE does.

“So if there’s ever a platform for us as a company to take and utilize, to show what unity can look like, to show what good business looks like, to show what other cultures look like, and how they embrace what we do, no matter where they are and what they come from, and how they dress — Saudi Arabia is definitely one of those places, in my opinion,” O’Neil said. “I think if the WWE brass and TKO brass didn’t feel that way, the decision would not have been made.

“So for anyone that — first and foremost, most of the people that are complaining about the show being over there, would never book a ticket to go over there anyway. Watch the show on TV, it’s going to be a spectacle. Saudi Arabia does nothing small, and WWE does nothing small. So get ready for a hell of a show and a hell of an experience on a global stage that’s going to show everyone why this business, and particularly TKO and WWE, do it better than anyone in the world.”

The Saudi WrestleMania is the first time WWE’s biggest event has ever been held outside of North America. WWE and the Saudi government have been business partners since 2018. That controversial relationship has grown to the point where Saudi Arabia is hosting the Royal Rumble in 2026 and WrestleMania in 2027.

It’s been five years since O’Neil last competed in the ring. When asked about potentially wrestling again at some point, the 48-year-old O’Neil left the door open to the possibility if WWE wants him to. But he’s enjoying everything he’s doing outside of the ring right now. He was recently featured on the Bravo reality show “Kings Court” and has hopes of breaking into Hollywood like his friend Dave Bautista has.

Nick Khan: WWE believes fans will travel to Saudi Arabia for WrestleMania

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE isn’t concerned about the logistical issues presented by bringing WrestleMania to Saudi Arabia.

Last month, it was confirmed that Saudi Arabia will host WrestleMania 43 in 2027 with the event being held in Riyadh. It’s the first time WrestleMania will take place outside of the United States or Canada. That means an earlier start time for the two-night broadcast and a longer trip for most fans who usually travel to the show, but Nick Khan believes viewership will be strong and fans will still travel.

Khan was in Saudi Arabia on Thursday for a panel at Joy Forum 2025. He spoke about the decision to take WrestleMania outside of North America for the first time.

“It was a natural next step for us,” the WWE president said. “I think at WWE, we realized a number of years ago — you can’t simply pipe American product out globally and hope to be a global product. You actually have to have boots on the ground. So if you look at what we’ve done with our Premium Live Events — formerly known as pay-per-views — over the last few years, about half of those now take place outside of the United States.

“We’re in the eighth year of a long-term partnership with Turki Alalshikh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia… We’re bringing Royal Rumble here at the end of January [2026]. It’s the first time Royal Rumble, which is our second or third biggest event, will take place outside of the United States or Canada. And WrestleMania 2027, as you just mentioned, will be here in April of that year, first time ever WrestleMania, as you also said, outside of the US or Canada. We’re excited. We think viewership is going to be strong. We think people will come to the Kingdom to see our show, and we’re going to put on a spectacle.”

WWE is believed to be receiving a lucrative amount of money to hold WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia. The controversial business relationship between the promotion and the Saudi government began in 2018 and continues to expand.

When asked why Saudi Arabia specifically was chosen as the location for the first non-North American WrestleMania, Khan pointed to that strong partnership as the reason.

“So when Turki expressed interest in having it here, we got together for a couple of different meetings, worked out the deal in short order and then had the good fortune of announcing it the day before Canelo vs. Crawford, our first [boxing] fight together in Las Vegas,” Khan said.

It was noted at Joy Forum that hosting WrestleMania is something that Saudi officials first mentioned as a goal seven years ago.

MLW takes shot at WWE’s Saudi Arabia ties during Fury Road

Posted on by Bryan Rose

MLW took a shot at WWE during their Fury Road event on Saturday.

Cesar Duran, the on-screen figurehead of MLW, took time at the start of Fury Road show to address the crowd. While not mentioning the company by name, one line clearly was a shot at WWE’s recent announcement of WrestleMania 43 taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2027.

“You love Major League Wrestling, and Major League Wrestling loves you,” Duran said. We have a legacy in the making tonight. And while some other company packed up their big show and shipped it to Saudi Arabia to take that blood money, we come here with the real deal right here in Texas!”

WWE has continued to receive criticism from fans over their relationship with Saudi Arabia, which began back in 2018. Despite this, parent company TKO has only deepened ties to the country in the last year, forming a new boxing promotion with Saudi Arabia as a key backer.

Top matches from Fury Road saw Austin Aries defeat KUSHIDA in a first-round Opera Cup match, Satoshi Kojima defating Mr. Thomas, and MLW World Champion Mads Kruger going to a no contest against Bishop Dyer (Baron Corbin).

Report: Indie promoters skeptical of WrestleMania week shows in Saudi Arabia

Posted on by Ian Carey

WrestleMania Week will look a lot different in 2027.

A new report from Post Wrestling’s Brandon Thurston and John Pollock states that some independent promoters feel it is unlikely they will run events in Saudi Arabia for WrestleMania 43, while others feel it’s too early to decide.

Michael Bochicchio, the owner of Highspots, told Post that it’s “highly unlikely” WrestleCon is held in Saudi Arabia in 2027, noting that the additional costs for staff and talent could prevent him from doing so.

“It’s more likely we will pick a city in the U.S. and do something on our own,” Bochicchio wrote to Post Wrestling in an email.

Brett Lauderdale told Post that he’s been contacted by two organizations interested in hosting GCW events in Saudi Arabia for WrestleMania 43. However, Lauderdale noted that it’s too early to make a decision on whether they will or not.

One member of the GCW roster, Effy, has made his plans for WrestleMania 43 clear on social media.

“Effy will not be going to saudi arabia,” wrote one former GCW Champion.

The full report from Post Wrestling is available here.

Crowd boos WrestleMania 43 announcement during WWE x AAA Worlds Collide

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Some people aren’t fans of WWE’s big WrestleMania announcement that took place on Friday.

During WWE x AAA Worlds Collide, a video package aired featuring highlights of WWE’s announcement earlier in the day that WrestleMania 43 would be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2027. The crowd in Las Vegas could be heard audibly booing the video, chanting “you sold out.”

WWE held a press conference on Friday to make the announcement official after word accidentally got out earlier in the week. Exact dates were not announced, but it will be held as part of the Riyadh season festival. Triple H, Saudi official Turki Alalshikh, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Stephnaie Vaquer, Logan Paul, and Seth Rollins all attended the press conference, which was closed both to the media and public.

WWE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia dates back to 2018, with the company holding multiple events in the country each year. For the first time, the 2026 Royal Rumble will be held in Riyadh on January 31.

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.

September 15, 2025 Observer Newsletter: WWE WrestleMania heading to Saudi Arabia, John Cena’s remaining schedule revealed

Posted on by F4W Staff

Image: WWE

The newest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is here for subscribers.

Dave Meltzer leads off with one of the bigger stories of the week: WWE is planning on bringing WrestleMania 43 to Saudi Arabia in 2027 — an announcement that should be made official on Friday afternoon.

The final roadmap to the end of John Cena’s in-ring career has been laid out and ending in a place that wasn’t initially expected. Dave looks at the end of the road for Cena.

All that and more await. So, let’s get reading as reading is your friend.

Click here to read.

WWE ‘special announcement’ set for Friday

Posted on by Josh Nason

WWE is making a “special announcement” on Friday that many believe will be the official reveal of WrestleMania 43 heading to Saudi Arabia.

Revealed via the company’s YouTube channel and by Triple H on X Thursday night, the description reads:

“Tune in LIVE for a special announcement at 3:00pm ET | 12:00pm PT featuring Triple H, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Seth Rollins, Logan Paul, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Stephanie Vaquer and Charlotte Flair!”

“I told you we’d change the game. And we’re just getting started,” Triple H wrote in his post on X.

While SmackDown is being held in Norfolk, Virginia, Friday, WWE is holding Worlds Collide in Las Vegas directly after the show. The announcement is expected to take place in Las Vegas according to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp.

It will be a big weekend in Sin City for TKO with Saturday’s Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford boxing match that is being put on by TKO and is sponsored by Riyadh Season.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that the 2027 edition of WrestleMania would be held in Saudi Arabia with our Bryan Alvarez reporting that the deal is believe to be in the $100 million range for the entire weekend of shows (Raw and SmackDown as well). Dave Meltzer shared what he had heard as well.

Update on WWE WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia

Posted on by Joseph Currier

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer shared the latest on WWE WrestleMania coming to Saudi Arabia.

News broke last night that Saudi Arabia will host WrestleMania in 2027. An official announcement from WWE has not been made yet, but Meltzer reports that he first heard last month that it was “for sure” that Saudi Arabia would be getting WrestleMania. At that time, there were rumors that there could potentially be two WrestleManias in 2027 with the United States and Saudi Arabia each hosting one. But Meltzer presumes WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia will be the only WrestleMania that year.

Meltzer notes that Saudi official Turki Alalshikh — the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority — is the key person behind this, and Saudi Arabia is putting up “a ridiculous amount of money” to get the event.

“They’re putting up an incredible amount of money — a ridiculous amount of money,” Meltzer said. “And the idea is to present the most star-studded show ever, you know, by far. Everyone, anyone, money is no object. Any name you can imagine, obviously they’re going to be after. I presume it’s the only WrestleMania of that year, but when I first heard — one of the ideas was to do a two WrestleMania year one year so that way it keeps the American fans not upset about Saudi Arabia. But I think perhaps the deal is also that as Saudi Arabia has become more and more normalized, it appears that the outrage that probably would’ve been there even a year ago or two years ago, probably won’t be. I hardly saw any today, but we’ll see.”

Meltzer said that, because WWE had other commitments, they originally wanted 2028 to be the year for the Saudi WrestleMania event. It ended up being 2027 because that’s what Saudi Arabia pushed for, with that year marking a celebration of the 300th anniversary of the first Saudi state being formed.

The controversial WWE-Saudi Arabia business relationship began in 2018 and continues to grow. As was announced earlier this year, Saudi Arabia will host the Royal Rumble in January 2026. WrestleMania 42 will then be held in Las Vegas a few months later.

WWE WrestleMania 43 set for Saudi Arabia

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE WrestleMania looks to be headed to Saudi Arabia in 2027.

Late Wednesday afternoon, a Snapchat video ad from Turki Al-Sheikh — the Chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority — emerged online with Al-Sheikh appearing to announce that WrestleMania 43 is coming to Saudi.

There has been no official announcement from WWE yet, but PWInsider reports that the news is legitimate. Our Bryan Alvarez followed up and confirmed, adding that Saudi Arabia will be getting the entire weekend including SmackDown and Raw and that he believes the deal is in the neighborhood of $100 million.

“PWInsider.com can confirm, however, that the story is 100% legitimate and an announcement is coming very soon, bringing WrestleMania to an international location outside of North American for the first time ever,” the report said.

WWE began its controversial business relationship with the Saudi regime in 2018 with Saudi hosting annual PLEs for an estimated $50 million per event. The relationship has continued to grow in recent years with Saudi Arabia set to host the Royal Rumble in 2026.

In April 2026, WrestleMania 42 will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with Vegas getting WWE’s signature event for the second straight year.