Update: The WWE has officially announced that Wrestlemania 43 will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2027.
According to PWInsider, one of the top websites on the internet for professional wrestling news, WWE is bringing Wrestlemania 43, scheduled to take place in Spring 2027, to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It’s a bold move for the company, and would mark the very first Wrestlemania event to take place outside of the United States in the company’s entire history. Paul ‘HHH’ Levesque, current head of creative for WWE, teased an impending an announcement on X, stating:
We’ll be making a huge announcement on WWE’s YouTube channel. Friday at 3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT. I told you we’d change the game. And we’re just getting started.
Many have taken this as indirect confirmation, and surely official confirmation is soon to come. There have also been snippets online of a now-deleted ad from Chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, Turki Al-Sheikh, announcing WrestleMania 43 will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 2026 Royal Rumble was announced earlier this year to be taking place in Saudi Arabia as well, with an emphasis on it being simply the beginning of a long collaboration between the company and the country, as part of Saudi Arabia’s economic and social reform program Vision 2030.
Journalist Dave Meltzer provided details on Wrestling Observer Radio, claiming that the initial agreement was for the event to take place in 2028, but it was moved up a year, and that the company is eyeing top stars to make return appearences, such as ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. Whether or not these behind the details are true, it seems an almost certainty that Wrestlemania is coming to Saudi Arabia, be it in 2027 or within the forseeable future after that. What does that mean for the company?
Let it be known I am in full support of WWE expanding major pay-per-view events to take place in countries across the world. I think it emphasises the ostensibly global nature of the company, and rewards the commitment of fans across the world without whom the company would not be nearly as successful. Wrestlemania is the biggest event that WWE has in any given year, and to have it overseas is a major honor for any country. The United Kingdom has been trying to host a Wrestlemania event for years, if not the better part of a decade, and current Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had direct conversations with Paul Levesque on the subject, including reportedly a comprehensive pitch. I have also witnessed online demand for major pay per views to take place in Canada or Australia as well.
Wrestlemania 43 would be the first Wrestlemania hosted overseas, which is in my opinion, a step in the right direction. However, the move is sure to be controversial, with Saudi Arabia having a poor record at maintaining human rights for its citizens, with WWE’s female wrestlers unable to work any events in the country from 2014 to 2019. Even now, they have to wear custom gear that displays as little skin as possible. Many wrestlers at the company have refused to wrestle in the country, including Sami Zayn, Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens, and even Roman Reigns. Whilst, in fairness, many countries around the globe have troubled histories, and Saudi Arabia does appear to be making slow progress in some fields, it’s sure to be a controversial move, especially given how much criticism WWE already has faced for their partnership with the country.
Whatever the quality of the event that comes from it, Wrestlemania 43 is going to be a hugely controversial one, and the decision to have the event take place in Saudi Arabia is sure to begin a multitude of discussions about the ethics of the company. Wrestlemania is already becoming quite controversial, after 41’s mixed reception and 42’s rumoured 5-digit ticket prices, and in general the company is in hot water, with poor treatment of its workers, and baffling decisions such as the return of Brock Lesnar, credibly accused of being involved in Vince McMahon’s sexual assault case.
Whilst I personally am happy to see more major WWE events take place overseas, and I am happy for all the people in Saudi Arabia who will get to live out a dream of seeing Wrestlemania in person, I can’t shake the feeling that the decision has a lot of serious moral problems with it, which could possibly be addressed. Unfortunately, I very much doubt they will be.
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