Back in February, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced during an episode of Friday Night SmackDown that New Orleans, Louisiana, would host WrestleMania 42 in 2026. Well, just like he disappointed fans by not showing up at this year’s ‘Mania in Vegas, the people of the “Big Easy” received a gut punch today.
It has been announced that the home of the Saints and Pelicans will now be hosting the 2026 Money in the Bank Premium Live Event instead of the “Grandest Stage of Them All.” Where will next year’s “wrestling Super Bowl” be held? Why did this happen? There are still many questions that remain unanswered.
WrestleMania 42 Is On the Move
This year’s WrestleMania two-night event was the most profitable in history! The two nights of ‘Mania in Sin City, Las Vegas, were home to over 120 thousand fans. Not only was the fandom high, but the economic impact for wrestling’s largest event was estimated at over $210 million for the host. The event is bigger than it has ever been and will be a huge financial loss for the city of New Orleans. The “Big Easy” is no stranger to WrestleMania, hosting in 2014 and 2018.
Rumors continue to circulate about who may be the new bidder for 42. The Internet is buzzing that WWE may have gotten a deal they can’t refuse. It is expected that the “Grandest Stage of Them All” will be set on foreign soil for the first time outside of Canada.
The top rumors that have fans speculating are the locations of London and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has notably spent billions of dollars to bring the product to their country, which WWE has largely capitalized on. Even with things seeming uncertain for next year’s ‘Mania, we can be certain that it will not be in New Orleans.
Now it is being rumored that Las Vegas will be running it back. Following the success of 41 and the money it generated, this isn’t entirely surprising. Sin City may be the perfect town to host WrestleMania and all of its larger-than-life stages, entrances, and characters. We are used to seeing big fights in the desert; we may add a few more.
Final Thoughts
One of my bucket list items would be to attend a WrestleMania, live and in person. It doesn’t look like I will have the opportunity next year. With this huge announcement, WWE must have received an offer to do something they have never done before. They cancelled the appearance in New Orleans, but for what?
The only logical reason would be if they got a better offer overseas or if Vegas decides to go back-to-back. It is surprising, given the global popularity of the WWE brand, that WrestleMania has never been outside of the United States or Canada. After seeing the price of the ‘Mania weekend this past year, you may have to save up a little more for 2026 and beyond!
