WWE’s Chief Content Officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, announced a press conference that was labeled as “game-changing” on Friday, September 12th. The subject of the matter is who would host WrestleMania 43 in 2027? The “pipe bomb” that was dropped to the WWE Universe was, that for the first time in the history of wrestling’s version of the Super Bowl, it would be located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. WM 43 will mark the first time in history that the “Grandest Stage of Them All” will not take place on North American soil.
WWE Making History with WrestleMania 43
The biggest Premium Live Event of the year for professional wrestling makes history once again! After this past year’s ‘Mania in Las Vegas, TKO and WWE decided to run the two-night event back-to-back, returning in 2026 for WM 42. Well, we as the WWE Universe found out Friday for the first time in 25 years, WrestleMania will be held outside of the United States.
Sports entertainment’s largest spectacle has only seen this happen twice before. Once at WM VI and again for WM XVIII. Both of these events were held in the beautiful city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. So, for the very first time, it will be presented to fans across the pond in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is already the host of the 2026 Royal Rumble and has had its hands in the cookie jar for multiple events throughout the past decade.
The Middle East has proven to be a huge WWE fan base and a significant part of the WWE Universe, and they’re willing to fork over the big bucks to host the product. Unfortunately, fans watching on TV or a streaming service aren’t as vocal or lively as their European counterparts. Is a large European city like Paris or London in line to host WrestleMania?
How are WWE Fans Reacting to the News?
The announcement was made live on WWE’s YouTube channel on Friday afternoon. As wrestling royalty such as The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Charlotte Flair, Seth Rollins, and others graced the stage, the fans in the chat were very vocal. Most of the fans watching the livestream continued to type in all caps “YOU SOLD OUT!” Making us believe that WWE/TKO is taking wrestling’s Super Bowl away from the American people, who made the event what it is today.
There has definitely been a change since the merger with TKO. Rumors are spiraling that when the WWE was solely under the control of Vince McMahon, McMahon made an effort to keep ticket prices affordable for the casual fan and families to be able to attend events. In the recent business model, it seems that has gone completely out the window. Now, WrestleMania and other events may cost a family a small fortune to witness the product live.
Final Thoughts
Like all businesses, WWE is in the business of making money. They are a global brand, and the Middle East has stacks of stacks that they are willing to pay to bring the worldwide brand to their fans. It is unfortunate that, over the past couple of years, the company has priced out the average fan from attending its live events. With the recent elimination of most house shows as well, this makes it limited for fans to attend a reasonably priced event.
I don’t mind having WrestleMania overseas as long as it doesn’t happen every year. Like most, I have not had the opportunity to be live at a WrestleMania, and like most, I hope that I have not been priced out of the biggest event of the year. Business is about making money, but when you are a multi-billion-dollar corporation, does greed always play a role? Why not throw your loyal fans a bone?
