For the first time in WWE history, WrestleMania is going to be held outside of North America.
Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque made the official announcement Friday afternoon out in Las Vegas, alongside Saudi Arabian adviser Turki Alalshikh, that WrestleMania 43 will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2027.
“Thanks to our partners with the GEA and Riyadh season, we just 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.”
The stars were out for this historic announcement, including WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, as well as Charlotte Flair, Liv Morgan, Stephanie Vaquer, Logan Paul and reigning World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.
Multi-time WWE Women’s Champion Bianca Belair had the opportunity to chat with commentator Joe Tessitore during Friday’s live stream, and said she believes that Saudi Arabia has become a space specifically for women to make moments and history of their own.
“It has just been very special to see where [the WWE Saudi Arabia partnership] started and what it’s evolved into and it’s been an honor to be a part of that progress and that change,” Belair said. “Now having WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia, it just shows that WWE transcends globally and it continues to make history. As a woman, it’s very special to be a part of this.”
The first ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia took place at Crown Jewel 2019, when Natalya defeated Lacey Evans. Nearly six years later the women of WWE are regularly and prominently featured at every Premium Live Event that takes place there.
The evolution of this partnership between WWE and Saudi Arabia is now taking the ultimate next step, with the ‘Showcase of the Immortals’ heading overseas for the first time ever in 2027.
In a statement, HE Turki Alalshikh said, “We deeply respect the legacy of WrestleMania and the global prestige it holds among wrestling fans around the world. As part of Riyadh Season in 2027, our vision is to elevate this iconic event to unprecedented heights and deliver a WrestleMania unlike anything the world has ever seen.”
Saudi Arabia is already set to host the Royal Rumble for the first in its history this coming January.
The Saudi General Entertainment Authority was reportedly willing to cut a hefty check to land the biggest event in professional wrestling. It’s no secret that Saudi Arabia has long coveted WrestleMania, and the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer wrote in his latest newsletter that financial terms of this deal could exceed $100 million.
In order to put that amount of money in perspective, consider that WWE has brought in roughly $400 million from the ticket sales of every other WrestleMania combined, adjusted for inflation, according to Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston.
The final terms of the deal are going to rely heavily on who WWE is able to book for the show. Dave Meltzer added in his report that his sources at the Saudi GEA are saying that negotiations with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson were advancing and that a deal for him to wrestle on the show could be finalized in the very near future.
MORE: Conflicting Reports Surface On The Rock And Steve Austin Wrestling At WrestleMania 43
There’s a belief that Johnson’s payday for this one WrestleMania could be the largest for any pro wrestler, for any event, in history. At this point in time, the most likely opponents for The Final Boss at WrestleMania 43 are considered to be reigning WWE Champion Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns.
The Rock has not competed since night one of WrestleMania XL when he teamed with his cousin to defeat Rhodes and Seth Rollins in a tag team match. The American Nightmare would go on to win the WWE Championship the following night with an absolute fairy tale ending to a now legendary pro wrestling story.
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