Heads up, wrestling fans. The WWE will soon be making history as it will be taking its flagship show, WrestleMania, to Saudi Arabia in 2027 as part of “Riyadh Season.”
The WWE announced the big development on Friday (Saturday morning, Philippine time).
“WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings, in partnership with The General Entertainment Authority (GEA), on behalf of HE Turki Alalshikh, today announced that Riyadh Season will host WrestleMania 43 in 2027 in Riyadh, marking the first time that the cultural phenomenon will be staged outside of North America,” the WWE announced via a statement.
“This is an opportunity to show the world that WWE is a global brand that reaches every corner of the world and excites fans from everywhere,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque in a separate statement.
Exclusively a US Event—Until Now
The first WrestleMania was held at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1985, and every other edition since then has been held in the US. Next year’s WrestleMania 42—alternatively named “WrestleMania Vegas”—will be a two-night event scheduled at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.
The WWE has been partners with Saudi Arabia since 2018, having signed a promotional deal with Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority headed by Chairman Turki Alalshikh, who is widely credited for making the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford superfight a reality. Since striking up a partnership with the General Entertainment Authority, the WWE has been hosting events in the Middle Eastern nation, where next year’s Royal Rumble will take place as part of the $1 billion deal.
“The announcement of WrestleMania 43 coming to Riyadh in 2027 highlights the groundbreaking partnership between WWE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the WWE further said. “Since beginning in 2018, this collaboration has delivered record-breaking events including Crown Jewel®, Elimination Chamber®, King & Queen of the Ring®, Night of Champions®, Friday Night SmackDown® and Monday Night Raw®. The 39th annual Royal Rumble® will be held in Riyadh this January, broadcast live on ESPN platforms in the U.S. and Netflix globally.
Elevating WrestleMania
Curiously, Alalshikh may have jumped the gun on the WWE’s big reveal as he mentioned that the premier wrestling event will make a move to Saudi Arabia in a now-deleted Snapchat live video. Then again, Alalshikh’s excitement is understandable since WrestleMania is, again, the WWE’s flagship event.
“WrestleMania is already the biggest date on the wrestling calendar, and this announcement marks a significant moment in our partnership with WWE. We deeply respect the legacy of WrestleMania and the global prestige it holds among wrestling fans around the world,” Alalshikh said in a statement. “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.”
The WWE’s big move comes after Levesque had repeatedly teased the prospect of holding WrestleMania somewhere else other than North America. In less than two years, that vision will finally materialize.
