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The biggest show in professional wrestling, WrestleMania, is headed to Saudi Arabia in 2027, the WWE announced on Friday afternoon. And fans are not happy about it.
Up until this point, every edition of WrestleMania had been held in North America, with WrestleMania VI and WrestleMania XVIII in Toronto serving as the only times the event had left the United States.
Now, it’s set to head halfway across the world in what represents a growing partnership between the WWE, its parent company, TKO, and the Saudi Arabian government.
BREAKING NEWS: @TripleH and @Turki_alalshikh just announced that #WrestleMania 43 is heading to Saudi Arabia in 2027! #WrestleManiaRiyadh @RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/HGEQU0LMR5
— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2025
WrestleMania 43 In Saudi Arabia Is Latest Slap In The Face To WWE Fans
Unsurprisingly, the news didn’t sit well with longtime WWE fans. It comes just months after the WWE drew ire from fans for moving WrestleMania 42 from New Orleans to Las Vegas, despite Las Vegas hosting WrestleMania 41 this past year.
It also comes just days after TKO group Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro implied that WWE should be exploring fans more than it already has.
“We know we have a lot of room there because Vince McMahon was primarily pricing tickets for families and wasn’t totally focused on maxing the opportunity there,” Shapiro said. “We see what we can do with the UFC and we’re replicating that in terms of ticket yield and advance sales when it comes to On Location on the WWE side.”
Of course, taking WrestleMania, your marquee product, to Saudi Arabia, also comes with various moral questions which fans were quick to point out.
“Been caring less and less WWE and instead of trying to bring back, they’re insistent on pushing further away,” one fan posted on X.
“Lots of countries have been loyal customers of WWE. Many years spending hard-earned cash in excitement to watch their favourite wrestlers and deserves a Mania. But nope, they took the biggest sports washing payment ever for an event that will be completely void of atmosphere,” wrote another.
Nothing fans can do or say will change the WWE’s decision. But it sure didn’t seem to go over the way that the WWE would’ve hoped.