Why WWE WrestleMania 43 Will Reportedly Be Held In Saudi Arabia

WWE WrestleMania 43 was not originally planned to take place in Saudi Arabia, according to new reports stemming from the breaking news yesterday that WWE's grandest show will head to the Kingdom in 2027.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has reported that WrestleMania 44 was actually the originally intended edition of The Showcase of the Immortals that would be held in Saudi Arabia. Then plans changed.

Turki Alalshikh is the Real 'Final Boss'

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer said Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority chairman stepped in to get the event moved forward by 12 months, “WWE wanted it in 2028. They had commitments for 2027.

“The reason it had to be 2027… Turki (Al-Sheikh) is running the show – Ari Emanuel is the head of TKO, Nick Khan is the head of WWE, Dana White is the head of UFC, Dana White and Nick Khan are the head of TKO boxing. However, the final boss is Turki, because he’s the guy with all the money in the world at his disposal.

"So, he pushed – Saudi Arabia, I believe, was made a country in 1727, it’s like their Independence, like ours is 1776, right? (1727 marked the foundation of the First Saudi State, which is celebrated annually on February 22 as Founding Day.) They, in the same way, wanted it on the 300th anniversary, and they’re paying the money for it, and they have matches that they want, and they’re working really, really hard to get."

An Accidental Press Release May Have Given WrestleMania 43 Announcement Away

Paul 'Triple H' Levesque opening WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas | WWE.com

According to PWInsider, a press release in Arabic was accidentally circulated yesterday, earlier than intended. The release was quickly pulled, but is believed to be accurate in announcing the news that WrestleMania 43 will come to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, making it the first WrestleMania to be held outside of North America.

With TKO involved in the promotion of this weekend's superfight between Saul Canelo Alvarez and Terrence Crawford at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, it is rumored that the official announcement regarding 'Mania in Saudi Arabia will happen as early as Friday September 12 or during fight day on the 13th.

WrestleMania 43 will not be the first major WWE Premium Live Event to be held in Saudi, however, with next year's Royal Rumble already scheduled to take place there. This is in addition to two other shows happening in the Kingdom in 2026.

While WWE's ties with Saudi Arabia have been close since 2018, it was expected that if a WrestleMania were to be announced as happening in Saudi Arabia, it would be presented in a manner similar to The Greatest Royal Rumble that was promoted over there in 2018, rather than the main two night extravaganza itself.