Turki Alsheikh, Saudi Arabia’s Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, told Ariel Helwani during an appearance on The MMA Hour that the Kingdom is currently in discussions with WWE to host either the 2026 or 2027 Royal Rumble or WrestleMania.
This comes a week after Alsheikh told ESPN that they are “sweetening” the current deal they have with WWE to host one of the big five premium live events in the country in the near future.
Currently, WWE get around $50 million per PLE and they have two per year in Saudi Arabia, making more money there then any WrestleMania since this is guaranteed money regardless of how many people show up or how many merchandise is sold.
Neither the Royal Rumble nor WrestleMania has been held outside North America before and just for comparison, Las Vegas paid WWE $5 million to bring the show there next year.
While hosting WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia might not be on WWE’s list for a variety of reasons, a Royal Rumble there is more doable.
Saudi Arabia recently also announced that they are sponsoring the UFC 306 event at The Sphere in Las Vegas, dropping a considerable amount of money in the process.
WWE President Nick Khan is handling negotiations with Saudi Arabia after getting the handover from Vince McMahon.
