WWE President Nick Khan recently reflected on the company’s decision to take Wrestlemania overseas for the first time ever, bringing the marquee event to Saudi Arabia in 2027.
Speaking at Joy Forum 2025, a conference hosted in Riyadh, Khan said that bringing Wrestlemania to Saudi Arabia is part of the company’s bigger plans of global expansion.
“It was a natural next step for us,” he said. “I think at WWE, we realized a number of years ago, you can’t simply pipe American product out globally and hope to be a global product. You actually have to have boots on the ground. So if you look at what we’ve done with our Premium Live Events, formerly known as pay-per-views, over the last few years, about half of those now take place outside of the United States. We’re in the eighth year of a long-term partnership with Turki Alalshiekh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Faisal [Bafarat] and the General Entertainment Authority.”
Khan emphasized the amount of attention the event will bring to Saudi Arabia, noting his belief that fans will travel to the country for the show.
“We think viewership is going to be strong, we think people will come to the kingdom to see our show, and we’re going to put on a spectacle.”
WWE has received large payouts from Saudi Arabia to host events in the country for years. However, for a large portion of the partnership, WWE wasn’t bringing its most recognizable annual events to the country.
That will change in the coming years, as both the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania will be heading to the country soon.
Hosting Wrestlemania has long been a goal for Saudi Arabia, with representatives from the country mentioning for years how it was a goal to bring the show there. Speaking at the Joy Forum on Thursday, the country’s Faisal Bafarat described how it was something they first mentioned to Vince McMahon when he was in charge.
