Nick Khan Downplays Criticism Of WWE's Saudi Arabia Events As Coming From A 'Vocal Minority'
WWE WrestleMania 43 still planned for Saudi Arabia, Nick Khan says
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Apr 16, 2026
WWE President Nick Khan has stated that WrestleMania 43 will still be taking place in Saudi Arabia in 2027.
Khan said on Wednesday at the SBJ CAA World Congress of Sports in Los Angeles: "We're doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi. First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we've had a big, fruitful partnership with them."
It was announced in September 2025 that WrestleMania 43 would be taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Following the beginning of the United States and Israel's war with Iran, however, WWE reportedly held discussions about the status of their upcoming Saudi Arabia pay-per-views, including WrestleMania 43, with the belief being the next planned Saudi pay-per-view of WWE Night of Champions on June 27 was unlikely to take place.
WWE and Saudi Arabia have worked together since 2018, and WWE usually holds two pay-per-views in KSA per year. The partnership has been heavily criticised, particularly during the early years of the relationship following the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi just weeks before WWE held the first Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia.
Khan has insinuated, however, that the majority of WWE fans are fine with the company working with Saudi Arabia as he described negative feedback as coming from a "vocal minority." Khan claimed the company's decisions are instead driven by "ratings, revenue and relevancy."
WWE's partnership with Saudi Arabia hasn't been completely smooth, however. There was an infamous flight delay following Crown Jewel 2019 due to issues between Vince McMahon and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, which resulted in WWE settling a shareholder lawsuit for $39 million.
WWE primarily works with Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority. Alalshikh allegedly has a prison wing named after him at al-Ha'ir Prison which contains people who have been detained for criticising Alalshikh.
