Uncertainty Around Independent Wrestling Events Over WWE WrestleMania 43 Weekend In Saudi Arabia

The weekend of WWE WrestleMania has featured a whole host of independent wrestling events in the same city as WWE's biggest show of the year over the past several years, with two of the most prominent events being WrestleCon and GCW's The Collective.

WrestleMania has taken place in North America throughout the show's history, but that will change in 2027, as it was recently announced that WrestleMania 43 will emanate from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This has left the status of independent wrestling events over WrestleMania 43 weekend up in the air, and POST Wrestling has reported that both Michael Bochicchio of Highspots and GCW's Brett Lauderdale are uncertain about hosting events in Saudi Arabia.

Bochicchio noted to POST Wrestling it was premature to make a definitive decision, but he noted running WrestleCon in Saudi Arabia was "highly unlikely." Instead, the convention may still take place in the United States.

Brett Lauderdale of GCW, meanwhile, noted he had been approached by two organisations about holding The Collective in Saudi Arabia, but it was too early to say whether any plans for GCW in the Middle East were realistic. Lauderdale also admitted there would likely be restrictions on the presentation of GCW shows if they were held in Saudi Arabia.

A traditional GCW The Collective event has been Effy's Big Gay Brunch, a show which features homosexual and transgender wrestlers. Effy has already ruled out the event taking place in Saudi Arabia, tweeting: "Effy will not be going to saudi arabia. our country is going in the exact same direction so i’m gonna stay here and be punk and run gay shows in MY OWN homophobic country."

Same-sex sexual activity is criminalised in Saudi Arabia under Sharia law. Human Dignity Trust noted LGBT people in Saudi Arabia have been frequently arrested, and some of those arrested were executed by authorities.