WWE WrestleMania 43 will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2027, marking a historic first for WWE’s flagship event as it will be held outside North America.
The shift has raised questions about the traditional WrestleMania week lineup of independent promotion events, given the logistical challenges involved.
Speaking with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, Brett Lauderdale noted that it is highly unlikely other promotions will fly talent across the globe for a single event. “Of course there’s been discussions about all of those options. Saudi Arabia, of course is not realistic and I highly doubt that anything is going to be happening over there in an indie wrestling level. But there’s tons of possibilities and options that have been floated and I’ve heard lots of things that both include us and don’t include us, meaning other people also planning for a weekend of that magnitude.”
Further details for WrestleMania 43 remain unconfirmed. Lauderdale, who runs GCW and its annual Collective, expressed doubt. “It’s really hard to plan anything without knowing a date, which as you said, they haven’t given us even a date yet. So it’s super hard to start planning a location or start putting anything together when you don’t know when it’s going to happen. Of course I know who I would want to work with. I know how we would want to do it, but it’s all just tentative until we have something firm to plan around. I think something will happen. I just don’t know what it’s going to be and where it’s going to be yet.”
No matches have been confirmed for WWE WrestleMania 43 at this time. WWE originally intended to hold the 2027 event in Nashville, Tennessee.
That plan changed when Saudi Arabian representatives advocated for 2027, aligning the show with the 300th anniversary of the founding of the First Saudi state.
