WrestleMania 43 and More Saudi Arabia-Bound WWE PLEs in Jeopardy Amid Ongoing Middle East Conflict

The ongoing war-like situation in the Middle East has put WrestleMania 43 and other WWE events for the year in Saudi Arabia in jeopardy of being canceled.

WrestleMania 43 and More Saudi Arabia-Bound WWE PLEs in Jeopardy Amid Ongoing Middle East Conflict

WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia in jeopardy due to the Middle East conflict [via- Arab News]

WWE had two more events lined up to emanate from Saudi Arabia this year, but they’re now contingent on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East region. Taking that into account, the July-slated WWE PLE in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is unlikely to happen. This is the general belief among those close to the situation, as noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter by Dave Meltzer.

In addition to the couple of PLEs that were scheduled to take place in the aforementioned country, next year’s WrestleMania in Riyadh is also in jeopardy and totally hinged on turmoil unfolding in the said region. Formula 1 has already scrapped the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix for the 2026 season in the wake of the escalating tensions over there.

WWE would want nothing more than the situation to be diffused with enough time to spare until next year’s WrestleMania. However, the Stamford-based promotion is almost certain to lose out on the expected income it was hoping to make with the remaining Saudi Arabia events this year.

The wrestling fans on social media, especially the US nationals, couldn’t be more delighted with the fact that there’s a real possibility of WrestleMania 43 changing venues. They’re also joking that WWE might just hand the hosting rights of WrestleMania to the city of Las Vegas for the third straight year if they were to make a rash decision.

Putting the online banter aside, the future of WWE events in Saudi Arabia, pretty much like other sporting activities in the Arab nations and those nearby, is at the mercy of de-escalation of tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.

WWE lifts WrestleMania 42 watch parties ban after intense fan backlash

WWE has the onus to deliver one of the better WrestleManias this year after putting forth an underwhelming show for its audience in 2025. But this year’s WrestleMania, from the moment it was relocated to Las Vegas from New Orleans, opened the Pandora’s Box for the company.

The two-night wrestling spectacle has struggled to move tickets beyond a certain amount, with the latest estimates showing night 1 at 37.5 k and night 2 at 38.5 k tickets sold.

WrestleMania 42
WrestleMania 42 logo (via- WWE)

It’s way down from last year’s figures with just about a month left for the event. WWE has now slashed the ticket prices in an effort to fill more seats at the Allegiant Stadium after the lukewarm interest from the fans screaming that the ticket prices are simply outrageous.

The company leveraged a cheap tactic quite recently by forbidding the watch parties in the vicinity of the WrestleMania 42 venue in an attempt to turn the partygoers into ticketed fans for the show.

The move triggered massive outrage not just from the fans but also from the local businesses and hotels in Vegas, as they complained about WWE discouraging tourism activities by blacking out watch parties in the area.

But this past Friday, Circa Las Vegas’ Stadium Swim revealed on social media that the previously enforced ban on watch parties has been lifted by WWE. The woes for the company haven’t vanished and will not until they fill up the majority of Allegiant Stadium for WrestleMania 42.

The match card for the event is coming together nicely, with CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton being the two main events for both nights. WWE is also planning a celebrity match, with Jelly Roll being discussed to partner with Royce Keys. The upcoming weeks of WWE programming should be firing on all cylinders to ensure a much better turnout for WrestleMania.

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