WWE is getting paid some serious money to bring WrestleMania to Saudi Arabia, and the price tag is absolutely insane. We’re not talking about a normal Saudi Arabia payday, either. According to Dave Meltzer, the company is set to collect a whopping $150 million for the event.
During the October 18 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer revealed the figure while discussing WWE’s upcoming business in Saudi Arabia. The conversation turned to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and whether major sporting events in the region would still take place.
That’s when Meltzer dropped the financial details. He explained that sources in Saudi Arabia had previously told him WrestleMania would cost more than $100 million, but new financial information he saw that morning pointed to an even bigger number.
“So I saw one of the stock things. Okay, so it looks like, you know, we didn’t know this. I actually just found this out, like this morning. It looks like the WrestleMania price is 150 million. I knew it was over 100 because people in Saudi Arabia told me it’s north of 100 million. You usually. They get 55 to go. It’s 150 million for WrestleMania.”
That’s a massive jump from the roughly $55 million WWE normally receives for a Saudi Arabia event. In other words, bringing WrestleMania to the country is set to earn WWE nearly three times its usual fee. And with that much money on the line, walking away from the deal isn’t exactly an easy decision. Meltzer made that point clear when discussing the financial stakes.
“And that is, you know, you don’t want to put that in jeopardy.”
The timing of the discussion is interesting because there’s already uncertainty surrounding several major sporting events scheduled for the region. Meltzer brought up an upcoming UFC show in Saudi Arabia and a planned Canelo Alvarez fight, explaining that both could be affected by the ongoing conflict.
“There’s a UFC show in Saudi Arabia November 28th or December 5th, which I would say that’s in jeopardy. There’s the Canelo fight, which has not been canceled yet, but there’s certainly lots of talk about it.”
He also said organizers were already preparing backup plans in case things take a turn for the worse. Meltzer wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of companies continuing to run major events in the region under the current circumstances, either.
“I mean, we’re in the middle of a war and it’s obviously they shouldn’t go.”
For now, there hasn’t been a confirmed change to WWE’s WrestleMania plans. The $150 million figure also hasn’t been publicly confirmed through WWE’s contract documents, so it remains a number Meltzer is putting out based on the information he’s received.
Still, that’s one heck of a payday. WWE has been collecting huge checks from Saudi Arabia for years, but this WrestleMania deal is on another level. With $150 million potentially coming WWE’s way, it’s pretty clear why keeping this arrangement intact is such a big deal.
What do you think about Saudi Arabia paying WWE $150 million to bring WrestleMania to the country? Is the money too good to pass up, or should WWE think twice about the deal? Sound off in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
