RVD Defends WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia as a Smart Business Move

WrestleMania 43 will be taking place in Riyadh, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and there are plenty of people who are really unhappy over this move. However, it appears that RVD has actually defended WrestleMania 43 taking place in Saudi Arabia.

While speaking on the 1 of a Kind podcast, RVD revealed his thoughts on WrestleMania 43 being held in Saudi Arabia and said he sees it mainly as a business decision. From what he has read online, there is a lot of money involved, both for WWE and for many of the wrestlers, so he doesn’t see a problem with the move.

“Saudi Arabia, they’re doing it. From what they’re saying online, there’s a lot of money involved and a lot of money to be made for the company and for a lot of the boys. It is about business, you know, so I don’t have a problem with it.”

RVD wondered whether international fans will travel to Saudi Arabia to attend the show and pointed out that this is a key reason why cities want WrestleMania to bring in tourism.

The Whole F’n Show believes fans who already travel long distances, like from Japan or England to the United States, might also be willing to travel to Saudi Arabia instead, as it is simply a different direction on the map.

“Will the fans—the international fans—all go to Saudi Arabia to support that? I think they will. I don’t know, and I don’t even know if they’re allowed though. I mean, that’s one of the reasons you want WrestleMania to come to your town, your place, your location—because of the tourism business that it’ll bring. So, I’m assuming if you’re living in Japan or, I don’t know, England, I haven’t compared on the globe, but if you’re coming internationally to the States anyway, maybe you don’t mind going the other way and going to Saudi Arabia.”

RVD compared WWE’s schedule to giving fans birthday cake all year long. In his view, taking just one big show to a new location like Saudi Arabia still leaves fans with plenty of events to enjoy, so he feels they are spoiled.

“I mean, the way I see it, it’s like you’re feeding the fans birthday cake 12 months out of the year and you want to take one show—one show—and go do something else with it. I think the fans are still spoiled enough. That’s how I see it.”

WWE was paid $250,000 by Saudi Arabia to hold WrestleMania 43 there in 2027, so it’s clearly a business decision and the company will do what’s best for business.

Many wrestling fans don’t like WWE’s plan to hold WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia, but RVD thinks it’s a smart business move that will pay well for the company and wrestlers. He believes true WrestleMania fans will travel no matter where the show is and says there are already plenty of wrestling events around the world for fans to enjoy.

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