WWE isn’t hitting the brakes on WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia, even with questions piling up about travel to the region. The company is still moving full steam ahead with plans to bring WrestleMania to Riyadh, and Saudi officials have already been sitting down with WWE to work through the details.
PWInsider Elite reports that representatives from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were at WWE headquarters in Stamford earlier this month to discuss WrestleMania 43. Those talks included the massive amount of logistics that come with pulling off WWE’s biggest event of the year overseas.
That’s a pretty strong sign WWE isn’t treating this like a plan that’s about to fall apart. Right now, the company is operating like WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh is happening and planning accordingly.
WWE is also expected to handle security the same way it does for its other Saudi Arabia events. The company will have contingency plans in place if needed and will continue working directly with private security experts it contracts for the region while WrestleMania planning moves forward.
There has also been talk in wrestling circles that WWE may already have domestic locations lined up in case the company suddenly has to move WrestleMania 43 out of Saudi Arabia. According to WWE sources, that part is getting way ahead of things. Those sources said it’s still too early for replacement locations to have been finalized. They did, however, acknowledge that backup plans have been discussed for Crown Jewel in case WWE has to pivot because of the ongoing issues in the MENA region.
That’s where things get interesting, because Crown Jewel is coming up a whole lot sooner than WrestleMania. WWE may be thinking years ahead with Riyadh, but November 7 is sitting right in front of them.
Ringside News previously covered how WWE had been discussing possible backup plans for Crown Jewel as questions continued to grow around travel to Saudi Arabia. People inside WWE had been looking for answers about whether travel plans, scheduling or even the location of the event could change if the situation got worse.
Crown Jewel is still scheduled for November 7, and nothing has officially been moved. WWE clearly isn’t going into this blind, though, because contingency options are sitting there in case the company suddenly needs an exit ramp.
WrestleMania 43 is a much bigger beast, and right now WWE appears committed to keeping it in Riyadh. Saudi officials are meeting with WWE in Stamford, logistics are being worked through and security planning is already part of the conversation.
So the message right now is pretty simple: WWE is still all-in on WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia, but it also knows better than to leave itself without a Plan B. If Crown Jewel forces WWE to pivot in November, that could suddenly make the WrestleMania conversation a whole lot more complicated.
Do you think WWE will ultimately keep WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh, or will the company eventually need to pull out a backup location? Let us know your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
