For the past couple of weeks, the world has seen the conflict involving the USA, Israel, and Iran only increase. As the USA and Iran continue to launch attacks on Iran, Iran has also been retaliating against its neighbouring countries with US military bases such as the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, writing for POST Wrestling, recently shared that WWE has internally scheduled the PLE Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia for June 27, 2026, adding to concerns about the status of future WWE events in the country. According to POST Wrestling's sources, a particular date is now in doubt because of the military conflict in the region.
Another source close to POST Wrestling also claimed that this year’s Night of Champions was slated for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Riyadh and Jeddah are the two cities where WWE has held events when performing in KSA. The latest WWE show to take place in Saudi Arabia was the 2026 Royal Rumble, which took place on Jan. 31, 2026, in Riyadh. While the latest event to take place in Jeddah was the 2024 edition of Night of Champions.
While these are more recent upcoming events, WWE is set to host its biggest annual event next year in Riyadh, WrestleMania 43. Although WrestleMania 43 is still approximately 12 months away, the military conflicts in the region have cast doubt over its final execution. The ongoing conflicts in the region also saw the cancellation of the Saudi Arabia and Bahrain F1 GP.
More on WWE-Saudi Arabia situation
According to PW Insider, although WrestleMania 43 is still scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, WWE is currently monitoring the situation. “Company sources have noted that the company always has (and will have) contingency plans in place for events in that region. We are told they are obviously paying attention to the war in the Middle East and see it as a fluid situation that could rapidly change and if and when they need to address it, they will.”
If the Saudi Arabia WrestleMania is scrapped, two American cities could find themselves at the top of the list to host WrestleMania. Indianapolis has an existing contract in place for a future WrestleMania, possibly at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. Whereas the city of New Orleans is also owed a WrestleMania PLE after WWE changed the location of WrestleMania 42 from there to Las Vegas, Nevada.
With no confirmed update, these are speculations based on the ongoing speculation and rumours surrounding WWE's status in Saudi Arabia. In 2018, WWE started a decade-long strategic alliance with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport. This resulted in Saudi Arabia hosting PPVs, PLEs, and other large-scale entertainment events, as well as two large-scale events annually.
