Report: WrestleMania 43 Still Set For Saudi Arabia But WWE Has ‘Contingency Plans’

WrestleMania 43 is set to take place from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia next year, but according to a new report, WWE has “contingency plans” in place as the war in the Middle East continues, and after the United States launched a military initiative in February against Iran that has created ongoing conflict.

According to PWInsider Elite, there are currently no changes in place for WrestleMania 43’s location in 2027. Company sources noted to the outlet, however, that contingency plans are in place for events in that region. PWIE was told WWE officials are paying attention in the ongoing conflict and if they need to address the situation, they will, but currently do not have the need to.

The next WWE event in Saudi Arabia is set for this summer. Upcoming big events, such as F1’s Bahrain & Saudi Arabia Grands Prix have been canceled due to the war. Both races were set for April. WWE has yet not publicly announced a date for its summer 2026 Saudi show. WWE’s most recent event in the Kingdom took place in January with the Royal Rumble.

WWE’s Night of Champions event in June 2025 was jeopardized due to Saudi Arabia closing its airspace as Israel and Iran traded missiles, with Saudi physically sitting between the two nations on the map. A crew of WWE production employees were reportedly stranded in an airport in Qatar during the conflict, but Night of Champions went off without a hitch.

PWIE noted that while they had not been told of any specifics regarding any contingency plans related to WrestleMania 43, WWE has promised WrestleMania events to two cities, including Indianapolis. New Orleans is also set to host the event, as previously announced publicly on an episode of “WWE SmackDown” by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson ahead of WWE pivoting back to Las Vegas for WrestleMania 42.

WWE Announces New Seats Available On Top Of WrestleMania 42 Set

In the coming weeks, WWE will unveil the official set for WrestleMania 42, emanating from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. And for some lucky fans, they can enjoy the two-night action from atop that very set.

As announced on Tuesday, WWE and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) have partnered up to provide fans with an opportunity to purchase seats positioned on top of the WrestleMania 42 stage. Described as a “one-of-a-kind elevated viewing experience,” sales for these premium seats will begin on Friday, March 20 at 1pm ET, or 10 am PT, through Ticketmaster.

WrestleMania 41, also centered in Las Vegas, adopted a set inspired by the city’s resort and entertainment culture. The theme for this year’s premium live event atmosphere has yet to be seen.

Two-day combo tickets for “The Show of Shows” went live last September, with individual event tickets following suit on Black Friday. As of late February, 35,690 tickets had been purchased for night one of WrestleMania 42, while night two totaled 36,372. Compared to 2025, this year’s two-night event was down 17,252 in overall sales.

WrestleMania 42 will take place on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19. So far, five matches are confirmed, including the newly-added Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi. Elsewhere, CM Punk will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against “The OTC” Roman Reigns, while Cody Rhodes puts the Undisputed WWE Championship on the line against his former mentor Randy Orton. On the women’s side, Liv Morgan will challenge Stephanie Vaquer for the WWE Women’s World Championship. Elimination Chamber winner Rhea Ripley will face Women’s Champion Jade Cargill.

Former UFC Stars Set To Fight On Rousey-Carano Card

Dana White Announces Khamzat Chimaev’s Opponent At UFC 328

Khamzat Chimaev will defend the Middleweight Championship against Sean Strickland at UFC 328 in May. 

Chimaev has been a picture of dominance since joining UFC in 2020, beating the likes of Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker before dethroning Dricus Du Plessis in August last year. Du Plessis had made a point only recently that he thought he could have beaten Chimaev if and when they meet again. 

But it’s Strickland, fresh off a dominant victory over Anthony Hernandez in February, who will be getting the first shot at Chimaev’s reign, a reign with the title he won from Israel Adesanya in 2023 and dropped to Du Plessis in 2024. 

The undercard on May 9 will see Ateba Gautier fighting Ozzy Diaz at middleweight, Jan Blachowicz against Bogdan Guskov at light heavyweight, Sean Brady against Joaquin Buckley at welterweight, and Alexander Volkov versus Waldo Cortes Acosta at heavyweight. 

The announcement of UFC 328 came alongside several other main events announced leading up to the White House event in June. 

Aljamain Sterling and Youssef Zalal will headline the April 25 Fight Night card in Las Vegas, Beneil Dariush and Quillan Salkilld headline May 2 in Perth, Australia, Arnold Allen and Melquizael Costa then headline the May 16 event heading back to Vegas, and Song Yadong will headline UFC Fight Night in Macau against Deiveson Figuieredo on May 30. Rounding it all up, Belal Muhammad will face Gabriel Bonfim in Vegas on June 6.

NXT Roster Reaches Houston After Travel Delays

NXT Roster Reaches Houston After Travel Delays

The NXT roster has safely arrived in Houston, Texas for tonight’s CW Network broadcast, despite major travel disruptions caused by severe weather across the Southeast.

According to PWInsider.com, nearly all scheduled talent and staff made it to Houston in time for the show. “Just about everyone one would expect to be in town for the taping are indeed in Houston,” PWInsider reported. “It was an extremely rough travel day, but the crew made it to Texas.”

The travel issues began on Monday when strong thunderstorms and tornadoes impacted several areas across the Southeast. The severe weather led to a ground stoppage at Orlando International Airport, where many members of the NXT roster were set to depart. Flights out of Orlando were delayed for more than four hours, creating uncertainty about whether talent would arrive on time for the live broadcast.

Despite those challenges, WWE closely monitored the situation and ensured that the roster reached Houston without major changes to the scheduled show.

Tonight’s episode of NXT will air live from 713 Music Hall in Houston on the CW Network. The show comes at an important time for the brand, with only three episodes remaining before Stand and Deliver 2026.

The card is set to be headlined by a triple threat match for the NXT Women’s Championship. Jacy Jayne will defend her title against Sol Ruca and Zaria in what is expected to be a key match leading into Stand and Deliver.

With the roster now in place, WWE can move forward as planned with one of its final major stops before the April 4 premium live event in St. Louis, Missouri.

The successful arrival of the NXT roster ensures that tonight’s broadcast will proceed without disruption, despite the difficult travel conditions that impacted much of the Southeast earlier this week.

Update Lineup for Tonight’s NXT

  • NXT Women’s Championship triple threat match: Jacy Jayne (c) vs. Sol Ruca vs. Zaria
  • Women’s North American Championship steel cage match: Tatum Paxley (c) vs. Izzi Dame
  • NXT Tag Team title number one contender’s tournament: Hank and Tank vs. Birthright
  • Women’s WWE Speed Championship match: Fallon Henley (c) vs. Wren Sinclair
  • Vanity Project vs. Los Americanos
  • Booker T Appreciation Night

NXT Roster Reaches Houston After Travel Delays

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