Since WWE’s announcement that its annual stupendous event, WrestleMania, will be heading to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2027, it appears the reactions have been met with ambivalent responses. Someone who sees optimism in this opportunity is Nick Khan, who discussed how this decision come to be.

“It was a natural next step for us,” the WWE President said in an interview with “Joy Forum.” “I think at WWE, we realized a number of years ago, you can’t simply pipe American product out globally and hope to be a global product. You actually have to have boots on the ground. So, if you look at what we’ve done with our premium live events – formerly known as pay-per-views – over the last few years, about half of those now take place outside of the United States. We’re in the eighth year of a long-term partnership with Turki Al-Sheikh and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia…We think people will come to the Kingdom to see our show, and we’re going put on a spectacle.”

While some will take Khan’s vision of seeing fans from all over the world book tickets to visit Riyadh for WrestleMania 43 with a grain of salt, Saudi Arabia will host the 2026 Royal Rumble on Saturday, January 31. In the meantime, next year’s “Showcase of the Immortals” will return to Las Vegas, doubling down from its tremendous showing at this year’s WrestleMania 41.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Joy Forum” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.