— WrestleMania 43 is officially headed to Saudi Arabia in 2027, marking the first time WWE’s biggest annual event will take place outside of North America.
According to a report from Pwinsider, the deal is finalized, and an official announcement is expected within the next 24 hours — timed to coincide with the Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez fight promoted by TKO in Las Vegas, NV.
A press release briefly went live in Arabic before being taken down, but sources confirm its legitimacy. Unlike special events such as The Greatest Royal Rumble, this will be a true WrestleMania.
Saudi Arabia’s successful bid for WrestleMania 43 is tied to the Kingdom’s 300th anniversary celebration, commemorating the founding of the first Saudi state in 1727. Reports suggest the country is investing heavily to ensure a massive spectacle featuring top WWE stars and a grand presentation.
Before that historic milestone, WrestleMania 42 will take place April 18–19, 2026, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
WWE has also confirmed that the 2026 Royal Rumble will emanate from Saudi Arabia in January, signaling the company’s growing partnership with the Kingdom. Future WrestleManias are locked in for Indianapolis and New Orleans, though the host city for 2028 has yet to be revealed.
— During a recent episode of the “Something To Wrestle With” podcast, JBL addressed Ronda Rousey’s recent comments about Alexa Bliss.
Rousey had stated in an interview that she considered their feud “silly” and believed Bliss was chosen as her opponent largely due to her strong merchandise sales.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Ronda Rousey’s comments: “I think it’s just naive, is what it is. And just like MJF said, it’s just not an understanding of the business. You know, she caught lightning in a bottle, and good for her. I mean, she’s a massive star, and good for her. She deserves every single bit of that. But when the other girls caught up with her in MMA, or at least she got a little older, you know, she became less effective. But she was the first, and she caught lightning in a bottle. And she got into WWE and followed that lightning in a bottle, and did a great job with it.
“She obviously doesn’t understand business. Who do you want to fight? You want to find a guy who can’t sell a t-shirt? Or do you want to find the number one merch guy? And I don’t give a damn who he is. I don’t care if he’s some guy on the street corner that can sell — if he can sell more merch than anybody else, put me in the ring with him. We’ll make money. I guarantee we will, better than some guy that can wrestle that nobody cares about.”
On where the comments come from in Ronda Rousey: “I think it’s just naivety is what it is. And no offense to her, it’s just — you know, you come from a business that everything is a meritocracy. And you want to just fight the number one, next person in line. And I get that. But that’s the difference between guys like say, the Paul brothers. Or guys like Conor McGregor or Floyd Mayweather, who are also great fighters but are also great marketers. And that’s why they make so much money.”
On Peter Rosenberg saying the comments were “disrespectful”: “Yes, I think Pete’s right. I think it is disrespectful. I don’t understand, Conrad. Why — you’ve got this Hall of Fame career. And I get it, and it’s your prerogative to say whatever you want. And I’m not trying to say anything bad about Ronda. She’s been very nice to me, and I have a lot of respect for her. But I think, why are you embarrassing someone like4 Alexa, who’s still making a living? You just bash this person that’s making a living and try to discredit her, because it gets you a few clicks.
“I just — I don’t appreciate it. And I think that that’s the mindset that that Pete was coming from. You know, we got Kurt Angle, he beat the entire world. He made guys look like a million dollars. He could have tied every one of us in knots. Kurt — when people say Kurt was really good? He wasn’t really good, he was better than 8 billion people. He’s alien level. I mean, he’s freaking one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He put a stupid little cowboy hat on his head and was singing with Stone Cold. He made guys that like a million freaking dollars. You can put Kurt out there with Spike Dudley — who’s a great worker, by the way. I’m not paying on Spike, but he’s small. You put Kurt out there with anybody, and Kurt makes a match out of it. That’s how good Kurt was. That is a professional. And unfortunately, I guess Ronda had a different thought about the business, I don’t know.”
— Nikki Bella reflected on reuniting with AJ Lee during the September 8th episode of WWE RAW, where both women made a big impact.
Speaking on a recent episode of “The Nikki & Brie Show,” Nikki shared details of her backstage interaction with Lee following her singles match against Asuka.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On her RAW reunion with AJ Lee: “It was great, AJ is back. She and I were chatting for a bit backstage and we were both just saying how crazy it is [that] you’re here when I’m back. I’m like, ‘No, I’m so happy you’re back.’ It was great talking to her. I actually hope we get a moment because when you think about it — everyone’s talking about it on the internet and it is true. I mean, we were so much of each other’s most important stories at that time with the Diva’s Championship before she had left, even with you and Paige. It was so much about us. We have to have a moment. I feel that even this Monday we should have a moment backstage. I’m hoping at some point we have that interaction because I know the fans would love it.”
On preparing for her recent match with Asuka: “I was excited because Asuka is obviously one of the best wrestlers in the world for women. We never have had a match, but her and I were the final two of the first women’s Royal Rumble. I thought about how long ago that was, like, oh my gosh. So, my whole Sunday traveling to Milwaukee, I think I watched every Asuka match in history. It was great. I wanted to know all the little things about her, how she’s working right now. I wanted to see everything. I literally have caught like every single Asuka match ever, that was my full Sunday of travel.”
On receiving help in her training from Jason Jordan, Natalya, and TJ Wilson: “With this comeback, I want to continue to grow and show that growth. I just wanted to put some other things under my belt. Jason Jordan, who was our producer, he was so incredible. I also immediately texted Nattie and TJ both separately. I was like, okay, I don’t have as much preparation as I would want for this match because it’s Asuka and I want to perform at the top level. I just wanted to be so prepared in how I can prepare. What are the things I can control in this moment? I can control ideas I want to do for myself, I can have things in my pocket, I can reach out to the people that are most knowledgeable that can help me prep for this match in a day and a half. Gathering good ideas, doing as much physically. I do preparation all the time, I train every week, I have an incredible trainer that I’ve been working with for a few months.”
On how she feels about the match: “I do have to say that after the match, I just felt good. I feel like every week, I’m growing, I’m getting better, I’m getting more comfortable. I received a lot of compliments after and some great feedback on like, you now know who you are, so go in there with that Nikki Bella confidence. You are back. That was the first time I ever got to work any of the Japanese wrestlers.”
