WWE is reportedly returning to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the fall.
It was noted by Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast that WWE is set to return to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 21.
This date has not been confirmed by WWE. The date is apparently tentative, if there are no COVID-related restrictions at that time. There’s no word on if the October 21 date is the travel date, or the actual date that WWE plans to air the next Saudi show.
It was previously reported by a social media source in the Middle East that the Saudi General Sport Authority’s Ministry of Sport had decided on November for the next WWE event, but that was a rumored date and nothing was confirmed. It was also reported at that time, by PWInsider, that internal WWE sources expected the company to return to the Kingdom in the fall, but that no date had been locked in.
WWE has been expected to run one event in the Kingdom before the end of this year. @Wrestlevotes reported back in late April that multiple WWE sources were indicating that a return to Saudi Arabia was “very much on the table” before the end of 2021.
WWE was forced to nix their second 2020 event and first 2021 event in the Kingdom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kingdom lifted some of their coronavirus restrictions back in late May, and media reports from the country noted that they are serious about opening back up for concerts and sporting events.
WWE has not ran the Kingdom since the Super ShowDown 2020 event was held in February 2020 at the Mohammed Abdu Arena in Riyadh. WWE and the Saudi General Sports Authority announced in 2018 that they were entering into a 10-year strategic multi-platform partnership to support the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative, which is the Kingdom’s social and economic reform program. The deal called for two events to be held per year, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced delays last year and this year. WWE visited Saudi Arabia for Greatest Royal Rumble and Crown Jewel in 2018, Super ShowDown and Crown Jewel in 2019, and Super ShowDown in 2020.
Stay tuned for more on WWE’s return to Saudi Arabia.
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