WWE Faces Backlash Over WrestleMania Saudi Arabia Move and ESPN Deal

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WWE has announced that WrestleMania 43 will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2027. This is the first time the company’s biggest event will be held outside of the United States and Canada.

The news was released through WWE’s collaboration with the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, headed by Turki Alalshikh, and is tied to the yearly Riyadh Season festival in Saudi Arabia.

This decision continues a partnership with Saudi Arabia that began in 2018 with several other major events. However, moving WrestleMania has caused considerable criticism.

During the *Worlds Collide* event in Las Vegas, the audience reacted negatively to an announcement video, loudly chanting accusations of a “sellout.” This sentiment also spread online, with fans flooding WWE and Triple H’s social media accounts with similar comments.

Eric Bischoff Reacts

Eric Bischoff, the former president of WCW and a WWE Hall of Famer, recently shared his thoughts on his podcast, *83 Weeks*. He admitted the decision made financial sense, but said he was a bit let down by it.

Eric Bischoff believes professional wrestling is uniquely an American form of entertainment. He feels Canada is essentially part of the US market, making international expansion a significant undertaking. Bischoff predicts this move will be expensive and will likely disappoint some fans.

Bischoff also warned that WWE might suffer reputational damage in addition to any financial impact. He believes negative attention is likely, especially on social media, but acknowledges it’s somewhat unavoidable for a public company, as Raj explained. However, he also expressed some disappointment about the situation.

Fan and Public Response

The announcement was met with a strong backlash online. Fans expressed worries about how easy it would be to attend, the distance people would have to travel, and the impact of holding the event in Saudi Arabia. Many critics accused WWE of putting profits ahead of its history, and hashtags calling for people to stop supporting the company quickly became popular on social media.

A lot of UK fans were disappointed that the event wasn’t held in London or another European city, and instead chose Riyadh. Some also criticized the decision, arguing it’s an attempt by Saudi Arabia to improve its reputation through sports.

ESPN Streaming Deal

Adding to the situation, this controversy arises shortly after WWE announced its major events will switch from Peacock to ESPN, beginning with *Wrestlepalooza* on September 20, 2025-a match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar. The final WWE event on Peacock will be *Clash in Paris* on August 31st.

Many sports fans are frustrated with the price of ESPN’s new streaming service, which costs almost $30 a month. This is significantly more expensive than Peacock, which offers WWE and a larger variety of content for under $10. While ESPN does offer bundles with Disney or through cable, fans are worried about the higher cost, having to subscribe to multiple streaming services, and aren’t clear on exactly what games and older content will be available.

Money Over Fans?

The recent agreement with Saudi Arabia for WrestleMania and the shift to streaming on ESPN have led many fans to believe WWE is prioritizing profits over making its content easy to access and maintaining its history. While company leaders say these changes are about growing internationally, some worry WWE could lose its loyal fans.

Adding to the criticism, TKO, the parent company, has taken a different strategy with UFC and WWE. They’ve moved UFC to the more affordable Paramount+ streaming service, while WWE moved from the cheaper Peacock to the pricier ESPN+. This difference has led fans to believe TKO prioritizes UFC over WWE, and that WWE fans are now facing higher costs as a result.

Some fans want Vince McMahon back, believing he prioritized a family-friendly atmosphere and kept costs lower. They feel prices have significantly increased since TKO took over.

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2025-09-15 23:02