WWE’s lucrative 10-year partnership with the Saudi General Sports Authority, which sees them host two annual events in Saudi Arabia for substantial financial compensation, is undergoing significant changes for 2025.
Based on SES reports, WWE reportedly earns $50 million per show in the country. In 2024, WWE began taping SmackDown and Raw events there, and with the new Netflix deal, Raw will now be broadcast live from Saudi Arabia.
In a landmark announcement earlier this year, WWE confirmed that the 2026 Royal Rumble will be held in Riyadh, marking the first time the event will take place outside North America. This has fueled speculation that a Saudi Arabian WrestleMania is inevitable. For now, it’s not in the immediate cards.
However, despite the increased activity planned for 2026, including the Royal Rumble, reports from Fightful Select and PWInsider.com indicate that WWE is currently scheduled for only one event in Saudi Arabia in 2025.
Per Fightful, this event is targeted for June in Jeddah, a location WWE hasn’t visited in June since 2019’s Super Showdown. If confirmed, this would be the first year with only one Saudi Arabian event since the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
PWInsider added that the scheduling and planning for this sole 2025 event are currently in progress.
