WWE’s relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has continued to grow under TKO Group Holdings’ reign of the promotion compared to Vince McMahon’s later years running WWE. The working relationship has even advanced to the point where next year’s WrestleMania 43 is planned to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The partnership has been thrown into uncertainty due to the current war between the United States and Iran.
TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro recently spoke with investors and media at an earnings call, where he explained that business in the area is not being impeded.
“Before I get into highlights from the first quarter, I want to address activity in the Middle East and neighboring markets,” Shapiro said. “Building on a successful debut in 2025, UFC returns to Azerbaijan with UFC Fight Night Baku on June 27th. That same night, WWE hosts Night of Champions from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.”
Shapiro then emphasized that, following the two aforementioned events, the rest of 2026 will feature six more events in the Middle East across WWE, UFC, and Zuffa Boxing. The TKO President further expressed that there’s demand for more events in the Middle East, and because the TKO partners are committed to expanding there, they’ve decided to invest more in that expansion.
“TKO benefits from having defensive model business characteristics,” he explained.
However, considering the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, many are concerned with WWE and TKO’s growing partnership with Saudi Arabia. AEW’s Jeff Jarrett expressed his frustrations about the partnership, citing concerns about the conflict. Jarrett then noted that he believes there’s a combination between Saudi Arabia pushing for more shows so the conflict doesn’t seem as bad and WWE chasing the money, leading to the growing partnership.
Read the full article here
