GEA chairman makes bold claim about WWE WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia
The chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority has made an interesting claim regarding major WWE shows. The promotion will be hosting WWE King and Queen of the Ring 2024 in Saudi Arabia later this month.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour today, Saudi Arabia's GEA chairman, Turki Alalshikh, discussed the possibility of WrestleMania and Royal Rumble being held in Saudi Arabia in the future. He shared that they are in talks with the promotion, and WWE's major premium live events could be held in Saudi Arabia in the next year years.
“We are talking in the future about WrestleMania and Royal Rumble. We are talking around ’26, ’27," he said. [H/T: WrestleZone]
You can check out the entire interview in the video below:
Mike Coppinger of ESPN also published an article today relaying Turki Alalshikh's claim that an "enhancement" to the promotion's agreement with Saudi Arabia will be announced soon. WWE President Nick Khan recently suggested that the promotion would not be holding major premium live events outside of the United States for the foreseeable future.
WWE star discusses what Triple H has brought back to the company
SmackDown commentator Corey Graves recently commented on what Triple H has brought back to the company and noted that it had been missing for a while.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Bill Apter last month, Corey Graves commented on the leadership change in the company. He claimed that Triple H had brought realism back to the product and noted that it had been missing for some time.
"That's, I think, an element that was missing from particularly WWE for quite some time, was the personal issue, the reality aspect of it. Yes, we've got the most amazing athletes in the world, but as a fan, I know when I grew up I loved it a little bit more when I really thought that these two guys couldn't stand one another, and they might get into it backstage, and it feels a lot more organic and reality-based." [4:28 – 4:54]
You can check out the interview in the video below:
Backlash 2024 took place in France, and Saudi Arabia will be hosting King and Queen of the Ring later this month. It was announced earlier this month that WrestleMania 41 will be taking place in Las Vegas next year.