{{short description|2027 WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event}} <!--{{current sport|sport=pro wrestling|event=WrestleMania}}--> {{use mdy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox Wrestling event |name = WrestleMania 43 |image = WrestleMania 43 poster.jpg |caption = Promotional poster featuring the Riyadh skyline |tagline = <!-- DO NOT PUT ANYTHING HERE WITHOUT A REFERENCE INCLUDED TO A WP:RS --> |promotion = WWE |brand = Raw<br>SmackDown |date = 2027 |attendance = <!-- DO NOT PUT ANYTHING HERE WITHOUT A REFERENCE INCLUDED TO A WP:RS --> |venue = TBA |city = Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |wwenlast = |wwennext = |event = WrestleMania |lastevent2 = 42 |nextevent2 = |event2 = WWE in Saudi Arabia |lastevent3 = Night of Champions |nextevent3 = — }} '''WrestleMania 43''', also promoted as '''WrestleMania Riyadh''' ({{Langx|ar|ريسلمانيا|rislmanya}}), is an upcoming 2027 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by the American company WWE. It will be the 43rd annual WrestleMania and is planned to take place as a two-night event in 2027 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of the 2026–2027 Riyadh Season, held for wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brand divisions.
WrestleMania 43 was originally planned to be held at the New Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, with WWE instead wanting to hold WrestleMania 44 in Saudi Arabia, but the country pushed to host WrestleMania 43 to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the founding of the First Saudi state. It will be the first WrestleMania held outside of North America, the third outside the United States after WrestleMania VI and WrestleMania X8 in 1990 and 2002, respectively, which were both held in Canada, the 17th event WWE will hold in Saudi Arabia as part of its 10-year partnership in support of Saudi Vision 2030, and the second of WWE's "Big Five" events to take place in the country, after the 2026 Royal Rumble.
== Production == === Background === [[File:Riyadh Skyline.jpg|thumb|right|Being held in Riyadh, WrestleMania 43 will be the first WrestleMania to take place outside of North America.]]
WrestleMania is the American promotion WWE's flagship professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, having first been held in 1985. It was the company's first PPV produced and was also WWE's first major event available via livestreaming when the company launched its former standalone service, the WWE Network, in February 2014. It is the longest-running event in WWE history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April, featuring wrestlers from WWE's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions.<ref>{{cite web| last1=Benigno|first1=Anthony|last2=Clapp|first2=John|date=April 3, 2013| title=WrestleMania 29 press conference brings WWE to Radio City Music Hall| url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/29/wrestlemania-press-conference-radio-city-music-hall|work=WWE|access-date=March 31, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407013602/https://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/29/wrestlemania-press-conference-radio-city-music-hall|archive-date=April 7, 2013|url-status=live|quote=... WWE's flagship event lights up MetLife Stadium ... WrestleMania}}</ref> Along with Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank, it is one of the company's five biggest annual events, referred to as the "Big Five".<ref>Ian Hamilton. ''Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition'' (p. 160)</ref><ref name="MITB-Big5">{{cite web |title=Las Vegas to host WWE's Money in the Bank in 2022|url=https://news3lv.com/news/local/las-vegas-to-host-wwes-money-in-the-bank-in-2022|website=KSNV |access-date=May 31, 2022|date=August 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823161938/https://news3lv.com/news/local/las-vegas-to-host-wwes-money-in-the-bank-in-2022|archive-date=August 23, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WM40announced">{{cite web|title=WWE Announces Dates And Location For WrestleMania 40|date=July 27, 2022|url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/wwe-announces-dates-and-location-wrestlemania-40|first=Jeremy|last=Lambert|work=Fightful|access-date=July 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727142226/https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/wwe-announces-dates-and-location-wrestlemania-40|archive-date=July 27, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> WrestleMania was ranked the sixth-most valuable sports brand in the world by ''Forbes'' in 2019,<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2019/10/16/the-forbes-fab-40-puma-debuts-on-2019-list-of-the-worlds-most-valuable-sports-brands/?sh=79efef21d356|title=The Forbes Fab 40: Puma Debuts On 2019 List Of The World's Most Valuable Sports Brands |first=Mike|last=Ozanian|magazine=Forbes|access-date=October 16, 2019| date=October 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127120331/https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2019/10/16/the-forbes-fab-40-puma-debuts-on-2019-list-of-the-worlds-most-valuable-sports-brands/?sh=79efef21d356|archive-date=January 27, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> and has been described as "the Super Bowl of sports entertainment".<ref>{{cite web|last=Gelston|first=Dan|title=WrestleMania is Super Bowl of sports entertainment|url=https://apnews.com/article/f7ba8479c0434c7ba347a50c5a75c65e|work=Associated Press|date=April 4, 2013|access-date=March 31, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331101111/https://bigstory.ap.org/article/wrestlemania-super-bowl-sports-entertainment|archive-date=March 31, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
In early 2018, WWE began a 10-year strategic multiplatform partnership with the Ministry of Sport (formerly General Sports Authority) in support of Saudi Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's social and economic reform program.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/worldwide/article/saudi-arabia-to-host-greatest-royal-rumble-april-2018|title=Saudi Arabia to host the Greatest Royal Rumble|work=WWE|date=March 5, 2018|author=WWE.com Staff|access-date=March 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305211345/https://www.wwe.com/worldwide/article/saudi-arabia-to-host-greatest-royal-rumble-april-2018|archive-date=March 5, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=National Transformation Program 2020|url=https://vision2030.gov.sa/sites/default/files/NTP_En.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828193836/https://vision2030.gov.sa/sites/default/files/NTP_En.pdf|archive-date=August 28, 2017}}</ref> In May 2024, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority (GEA), Turki Alalshikh, announced that the country was in talks with WWE to bring either the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania to the country in 2026 or 2027.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wrestletalk.com/news/saudi-arabia-wwe-wrestlemania-royal-rumble/|title=Saudi Arabia Hosting WWE WrestleMania Or Royal Rumble Update|website=WrestleTalk|date=May 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515231052/https://wrestletalk.com/news/saudi-arabia-wwe-wrestlemania-royal-rumble/|archive-date=May 15, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> In September the following year, after it was confirmed that the 2026 Royal Rumble would be held in Saudi Arabia, rumors began circulating that WWE were also planning on hosting a WrestleMania in the country. On September 11, 2025, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque posted on X that a huge announcement would be made via WWE's YouTube channel the following day.<ref>{{cite tweet|author=Triple H|user=TripleH|number=1966275578488828027|title=We'll be making a huge announcement on @WWE's YouTube channel. Friday at 3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT. I told you we'd change the game. And we're just getting started.|date=September 11, 2025|access-date=September 12, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> That day at a press conference featuring Levesque and Alalshikh, as well as WWE Hall of Famers The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels and active WWE wrestlers Seth Rollins, Logan Paul, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Stephanie Vaquer, and Charlotte Flair, WWE announced that WrestleMania 43 in 2027 would be the first WrestleMania to take place outside of North America, as it would be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of the 2026–2027 Riyadh Season, with the event also promoted as WrestleMania Riyadh. This will be the 17th event in the Saudi Arabian partnership. The exact date and venue were not confirmed.<ref>{{cite video|title=FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: WrestleMania 43 is heading to Saudi Arabia in 2027|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPInrw5DKs4|author=WWE|publisher=YouTube|date=September 12, 2025|access-date=September 12, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
In April 2026, ''WrestleVotes'' reported that WrestleMania 43 may be held on the weekend of March 27, 2027, as that would coincide with the end of Riyadh Season, but with the weekend of April 10 as an alternative. There were also reports that WrestleMania 43 could return to a one-night format, but ''Fightful'' said this was unlikely as WWE's primary U.S. broadcast partner, ESPN, prefers the two-night format. These reports, however, have not been confirmed by WWE.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sescoops.com/article/wwe-wrestlemania-43-march-2027-riyadh-saudi-arabia|title=WWE Planning Major Date Change For WrestleMania 43|date=April 23, 2026|last=Roy|first=Bishal|work=SEScoops|access-date=April 24, 2026}}</ref>
WrestleMania 43 was originally intended to be held in the United States at the New Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, as in May 2023, Burke Nihill, president and chief executive officer of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League, claimed that WWE were committed to holding the event at the stadium if its construction was complete in time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10075110-wwe-wrestlemania-will-be-in-new-nashville-stadium-in-2027-titans-president-says|title=WWE WrestleMania Will Be in New Nashville Stadium in 2027, Titans President Says|date=May 5, 2023|last=Kasabian|first=Paul|work=Bleacher Report|access-date=April 22, 2026}}</ref> In April 2026, Nashville's tourism group confirmed this was the original plan, but the 2027 date did not work out and they were looking at future years to host the event.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maffei |first1=Johnny |title=Wrestlemania heading to Middle East in 2027, Nashville date doesn't 'work out' |url=https://fox17.com/news/local/wrestlemania-heading-to-middle-east-in-2027-after-nashville-date-doesnt-work-out-wwe |access-date=April 22, 2026 |work=WZTV |date=April 21, 2026 |language=en}}</ref> WWE had also originally wanted to book WrestleMania 44 in 2028 for Saudi Arabia; however, according to wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', GEA Chairman Alalshikh pushed for WrestleMania 43 as it coincided with the 300th anniversary of the founding of the First Saudi state.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/fannation/wrestling/wwe/why-wwe-wrestlemania-43-will-reportedly-be-held-in-saudi-arabia|title=Why WWE WrestleMania 43 Will Reportedly Be Held In Saudi Arabia|date=September 11, 2025|first=Joe|last=Baiamonte|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=September 14, 2025}}</ref>
=== Broadcast outlets === In addition to airing on traditional pay-per-view worldwide, WrestleMania 43 will be available to livestream on the ESPN streaming service in the United States, Netflix in most international markets, SuperSport in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Abema in Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Where to Watch WWE Premium Live Events, Raw, SmackDown, NXT and more|url=https://www.wwe.com/article/where-to-watch-raw-smackdown-nxt-ple-netflix-usa-cw-peacock |access-date=January 1, 2026 |website=WWE |language=en}}</ref>
=== Storylines === The event will include matches that result from scripted storylines. Results are predetermined by WWE on the Raw and SmackDown brands <ref>{{cite web|title=How Pro Wrestling Works|url=https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/pro-wrestling.htm|last=Grabianowski|first=Ed|work=HowStuffWorks|publisher=Discovery Communications|access-date=March 5, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129050844/https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/pro-wrestling.htm|archive-date=November 29, 2013|date=January 13, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Live & Televised Entertainment|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/company/events.jsp|work=WWE|access-date=March 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218142749/http://corporate.wwe.com/company/events.jsp|archive-date=February 18, 2009}}</ref> while storylines are produced on WWE's weekly television shows, ''Monday Night Raw'' and ''Friday Night SmackDown''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/wwe-smackdown-live-usa-1201782569/|title=WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE)|last=Steinberg|first=Brian|date=May 25, 2016|work=Variety|access-date=May 25, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160526113045/https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/wwe-smackdown-live-usa-1201782569/|archive-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref>
==Criticism== {{see also|Sportswashing}} Like WWE's other events held in Saudi Arabia, the selection of Riyadh as WrestleMania 43's location was condemned by fans due to the country's human rights record. Criticism was also levied for choosing Riyadh over other cities, particularly London: John Cena previously stated London "deserved" a WrestleMania during the 2023 Money in the Bank event.<ref>{{cite news|last=Castle|first=Will|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/us-sport/wwe-wrestlemania-saudi-arabia-2027-triple-h-b2825213.html|title=Saudi Arabia beats London to host first-ever international WrestleMania in 2027|newspaper=The Independent|date=September 12, 2025|access-date=September 15, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Lowson|first=Thomas|url=https://www.sescoops.com/news/wwe/fans-uk-wrestlemania-riyadh-announcement/|title=Fans Rally Behind UK WrestleMania After Riyadh Announcement|website=SEScoops|date=September 13, 2025|access-date=September 15, 2025}}</ref> During WWE's Worlds Collide event in September, fans booed a promotional video for WrestleMania 43 shown during the event's broadcast.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kennedy|first=Jamie|date=September 13, 2025|title="YOU SOLD OUT" Chants Plague WWE's WrestleMania 43 Announcement (WWE News)|url=https://whatculture.com/wwe/you-sold-out-chants-plague-wwes-wrestlemania-43-announcement-wwe-news|access-date=January 15, 2026|work=WhatCulture.com}}</ref>
==See also== *WWE in Saudi Arabia *Sports in Saudi Arabia
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{Official website|http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania}}
<!--{{2027 WWE Network events}}--> {{WWEPPV|WrestleMania}}
Category:2027 WWE pay-per-view events Category:2027 in professional wrestling Category:WrestleMania Category:Sports competitions in Riyadh Category:Scheduled professional wrestling shows Category:Professional wrestling shows in Saudi Arabia Category:WWE in Saudi Arabia