Paul Walter Hauser wants multi-promotion ‘mega show’ to counter WWE Saudi WrestleMania
Actor and wrestler Paul Walter Hauser would like to see multiple promotions come together to counter WWE WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia.
Last month, it was announced that WrestleMania is heading overseas in 2027 with Riyadh hosting WrestleMania 43. This marks the first time WWE’s signature event has ever been held outside of North America — and it also continues to expand the controversial business relationship that WWE and TKO have with the Saudi regime.
Hauser is both an executive producer and in-ring competitor for MLW, along with making appearances for promotions like AEW/ROH. He told TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast that he thinks it would be a good idea if MLW, AEW, and several other companies joined forces to present a “mega show” during WrestleMania weekend in 2027.
“You know what I would like to see? WrestleMania weekend in freaking Riyadh or wherever it is — I would love to see MLW, CMLL, New Japan, AEW, PROGRESS Wrestling, Defy, GCW, whoever, come together and do a mega show and sell out a 20,000, 30,000-seat place,” Hauser said.
Hauser thinks the biggest obstacle to making this a reality would be getting all of the involved promotions to let go of their egos and work together. If that could happen, Hauser believes there is a huge business opportunity to attract fans who usually go to WrestleMania but won’t be making the trip to Saudi Arabia.
“Just if all egos can go away and people can look less at the hierarchy and more about the value of being for each other and, you know, the enemy of my enemy is my friend — there’s a lot of big business to be done somewhere,” he said. “You know, go sell out Des Moines, go sell out Chicago, anywhere. It’s all wide open because WrestleMania’s happening in Riyadh or whatever.”
Speaking as a fan, Hauser critiqued WWE and gave his pros and cons of what the company is doing. He praised how the TV product looks and the camera shots WWE uses. He also spoke highly of the talent on the main roster. But Hauser thinks some of WWE’s business strategies — like high ticket prices and not giving viewers enough bang for their buck with PLEs — are “garbage.”
“Times are tougher than they used to be, but the prices are going up,” he said. “There’s no real humanity from a corporate perspective. Whereas you can go to an AEW show or an MLW show for 15 to 40 bucks and have a decent seat.”
Hauser, who has won Emmy and Golden Globe awards in his acting career, made his in-ring debut in 2023. He most recently competed in a Fight Without Honor against QT Marshall at ROH Death Before Dishonor this August.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.