WWE expecting to bring three PLEs to Saudi Arabia in 2026
Not only will WWE bring the Royal Rumble to Saudi Arabia for the first time in 2026, but they are planning on two additional premium live events for the country that year as well.
During Wednesday’s TKO earnings call, TKO chief financial officer Andrew Schleimer said their guidance for investors in 2025 included one PLE in Saudi Arabia this year compared to two last year which “results in an unfavorable impact to our 2025 plan of approximately $55 million of total company revenue. We expect to host three PLEs in Saudi Arabia in 2026, including Royal Rumble.”
WWE confirmed in January that they would bring one of the “big four” PLEs to Saudi Arabia with next January’s Royal Rumble — the first-ever Rumble held outside North America and the first outside the United States since the inaugural one in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in 1988.
The Saudi relationship began in 2018 with two annual events with the exception of 2020 and 2021. The 2025 Saudi event has yet to be officially announced.
On the call, TKO chief operating officer Mark Shapiro said they are very close with the Saudis in beginning a boxing league that has been in the works for some time in which TKO would get equity and a fee from the Saudis for running it.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.