WWE’s decision to hold WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2027 has thrown the independent wrestling economy that traditionally surrounds WrestleMania week into uncertainty.
GCW owner Brett Lauderdale, who runs the annual Collective event slate that typically runs alongside the show, says Saudi Arabia is a non-starter for indie events and that no alternative can even be planned until WWE announces a firm date.
Speaking with Fightful / Sean Ross Sapp, Lauderdale explained that flying talent across the world for a single event weekend simply isn’t realistic for the indie scene.
Of course there’s been discussions about all of those options. Saudi Arabia, of course is not realistic and I highly doubt that anything is going to be happening over there in an indie wrestling level.
But there’s tons of possibilities and options that have been floated and I’ve heard lots of things that both include us and don’t include us, meaning other people also planning for a weekend of that magnitude,” Lauderdale said.
No Date Means No Way To Plan
Lauderdale’s larger problem is timing. WWE has not announced a date for WrestleMania 43, which leaves promotions unable to lock a venue, a lineup, or even a concept for the weekend.
It’s really hard to plan anything without knowing a date, which as you said, they haven’t given us even a date yet. So it’s super hard to start planning a location or start putting anything together when you don’t know when it’s going to happen,” Lauderdale said.
Of course I know who I would want to work with. I know how we would want to do it, but it’s all just tentative until we have something firm to plan around. I think something will happen. I just don’t know what it’s going to be and where it’s going to be yet.
WrestleMania 43 Heads Overseas
WWE has officially confirmed that WrestleMania 43 will take place in Riyadh as part of Riyadh Season, marking the first time the flagship event is staged outside North America. Previous WrestleManias held outside the United States took place in Toronto, Canada, which is still within North America.
No date has been publicly locked in, though reports indicate WWE is considering a single-night format with March 27, 2027 as the target date and April 10, 2027 as a backup. No matches have been confirmed as of this time.
WWE originally wanted the 2027 event in Nashville, Tennessee. That changed when representatives from Saudi Arabia pushed for 2027 so the show would coincide with the 300th anniversary of the founding of the First Saudi state.
For a sense of where the American indie calendar still stands, MJF recently announced his final American independent match.