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Tag: Saudi Arabia

  • Vince McMahon Almost Stayed With WWE Through Saudi Deal

    Vince McMahon Almost Stayed With WWE Through Saudi Deal

    Saudi Arabia had the opportunity to purchase WWE and would have kept Vince McMahon in charge. However, they ultimately decided not to make an offer. The revelation sheds new light on how close WWE came to a dramatically different ownership structure.

    Dave Meltzer addressed speculation about WWE’s potential sale to Saudi Arabia during a discussion on social media. According to Meltzer, the Saudi government had a real chance to acquire the company before the TKO merger.

    “The saudis had an opportunity to buy wwe and they would have kept Vince in charge if they had. They ended up deciding not to make an offer. Emanuel did not make the offer he did to flip it.”

    How WWE’s Ownership Changed

    WWE remained under McMahon family control for decades until allegations forced Vince McMahon out of the company. Triple H took over as Chief Content Officer, while Nick Khan became CEO.

    The company merged under TKO Group Holdings in 2023, with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel leading the acquisition. Meltzer noted that Emanuel did not make the offer with plans to flip the company.

    Saudi Arabia’s WWE Relationship

    Saudi Arabia has maintained a strong partnership with WWE since 2018, hosting multiple premium live events. The relationship expanded WWE’s global presence and brought major shows to the region.

    Despite the ongoing partnership and continued events in Saudi Arabia, a full acquisition never moved forward. The Saudi government ultimately decided against making an offer for the company.

    Next year’s WWE WrestleMania 43 is also heading to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

  • Brie Bella Reveals Why She Didn\’t Want To Return In Saudi Arabia

    Brie Bella was worried fans will not know her in Saudi Arabia.

    The WWE Hall of Famer\’s return at Royal Rumble this year was possibly the biggest surprise of the show. She had not been among the names rumored for the PPV. Fans were genuinely shocked when her music hit and she received one of the biggest pops of the night.

    During the most recent episode of the Bellas podcast, the former Divas Champion went into detail of the whole experience. Brie Bella revealed that her first reaction upon getting the call was wondering whether fans in the Middle Easte would even react to her surprise return, as she had never wrestled in the country before:

    \”I feel like it\’s just it was meant to be this way and it\’s crazy because doing it in Saudi Arabia, the first thing I thought when I got the call, I was like, \’I don\’t think they know who I am. Could I just wait to debut in Philadelphia?\’ and they\’re like, \’The Saudi people know who you are,” and I\’m like, “Do they?\’\”

    Brie Bella later noted that she did not get a lot of time to prepare for the match. While she did not reveal exactly when she got the call, the Total Divas star mentioned that she jumped right into training as soon as she found out, and did everything from weight lifting to boxing in preparation.

    Bella Twins made an appearance on this week\’s Raw from Philadelphia and made their intention of going after the Women\’s Tag titles clear. Brie also teased her sister Nikki about her relationship with Cooper DeJean during her promo, and the NFL star has since addressed this interaction. You can check out more about it here.

  • WWE Seemingly Spoils #1 Entrant For Royal Rumble

    WWE may have spoiled a Rumble entrance.

    This week\’s episode of SmackDown, coming live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featured Axiom taking on Johnny Gargano in a singles match.

    The graphics that showed up during the masked star\’s entrance, however, featured the name of Bron Breakker as the #1 entrant for Royal Rumble before it was quickly taken down:

    The #1 spot is usually reserved for talents set for a strong showing in the battle royal, with WWE touting them for the total time spent in the gruelling match, even if they don\’t win.

    So it makes sense that someone like Breakker, who is a rising star positioned as a serious world title contender by the company in recent months, would be considered for the spot.

    Whether he actually ends up being the #1 entrance or the spot goes to someone else will be revealed on the show this Saturday. In the meantime, it does give people one more thing to discuss alongside all speculation about potential returns and debuts.

    What are your predictions for the 2026 Royal Rumble from Saudi Arabia? Let us know in the comments below.

  • Potential Spoiler On Big Royal Rumble Debut

    A big debut seems to be set for Royal Rumble.

    Powerhouse Hobbs has been in news in recent weeks with his decision to leave AEW despite a huge offer from Tony Khan. While nothing has been made official yet, he\’s believed to be set for his WWE debut soon with heavy speculations on how the company will choose to introduce him.

    Now Fightful Select has provided a big update on the matter. According to them, Hobbs is actually scheduled to be in Saudi Arabia during the Royal Rumble weekend. Though he has not travelled with the rest of the crew as the officials most likely want to keep him hidden till the right moment.

    This doesn\’t confirm that he will be entering the battle royal itself, but it\’s the booking choice that makes most sense. The Rumble this year will feature some heavy hitters such as Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Oba Femi.

    The former TNT Champion getting to share the ring with such names on his first official night would make his debut more meaningful and establish him as a big star upon his arrival.

  • Potential Spoiler On Royal Rumble Surprises

    WWE is planning some surprises for Royal Rumble.

    The belief is that the company will be able to protect surprises better heading into the PPV from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, because of more private flying arrangements and fewer collectors hounding the airports. Now, PWInsider has revealed a couple of names that are in discussion for the show.

    According to the site, there has been talks about The Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar, making an appearance at the event. The former World Champion has not been seen on WWE programming since the Survivor Series PPV where he helped the Vision win the WarGames match.

    On the women\’s side, it\’s believed that Tiffany Stratton will also be returning at the PLE. The former Women\’s Champion has been away from the ring since Jade Cargill ended her 302-day run with the title during the November 1, 2025 edition of Saturday Night\’s Main Event.

    Apart from this, LA Knight, who has been kept away from WWE programming after a beatdown at the hands of Vision, is speculated to make a Royal Rumble appearance. This comes after construction images emerging from the arena for the upcoming event showed a YEAH! sign lying around.

    Which surprise name are you expecting to see at the PPV this Saturday? Let us know in the comments below.

  • WWE Confident in Saudi Arabia Plans As Joe Tessitore Misses SNME Over Bad Weather

    Joe Tessitore missed Saturday Night\’s Main Event.

    Stephanie McMahon hosted tonight\’s WWE event from Montreal, Canada, alone. In her opening statement, the former WWE Executive revealed that Tessitore could not attend the show because he was stuck in Detroit due to bad weather:

    \”Ladies and gentlemen, I\’m Stephanie McMahon, and I\’m incredibly proud to be your host here tonight. My partner Joe Tessitore is unfortunately stuck in an airport in Detroit, MI, where the United States is facing some of the worst weather it has in decades.\”

    WWE Taking Precautions

    The company is set to travel to Saudi Arabia for the Royal Rumble PPV after this Monday\’s Raw. With the weather causing delays and cancellations of flights across the East Coast, there had been some speculation that it could also affect the lineup for the upcoming PLE.

    Though Fightful Select is reporting that the officials are not expecting the weather to affect the upcoming show. According to them, WWE reps have claimed that they have backup options for backup options, in order to make sure the Saudi Arabia tour goes as planned.

    WWE receives significant money from the Kingdom for the shows, and an event like the Royal Rumble is bound to include a bonus on top of the regular event fee.

    So it\’s not a surprise that the promotion would have planned for every possibility that can be a cause for concern. You can check out the latest match added to Royal Rumble after tonight\’s Saturday Night\’s Main Event here.

  • Rumor Killer On Royal Rumble Delay

    Royal Rumble is not delayed.

    A video allegedly showing the arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the upcoming WWE PLE is scheduled to be held, became a topic of discussion among fans recently. The footage showed the stadium being built up from the ground, being nowhere near completion. It led to rumors that the company might have to delay the upcoming show because of it.

    Though PWInsider provided an update on the matter, revealing that there is nothing to the story. According to the site, the actual venue for the Royal Rumble event in the King Abdullah Financial District is near completion, and the show is expected to go on as planned.

    Apart from the annual battle royal, Nick Aldis has announced a mini tournament featuring names such as Randy Orton and Matt Cardona to determine the challenger for Drew McIntyre\’s WWE title at the show.

    With WWE\’s policy of limiting matches on the card, it seems unlikely that the World Heavyweight Championship will also be defended at the event. Though CM Punk is not backing away from any fights, and he\’s already accepted a challenge for next week\’s episode of Raw.

    What other matches would you like to see at the upcoming WWE PPV? Let us know in the comments below.

  • Seth Rollins Reacts To WWE Getting \’Shit\’ For Saudi Arabia Partnership

    Seth Rollins doesn\’t see a difference in WWE working with Saudi Arabia and US government.

    The former World Champion recently spoke to Jay Mohr for a new interview. They talked about things such as his journey in pro wrestling, John Cena\’s retirement match and more.

    During the talk, the Architect also discussed WWE getting criticism for their relationship with Saudi Arabia. Seth Rollins claimed that working with the Kingdom is not any different than TKO receiving site fee from various US cities for big events:

    “We’ve been going there for six years. We’ve been taking sh*t for six years. ‘It’s blood money.’ Well, guess what? We get paid by America too. What do you think? You think there’s no blood money there? Come on. Get out of here.\”

    They Wouldn\’t Do Anything: Seth Rollins

    WWE first held live events in Saudi Arabia back in 2014 before signing a deal with the Kingdom to bring televised events to the country in 2018. The partnership has only expanded under the TKO regime, with the company announcing Royal Rumble 2026 and WrestleMania 2027 for the Middle Eastern country this year.

    Seth Rollins, however, is focused on the cultural impact of the shows instead of the business partnership. The Visionary claimed that he, too, was skeptical about the country when he first went there for a show. His views have changed after seeing how things have progressed since then:

    \”When I tell you we went there the first time, there were no women on our show. There were no women backstage. They wouldn’t do anything. Now we go there and it’s just like a WWE show. The fans — there’s a ton of women there, local.”

    Apart from this, Seth Rollins also provided an update on the timeline from his recovery during the talk. You can check out his remarks on the matter here.

  • Potential Randy Orton Return Date Revealed

    Randy Orton might be back in the WWE mix at the start of next year.

    WWE Royal Rumble 2026 is set to emanate from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this January. The company recently sent Orton, along with Liv Morgan, Grayson Waller, and Omos to the Middle Eastern country for promotional work related to the WWE PLE.

    The Kingdom\’s adviser, Turki Al-Sheikh, then posted a video featuring The Viper on his TikTok account. Apart from talking about ticket sales for the event, Orton also confirmed that he will be in the country for the show and teased making an appearance at the PPV or the preceding SmackDown:

    \”Make sure you get your tickets and I will see you at the Royal Rumble or I will see you at SmackDown, and I will 100 percent see you here at the one and only Grove.\”

    @turki

    WWE superstar #RandyOrton speaks from Riyadh ? Don\’t miss him live at WWE Royal Rumble and WWE SmackDown ? Book your tickets now for #WWE SmackDown #riyadh #RiyadhSeason

    ? ????? ?????? – ???? ?? ?????

    Randy Orton was last seen on WWE programming during the October 3 episode of SmackDown. He teamed up with Cody Rhodes to take on the Vision on the show. The former World Champion was pinned by Bronson Reed after a stomp from Seth Rollins and a Tsunami from Reed in the match.

    There is no news on the reason behind his absence from TV. WWE officials would like to load the Saudi Rumble with as much star power as possible. So it would make sense for Orton to make his return for the show. Ram Trucks will present Royal Rumble 2026 as part of their new multi-year deal with WWE.