WWE confirmed in a press conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, that WrestleMania 43 will take place in Saudi Arabia in 2027 to make it a first-time instance that the show will take place outside the North American territory. Overall, it will become the third country to host a WrestleMania outside the United States and Canada.
Even before the announcement, the Wrestling Observer had reported that WWE had always planned to have a star-studded lineup for WrestleMania 43. It was reported that plans were in place for The Rock to face either Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns as the main event of WrestleMania 43, with an agreement with The Final Boss nearing completion.
Dave Meltzer reported on WON that those close to the Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority have confirmed that the WrestleMania 43 deal was official and “they claimed negotiations for Dwayne Johnson were advancing and they believed the deal was close to being finalized.”
“The impression is that the final payment number for the show will be affected by whether or not they get The Rock in the main event. The idea is that the individual payoff for Johnson would be multiple times that of any pro wrestler for any event in history.”
WWE is reportedly set to receive more than $100 million for hosting WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia. However, this final amount varies depending on the status of The Rock at the PLE. Latest updates also noted that WWE has yet to lock in The Rock for the show, given his immensely busy schedule. Another major name is being discussed for the show, according to the report, and that’s of Stone Cold Steve Austin.
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WWE hasn’t approached The Rock for WrestleMania 43 appearance
Fightful Select provided an update regarding whether WWE has approached The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin for the event, with Saudi Arabia pushing to have both the legends at The Grandest Stage of Them All, but it’s too early for WWE to approach them for WrestleMania 43, which is scheduled in 2027.
There was prior speculation among fans that The Rock vs. Roman Reigns/Cody Rhodes would happen at WrestleMania, let alone the year before, but that wasn’t the case. The Rock’s last match came in the main event of night one of WrestleMania XL, where he teamed up with Reigns to defeat Rhodes and Seth Rollins. Rock pinned Cody on that night, owing him a title match that could be in the pipeline at WrestleMania 43.