Potential Return Date For WWE To Saudi Arabia For Next PPV Event
Aug 5, 2021 at 1:28 PM
WWE will reportedly be returning to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, later in the year during the fall. The latest updates by Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men wrestling podcast mentioned that the company is set to return to the middle-east country on Thursday, October 21. With that, we can assume that a special pay-per-view event will be announced for that month, sooner.
This date has not been confirmed by WWE since this one is apparently tentative which could be changed. The traveling schedule to Saudi Arabia will only be allowed if there are no COVID-19 related restrictions at that time. There’s no word also whether the October 21 date is the travel date or the actual date that WWE plans the PPV event across the pond.
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Previously, a social media source from the Middle East reported that the Saudi Arabia General Sports Authority’s Ministry of Sport had decided on November for the next WWE event, but that was just presented as a rumored date since nothing was confirmed. PWInsider also gave a follow-up to the update that internal WWE sources expected a return to the Kingdom in the fall without a date being locked in.
WWE is likely to visit Saudi Arabia by 2021 end
From the very beginning of this year, WWE has been expected to conduct at least one event in Saudi Arabia before the end of this year. @Wrestlevotes reported back in late April that multiple WWE sources were indicating that a return to the Kingdom was “very much on the table” before the end of 2021. That’s apparently true given the current circumstances.
WWE had to cancel their second 2020 event and first 2021 event in Saudi Arabia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the country lifted some of their coronavirus restrictions back in late May, and media reports from their side noted that they are serious about holding concerts and sporting events. WWE’s October PPV slot is kept free which could be an indication that a return is imminent.
As mentioned above, WWE hadn’t run a PPV in Saudi Arabia since the Super ShowDown 2020 event which took place in February 2020 at the Mohammed Abdu Arena in Riyadh. The event was part of WWE and the Saudi General Sports Authority’s deal in 2018 as they were entering into a 10-year strategic multiplatform partnership to support the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative, the Kingdom’s social and economic reform program.