More on WWE’s Announcement of WrestleMania 43 Being In Saudi Arabia & Status of Steve Austin & The Rock For WrestleMania 43

As noted before, WWE held a press conference today in Las Vegas, Nevada to officially announce WrestleMania 43 in 2027 will be taking place in Saudi Arabia.

Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that besides Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, his sources stated that there have also been recently talks for WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin to appear at WrestleMania 43.

Meltzer reported that while Austin’s involvement has yet to be confirmed, those spoken to stated that from the Saudi side is that they have been told by WWE and/or Austin that he wants to make sure he is healthy and would be physically ready to do a match at event.

In regards to the press conference, Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reported that his sources stated that WWE’s press conference event was not open to the press nor the public.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources also confirmed that WWE’s press conference event was not open to any local media or the general public.

Johnson reported that those spoken to stated that WWE official John “Big” Gaburick, who works as WWE’s liaison to Saudi Arabia and is overseas there much of the year, was a big part of this deal coming together.

Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that WWE staff had been prepped for the announcement over the course of the week but most were not explicitly told what the announcement was. WWE reportedly brought in several wrestlers to participate in media row on Thursday for the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford boxing fight that TKO is promoting but most of them did not speak at the WrestleMania announcement.

In regards to the initial press release in Arabic that was released in Saudi Arabia this past Wednesday and pulled afterwards, it was reported that several people within WWE had wished that Turki Alalshikh hadn’t tipped off that announcement. Several of those people also believed that it might have been intentional to kick off the buzz for the announcement.

In regards to talks for The Rock and Steve Austin for WrestleMania 43, a WWE higher-up official spoken to reportedly stated that any talk about who will or won’t be at the show is hypothetical right now. This same source reportedly also stated that the news of The Rock being paid more than any pro wrestler for an event was something that hadn’t been discussed nor much less negotiated but it’s a fair assumption that he would be if he appears.

It was reported that most WWE talent are not given bonuses for working Saudi shows and any additional money is now worked into deals as part of their contracts.

In regards to WWE’s plans to hold three events in Saudi Arabia in 2026 and one in 2027, it was reported that it is currently not known if those plans have been changed. Those working on the events reportedly have not been given a firm date for the show and will depend on the venue plan that will start to be put together soon. One source spoken to reportedly speculated that the venue could be a custom structure due to WrestleMania’s size.

It was reported that there had been talk earlier in 2025 about WWE trying to “WrestleMania branded” events in Saudi Arabia and while still holding a WrestleMania show in North America but those close to the situation stated thatthe Saudi government made it clear that wanted an actual WrestleMania. Those spoken to within WWE reportedly stated that this is why WWE is going heavy into promoting Wrestlepalooza as a big deal right out of the gate and something they will be doing going forward.

In regards to WWE talent feelings about the Saudi shows, it was reported that talents spoken to stated that that the Saudi Arabia trips largely feel safe to work at this point, which is a big change from their concerns after the infamous 2019 incident where their plane was not allowed to take off over issues between Vince McMahon and Saudi officials over payment issues for shows.

In regards to the general fan reaction to WWE’s announcement, WWE’s official video of it on YouTube had generated over 12,000 dislikes in the first hour after its release.