Latest On WWE's Next Visit To Saudi Arabia

When is WWE expected to next return to Saudi Arabia?

WWE Crown Jewel 2023
WWE.com

With WWE having last ventured to Saudi Arabia this past November for Crown Jewel, there's now news on when the company will be returning to the Kingdom.

As per PWInsider, the current working plan is for WWE to run its next Saudi-held Premium Live Event in May. There's no word right now on what this PLE will be, but May 2023 saw the Jeddah Super Dome host WWE Night of Champions.

Dating back to 2018, Saudi Arabia has hosted Crown Jewel every October or November, bar the pandemic-enforced break for 2021. With WWE committed to running two PLEs from the Kingdom each year, the first half of the year has varied from Greatest Royal Rumble (2018), to Super ShowDown (2019, 2020), to Elimination Chamber (2022), to that Night of Champions show.

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The currently working relationship between WWE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is in place until 2027, although this deal is likely to have a couple of extra dates tacked on due to the PLEs that were unable to take place during the COVID-19 pandemic. WWE continues to receive criticism for its ties to Saudi Arabia due to, amongst other things, the country's human rights record - particularly where it pertains to women and the LBGTQ+ community - sportswashing allegations, and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

 
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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.