Just one day after announcing that WrestleMania will be heading to Saudi Arabia, WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H is shedding more light on the creative philosophy guiding the company’s global expansion.
Appearing as a guest on Nightcap, Triple H explained his vision for WWE’s identity while discussing promos from Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair, drawing a distinction between pro wrestling and traditional sports. He argued that WWE is less like boxing and more akin to the movie Rocky.
“I say this a lot of times when people don’t understand,” Triple H began. “Like if we’re talking to network executives, they’re trying to figure out what we are. I say, we are less boxing and more Rocky. We’re not the sport. We’re a movie about the sport.”
He elaborated on the comparison, framing the in-ring action as the backdrop for broader emotional narratives.
“And Rocky is really a love story, right? It just happens to have boxing as a background,” Hunter continued. “Very few people, unless you’re an incredible student of the technical aspects of it, go back and watch the Super Bowl from five years ago. People will go back and watch WrestleMania 3 to this day. Forty years later, they’re still watching. It’s the story, it’s the spectacle, it’s all those things. That’s where we’re different. We’re a spectacle and storytelling.” (h/t Wrestlezone)
This “spectacle and storytelling” approach was reflected in yesterday’s press conference in Las Vegas, where WWE confirmed WrestleMania 43 will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2027. The event will mark the first time WWE’s biggest show of the year is held outside North America, a move reportedly driven by what a report from PWInsider described as a “mind blowing” financial deal.