The road to WrestleMania 43 is taking a controversial detour. During a press conference, WWE officially announced that its marquee event, WrestleMania 43, will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The move, scheduled for less than two years from now, was met with swift backlash online from a segment of the fanbase.
Speaking at the press conference, WWE’s Bianca Belair offered a perspective on the partnership, framing the location as a positive for female performers. “[Saudi Arabia is] a space specifically for women to make moments.”
However, not everyone in the wrestling world shares that view. On Busted Open Radio, AEW’s Thunder Rosa provided a more pragmatic assessment of the business reality behind such decisions. “They give them money. We’re gonna give you a show. That’s it. The stakeholders are calling the shots. And you have to go with what they tell you to do.”
She elaborated on the difficulty of affecting societal change through these events, offering a counterpoint to WWE’s narrative. “You’re not gonna change how society looks at women in these countries. This is part of historical religions and everything else.”