Subhojeet Mukherjee on May 9, 2024
WWE’s long-term deal with Saudi Arabia continues to flourish, with several more events on the horizon. While the next Premium Live Event is the King and Queen of The Ring, WWE has additional plans in Saudi Arabia, and Nick Khan is at the forefront of this ongoing partnership.
WWE has been hosting PPVs and Premium Live Events in Saudi Arabia since 2018 as part of a long-term deal with the Saudi government. The agreement requires WWE to hold two events in Saudi Arabia each year, with the company earning an estimated $50 million for each show. The next event under this deal will be the King & Queen of the Ring on May 25.
During TKO Group’s first-quarter earnings call, TKO executive Mark Shapiro addressed concerns that Vince McMahon’s departure might affect WWE’s partnership with Saudi Arabia. Shapiro clarified that WWE President Nick Khan has maintained a “very, very strong relationship” with the Saudi government, ensuring the ongoing success of the deal.
”What I would say there is, let’s remember, we have a strong and healthy relationship with the Kingdom through WWE and doing two annual events a year. And I’ll just remind folks… those deals were primarily and highly tied to Vince McMahon. And there was a lot of speculation with Vince being gone, ‘Would that impact the relationship in a negative way? Would they be looking to get out of it?’ And I would say proudly that Nick Khan, in particular, has developed and sustained, cultivated, nurtured a very, very strong relationship in a handoff from Vince.
They [Nick Khan and Saudi Arabia] have a lot of trust in each other. They have a lot of faith. We’ve been delivering on those events. Potentially we could look to do more events, but nothing is planned beyond those two events at this time. And we will continue to look at eventizing or festivalizing those WWE events more than we already do.”
It was also reported that Saudi Arabia wants to host WrestleMania or The Royal Rumble as well. It remains to be seen whether fans in Saudi Arabia will get to experience either of the Premium Live Events in the future.
Do you feel Nick Khan is the most important name in all of WWE now? Let us know in the comments section below!
May 9, 2024 9:53 am
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