TKO COO Mark Shapiro Addresses Rumors Surrounding WWE’s Relationship With Saudi Arabia, WrestleMania Criticism

TKO is staying the course in the Middle East.

Despite ongoing regional tensions, TKO executives made it clear during a recent financial media call that both WWE and UFC will continue moving forward with their scheduled events in Saudi Arabia and surrounding markets.

TKO COO Mark Shapiro addressed the situation directly, emphasizing the company’s commitment to its international partnerships and upcoming shows.

“I want to address activity in the Middle East and neighboring markets. First and foremost, we are firmly moving ahead with our scheduled events. UFC returns to Azerbaijan with Fight Night Baku on June 27. That same night, WWE hosts Night of Champions from Riyhad, Saudi Arabia. This historic double header reflects a commitment by our respective partners and us to bring world-class events to fans across the region, even and despite a challenging environment. I would add that PIF withdrawing its funding of LIV Golf, our partners in Saudi Arabia have confirmed that will not be the case with TKO. Their commitment to our properties in 2026 and beyond is unwavering. After these two events, we expect the remainder of our 2026 events in the Middle East, comprised of six events, to take place as planned. The demand is real, our partners are committed, and we are leaning in,” he stated.

That’s a firm stance.

WWE’s next Saudi Arabia premium live event, WWE Night of Champions, is scheduled for June 27.

WWE President Nick Khan added that the company will continue to monitor the situation as it develops.

Shapiro also touched on another hot topic during the call.

Fan and investor chatter surrounding WrestleMania 42, including ticket sales and criticism of WWE’s creative direction.

“We fielded some investor questions about WWE demand and the state of creative, driven by online commentary and the year-over-year WrestleMania ticket sale performance. We are not concerned about the ticket performance whatsoever. It was unrealistic to expect year two growth in Las Vegas. Even with that, WrestleMania 42 was still one of the highest gates in WWE history and easily outperformed anywhere else we could have staged it. As it relates to the creative, there will always be periodic fan dissatisfaction around creative execution, commercial load, and celebrity usage. We listen to all the feedback. We do it turn a deaf ear, but these are not new criticisms,” he said.

For now, TKO appears confident in both its global strategy and WWE’s long-term performance, even as scrutiny continues online and beyond.