WrestleMania 43 - Saudi

[NeverYield]

Oh dear

 

[Tennessee Moltisanti]

On 9/11/2025 at 2:01 PM, The King of Old School said:

Wrestlemania in Saudi sounds dreadful.

I'd say Wrestlemania in total sounds dreadful. There's been a lot more shit ones than good ones. But that's a different point. How does Linda McMahons theme go again? "Woaahhh ohhhhh Saudi Mania"?

[Supremo]

We’ll never know how anyone involved truly feels about this, but you can surmise Undertaker’s shame, since he disguised himself as every student drug dealer that has ever existed.

The eyes say, “one more match,” but the look says, “buy two get one free.”

All I’m saying is that if I was a billionaire, with a competing promotion, and they’d been fucking me over by counter-programming? I’d have already sent the feelers out to host a stadium show in the US that same day.

Edited September 12, 2025 by Supremo

[Infinity Land]

Can't wait for Yokozuna to join the Bloodline. 

[Kfogg1991]

That was horrendous, I know they have never given a fuck about the fans and how they feel but the overwhelming response to this has been disgust and bad with many valid/true reasons.

To go with a empty conference room presser setup that included taker and HBK for no good reason mixed with current talent like Seth who's the champion but didn't get used other than standing in line like a terrible police line up was baffling.

Only funny bit was Liv Morgan looking like she was dressed to go school in that outfit they went with 

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

I wonder if Green Shirt Guy makes this Mania.

[ReturnOfTheMack]

Never been less surprised by a Mania announcement. 

[RIDDUM_N_STYLE]

I’m one of the few who’s enjoyed the Saudi shows, certainly post the one with the horrific DX vs Brothers of Destruction match but there’s one Big 4 that should never have been considered for the Kingdom and that’s Mania. What a horrible misstep in what’s been a year of them from the company this year

How do you even go about planning that? Especially with having to do TV there, the Hall of Fame and NXT. How will the Indy companies be able to piggyback on it? Or Wrestlecon? Could we see a year where the Mania week transfers to being tacked onto one of AEW’s big shows, a Double or Nothing or better yet the Wembley show assuming they do one in 2027?

[Infinity Land]

13 minutes ago, RIDDUM_N_STYLE said:

I’m one of the few who’s enjoyed the Saudi shows, certainly post the one with the horrific DX vs Brothers of Destruction match but there’s one Big 4 that should never have been considered for the Kingdom and that’s Mania. What a horrible misstep in what’s been a year of them from the company this year

How do you even go about planning that? Especially with having to do TV there, the Hall of Fame and NXT. How will the Indy companies be able to piggyback on it? Or Wrestlecon? Could we see a year where the Mania week transfers to being tacked onto one of AEW’s big shows, a Double or Nothing or better yet the Wembley show assuming they do one in 2027?

Doubt they care about the Indies or Wrestlecon. On the NXT front, I could see them doing that Stateside. Have it in Vegas. I think the APEX expansion may have happened by then or there are other arena options.

Considering they were supposed to get $50m a show when it was two shows a year. I'm sure WWE are pocketing so much cash it's a problem they're more than happy to have for one year. 

[Hannibal Scorch]

5 hours ago, Kfogg1991 said:

That was horrendous, I know they have never given a fuck about the fans and how they feel but the overwhelming response to this has been disgust and bad with many valid/true reasons.

To go with a empty conference room presser setup that included taker and HBK for no good reason mixed with current talent like Seth who's the champion but didn't get used other than standing in line like a terrible police line up was baffling.

Only funny bit was Liv Morgan looking like she was dressed to go school in that outfit they went with 

And yet you’re going to tune into Smackdown, Raw, next PLE etc. So will eveyone else.

[RedTwoster]

4 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

And yet you’re going to tune into Smackdown, Raw, next PLE etc. So will eveyone else.

I don’t think that’s very fair on Kfogg, although I’m sure that wasn’t your intention. He may well have dropped out of watching WWE, but even if he didn’t, he’s never suggested that he would. You can be upset at the actions of a company and still enjoy the majority of what they’re doing.

(Personally, I’ve more or less given up on them bar the occasional episode - there’s a real nasty feel about WWE right now, like they’re a shameless representation of the worst excesses of capitalism)

Edited September 13, 2025 by RedTwoster

[DavidB6937]

7 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

And yet you’re going to tune into Smackdown, Raw, next PLE etc. So will eveyone else. Including myself sometimes.

I added the last bit in for you just to make it sound a bit fairer and less judgmental. 

[JNLister]

This is surely the time for AEW to say "fuck you, we're done playing nice" and do a stadium show in the US that weekend and try to get it on TBS. Book the Jacksonville stadium. Openly welcome all the indy shows into Daly's Place. Cover the costs of Effy's Biggest Gayest Brunch. And come up with an obviously comic and ludicrous excuse for why it's just a coincidence in scheduling.

[TheScarlettChad]

If they did, WWE would up their game up. It's time to get nasty, the business thrives on it. 

Edited September 13, 2025 by TheScarlettChad
Did, not die!

[Hannibal Scorch]

3 hours ago, RedTwoster said:

I don’t think that’s very fair on Kfogg, although I’m sure that wasn’t your intention. He may well have dropped out of watching WWE, but even if he didn’t, he’s never suggested that he would. You can be upset at the actions of a company and still enjoy the majority of what they’re doing.

(Personally, I’ve more or less given up on them bar the occasional episode - there’s a real nasty feel about WWE right now, like they’re a shameless representation of the worst excesses of capitalism)

It definitely wasn’t meant to be as mean spirited as it appeared thanks @DavidB6937 for that update). When the stuff that came out about Ashley I cancelled the Network. I stopped buying games, toys merch etc, since. The only money I have to WWE since then was for a ticket for Smackdown in 2023 and even then I gave my mate £50 for his ticket because he couldn’t go.

I said I’d stop watching and tried and mostly failed. Until Summerslam this year. Since then all I have seen is through clips on social media.

My point is if you really hate something moaning about it and continuing to watch, buy tickets/merch does nothing. All it does is continues to feed into their pockets (and Vince’s as he still has holdings in TKO). If you really want the message out there it needs action unfortunately.

@JNLister We speculated about that last night, and considering the Saudi shows have a special start time, Tony absolutely could and should. Throw in Starcast and some of the unaffiliated with WWE Indys and make a week of it.

Edited September 13, 2025 by Hannibal Scorch