WWE president Nick Khan makes massive announcement for 2026 event

WWE president Nick Khan has announced an overseas premium live event for 2026. The PLE is set to take place in Italy.

Since the merger with TKO, the Stamford-based promotion has been focusing more and more on global expansion. The overseas tours are no longer restricted to the weekly shows and live events, as premium live events outside the United States have also become a norm over the last few years.

According to SportBusiness, Nick Khan told them that Italy will host a premium live event in 2026. Although the actual date of the PLE was not disclosed, it was noted that the show will coincide with WWE programming moving to Netflix in the region. In Italy, live shows currently air on the WWE Network, Discovery Plus, and DMAX.

In a very shocking announcement, the wrestling promotion recently revealed that the 2027 edition of WrestleMania will take place in Saudi Arabia. The announcement has not gone well with many fans, and the global juggernaut has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism online.

WWE Hall of Famer shared his honest opinion on the WrestleMania 43 announcement

WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam opened up to give his opinion on Saudi Arabia hosting WrestleMania in 2027.

Speaking on his 1 Of A Kind podcast, the veteran noted that he had no issues with the announcement. RVD noted that he viewed it completely as a business move, and having one major show in Saudi Arabia should not bother the fans.

"Saudi Arabia, they’re doing it. From what they’re saying online, there’s a lot of money involved and a lot of money to be made for the company and for a lot of the boys. It is about business, you know, so I don’t have a problem with it. I mean, the way I see it, it’s like you’re feeding the fans birthday cake f**king 12 months out of the year, and you want to take one show, one show, and go do something else with it. I think the fans are still spoiled enough. That’s how I see it," said Rob Van Dam.

Check out RVD's comments in the video below:

Before WrestleMania 43, Riyadh will also host the 2026 edition of the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event. It will be interesting to see if more countries get to host the major PLEs in the future.

What are your thoughts on WWE gravitating more towards overseas premium live events? Hit the Discuss button and sound off!

Edited by Ankit Verma