On the latest episode of the Something To Wrestle With podcast, WWE Hall of Famer JBL addressed the recent announcement that WrestleMania 43 will take place in Saudi Arabia in 2027. While the move has drawn criticism from fans, JBL strongly defended WWE’s decision and argued that engagement leads to positive change.
Speaking on fan backlash, JBL pushed back against those acting as the “moral police” toward a global company.
“I can’t judge motives. So I don’t know their motive for why they’re doing it… I don’t know if it’s a selfish motive, as, hey, I just want to be heard. I’m a spoiled brat, or if I really believe this, and that’s my voice speaking out. So I don’t know where they’re coming from. I think it’s misguided. I don’t think, obviously, we’re not the moral police. And you say, Well, you can’t do business with this kind [of] country because of this, this, this, you can list that for pretty much any country, including ours, pretty easily. And so I get people want to have their voice heard. I 100% do not agree with that dissent at all.”
JBL also referenced the “This is change” chants from Saudi fans during one of the country’s early WWE events, noting that wrestling has helped open cultural doors.
“When you had women over there for one of the first times in the Middle East countries, the fans, at one point, chanted, ‘This is change.’ And I think that’s important. I think it’s important to work with these countries… When you isolate these countries and don’t deal with them at all, it has shown historically that nothing changes, and all you do is impoverish an entire nation… When you send something like WWE over to Saudi Arabia… I think that’s something that opens up the world. And you see that when you see these kids’ eyes, you see that when you hear the fans chanting, this has changed. You see that when you see women wrestling.”
JBL concluded by acknowledging flaws in every nation, including the U.S., but reiterated his belief that WWE’s engagement with Saudi Arabia is ultimately a positive move.
