On a recent episode of Busted Open Radio, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray discussed the potential for AEW to capitalize on WrestleMania 43 being held in Saudi Arabia in 2027.
Bully Ray argued that AEW President Tony Khan has a golden opportunity to run a major U.S. event that same weekend, giving fans at home an alternative to WWE’s biggest show.
“The opportunity for Tony Khan, during WrestleMania of 2027, to put on an event in the United States, WrestleMania-esque, for the people here, for the WrestleCon to piggyback off of, for the independent wrestling companies to piggyback off of. It’s right there in front of him, man. This is your opportunity to put on an event for the United States, where, ‘okay, wrestling fans, if they want to take their show all the way over there, fine. Here is what we’re doing,’” Bully Ray said.
His co-host David LaGreca agreed, suggesting Chicago as a potential host city.
“I love it. Let’s just say Chicago. In Chicago, have AEW’s version of the Great American Bash. Let’s do it. Let’s do it here in the stadium the same day as WrestleMania 43. We see the WWE counter-programming AEW all the time. This would be a great opportunity for AEW to counter program the biggest show on WWE’s calendar.”
WrestleMania 43 will be the first WrestleMania held outside of the United States, with Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) striking a record-setting deal with WWE for the 2027 spectacle.
Would AEW Countering #WrestleMania in Saudi be a good thing for the industry?🤔@davidlagreca1 & @bullyray5150 discuss on the #bustedopen247 Podcast!https://t.co/FGgsUCGmxW pic.twitter.com/dRntSGor3F
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) September 15, 2025
