How long is WWE’s current deal with Saudi Arabia?
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is the leading professional wrestling company in the world, a billion-dollar corporation that rakes in hundreds of millions of dollars every year — most of which comes from merchandise, ticket sales and revenue from ads.
However, a big chunk of the company’s income comes from its deal with Saudi Arabia. So how long is WWE’s current deal with them?
Ten Years
WWE signed a 10-year deal with Saudi Arabia back in 2018. The two sides signed an extension in 2019 to make the deal a little longer. Furthermore, the company must hold at least two events a year in the country, with its premium live events held in either Jeddah or Riyadh.
It is worth noting that the deal with Saudi Arabia wasn’t the first time WWE held events there. They have held a few different house shows in the country prior to signing the deal.
WWE has already hit their quota in 2023 following Crown Jewel and Night of Champions, the latter of which was the ninth premium live event in Saudi Arabia. The country also reportedly pays the company $50 million per event the company holds there. In turn, WWE has earned at least $100 million this year just from that deal.
WWE recently sold to Endeavor, the parent company of the UFC. However, Endeavor is not on good terms with Saudi Arabia. Endeavor severed its ties with the country after a journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, was murdered. Still, after acquiring the wrestling organization, Endeavor will reportedly keep the company’s deal with them.
Ultimately, there are at least a few more deals left on the agreement between WWE and Saudi Arabia. However, it will be interesting to see if they decide to renew it after being acquired by Endeavor.
