WWE in talks with the Mayor of London regarding UK WrestleMania
By Max Everett
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WWE is in discussions with the UK government to bring WrestleMania to London.
On Thursday 25th July, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, met with WWE President Nick Khan and CCO Paul "Triple H" Levesque, at London's City Hall to discuss a shared ambition of bringing WrestleMania to the capital, according to a press release sent by the Mayor's office.
The release continues to note: "London is the sporting capital of the world, home to some of the biggest international sporting events, and Sadiq understand the power of sport not only to bring people together, but also to bring major economic returns.
"The Mayor pledged in April to bring together a taskforce to explore bringing even more sports from North America and around the world to London - including the first international WrestleMania hosted by the UK. Paul "Triple H" Levesque saw the story and let the Mayor know he was ready to talk."
Let’s talk. https://t.co/PoLPS7RGv1
— Triple H (@TripleH) April 25, 2024
Attached with the release are the following quotes from the Mayor of London, Paul Levesque, and Nick Khan:
"I am delighted to have met with WWE Hall of Famer Paul "Triple H" Levesque and WWE President Nick Khan to discuss how we can work to make London WrestleMania's first international destination," said the Mayor of London. "London has great pedigree in hosting the biggest international sporting events from around the globe - and I'm determined to cement our city's reputation as the undisputed sports capital of the world, as we work together for a better London for everyone.
"It's exciting to be working with the WWE team. The meeting was really productive, and talks will continue about how we could turn our ambition into a reality," he closed.
"Sadiq Khan and his team are working hard on positioning London as a sport and entertainment capital of Europe and it has been great to hear more on his vision for how WWE can support them on that journey. WrestleMania has delivered more than $1.25 billion in economic impact for its host cities, with this year's event in Philadelphia attracting over 145,000 fans from 64 countries. There is a lot that needs to be discussed further but we share the ambition of Mayor Khan in trying to bring a stand-out WWE Premium Live event to London," said Nick Khan.
"WWE and London have a long and successful history dating back many decades," said Paul Levesque. "And meeting with Sadiq Khan to discuss what the future of this partnership could bring has been excellent. This year alone WWE has taken record-breaking events around the world to Australia, France, Scotland, Saudi Arabia and Canada - the appetite from the fans is there, and the excitement from the Mayor and his team in London is palpable."
Talking further on the discussions with the PA News Agency, Sadiq Khan said, "I'm really excited to have begun conversations about bringing international WrestleMania to London. I know there are many fans in London and across the UK and Europe who are desperate to see WrestleMania live."
He continued, "I think London is the sporting capital of the world. We've had great events this year, from Major League Baseball, American football, we've had Wimbledon, we've had Queens, we've had Diamond League athletics. We've had a Test match at Lord's, and another one coming up at The Oval. We've got the [Anthony] Joshua fight taking place at Wembley in September. So I'm really keen to get WrestleMania here too."
WWE has made the UK a frequent stop for Premium Live Events in recent years, with Clash at the Castle 2022 and 2024 hosted by Scotland and Wales respectively. WWE's Money in the Bank 2023 event emanated from England's capital, London, as the first major event in the country since 2002. The promotion has been expanding its international schedule, bringing PLEs to Australia, France, Puerto Rico, and Canada, as well as its ongoing relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
But the topic for discussion this time around is WWE's premier showpiece that has yet to be staged outside of the USA. Next year's event is due to emanate from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
London isn't the only potential suitor for a future international WrestleMania, with Saudi Arabia's Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, telling both ESPN and Ariel Helwani that they were in talks to bring the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania to the Kingdom.
"We are talking in the future about WrestleMania and Royal Rumble. We are talking around '26, '27," he told Helwani.
While WWE is far-from-guaranteed to bring 'Mania to the UK at the time of writing, London is due to host a major wrestling event in the shape of AEW's All In later this month. The event will return to Wembley Stadium folllowing its 70,000+ attendance debut last year.
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