WWE and TKO's decision to host WrestleMania 43 in 2027 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has raised a lot of eyebrows, and Bully Ray has also questioned it, pointing to other countries as more deserving candidates to host "The Show of Shows."
WWE announced recently that WrestleMania will be held outside North America for the first time ever, in 2027.Ray, who said he wasn't shocked by the announcement, argued that the UK and England deserve to host WWE's marquee event more than Saudi Arabia.
"Here I will use a word that I hate using in pro wrestling deserve. England, the UK, deserves a WrestleMania before Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has earned WrestleMania," he said on "Busted Open."
Ray added that in the new era of WWE under TKO ownership, there may be little scope for alternative viewpoints, making it difficult for those in WWE to take differing opinions seriously. He asked co-host Dave LaGreca if he was in the same room as Triple H, Nick Khan, and Ari Emmanuel, would he be able to convince them to hold the event in another, more deserving country.
"Who in the room, when the decision is being made, when the final decision is being made, and we're going, 'All right, guys, we're going to go to Saudi. Does anybody object to this? Does anybody have anything they want to add? Does anything, does anybody have anything to say?' And Dave LaGreca raises his hand in the room and goes, 'Well, Hunter, well, Nick, well, Mr. Ari, England and the UK really deserve it first.' You think you got a leg to stand up?" asked Ray.
LaGreca replied in the negative and pointed out that such a conversation could have taken place when Vince McMahon was in charge of WWE, a point Ray agreed with. The WWE Hall of Famer recalled instances when McMahon would listen to others' opinions and suggestions, even if he wasn't a fan of them.
