Mark Shapiro: Nick Khan Has Developed And Nurtured A Very Strong Relationship With Saudi Arabia

Mark Shaprio comments on WWE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.

With Vince McMahon out of the company, many people involved with the business side of wrestling have wondered about the possibility of WWE beginning to distance themselves from their relationship with Saudi Arabia. 

While speaking on the TKO Q1 earnings call, Mark Shaprio, president of Endeavor, seemingly shut down that speculation, noting that Nick Khan has sustained and nurtured a very strong relationship with the country.

“Let’s remember, we have a strong and healthy relationship with the Kingdom, through WWE, and doing two annual events a year. I’ll remind folks that those deals were primarily highly tied to Vince McMahon. There was a lot of speculation with Vince being gone, ‘would that impact the relationship in a negative way? Would they be looking to get out of it?’ I would say that Nick Khan, in particular has developed, sustained, cultivated, and nurtured a very strong relationship in a handoff from Vince. They have a lot of trust and faith in each other. We’ve been delivering on those events. Potentially, we could look to do more events, but nothing is planned beyond those two events at this time. We will be continue to look at festivalizing those WWE events more than we already do.”

WWE King And Queen Of The Ring will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on May 25, 2024.

Elsewhere in the call, TKO’s CFO Andrew Schleimer talked about WrestleMania 41 coming to Las Vegas. Learn more here.