Wrestling veteran explains how Tony Khan can counter WWE WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia (Exclusive)

WWE is set to hold the 2027 edition of WrestleMania in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The decision has drawn ire from many fans of the product, but presents an opportunity for AEW to gain favor with North American wrestling fans. Tony Khan has the opportunity to counter The Show of Shows, and wrestling veteran Bill Apter recently explained how he could do so.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Wrestling Time Machine on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Apter stated that while fans are annoyed with WWE's decision to hold WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia, they will still watch the product, given the promotion's deals with various streaming services.

He said that if Tony Khan wants to take advantage of this window, he should host his own pay-per-view earlier on the same day. Khan used this same tactic to avoid All Out clashing with WWE Wrestlepalooza last month, and can do the same to counter WrestleMania 43.

"Now, if Tony Khan wants to run, it can't be head-to-head on the same day. It can be earlier in the same day, and I think what's going to happen is that WWE is going to run in the United States. They have a deal with Fandango, they're going to be all over in the movie theatres, all over the giant screens like they used to be, or at home, you can watch it on you know, your streaming networks," Apter said.

He continued:

"AEW will have a chance to run a big show somewhere live for the fans to go to, like Teddy said, but I think the fans are still going to watch WrestleMania on streaming or in the movie theatres."

Having hosted a successful All Out event, Tony Khan now turns his attention towards AEW WrestleDream. The event is set to take place later this month, with three matches already announced for the show. Both World Titles will be defended, along with an "I Quit" match between Jon Moxley and Darby Allin.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the YouTube video if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

Know More

Edited by Faiz Ahmed