IRELAND appears to have skipped ahead of London in the race to host WrestleMania.
Triple H and WWE president Nick Khan met with London mayor Sadiq Khan in the summer of 2024 to discuss bringing WWE’s biggest event to England‘s capital.
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WWE and Sadiq Khan failed to come to an agreement on WrestleMania when they met in 2024 Credit: PA
But London and the UK remains a huge market for the WWE
However, since Money in the Bank took place at the O2 in July 2023, London has not hosted a major WWE event outside of RAW or SmackDown tapings.
JattvibeSport understands Khan was reluctant to offer millions of pounds to host the event, something several major cities in America do every single year.
The Mayor appears keen to project the idea that London is hungry to host the biggest events the world has to offer, but thus far he hasn’t had to find the money to host them.
It has become a common practice not just for WrestleMania, but other major WWE shows like SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble. It seems the Republic of Ireland may be willing to do what it takes to secure those shows.
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Kilkenny Councilor Maurice Shortall told the Irish Mirror that Ireland is “well placed” to make a bid for the Show of Shows.
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He said: “As a globally recognised event with the capacity to attract tens of thousands of international visitors and generate substantial international media exposure, WrestleMania presents a significant opportunity for Ireland to strengthen its position as a leading destination for major event tourism.
“The wider regional benefit to counties such as Kilkenny would be substantial, with strong potential for tourism spillover, increased domestic travel, and enhanced international visibility for Ireland’s secondary tourism destinations.
“Ireland is well placed to present a credible and competitive bid for WrestleMania, given our strong international tourism brand, proven track record in hosting major events, and global reputation as a welcoming destination.”
Ireland’s Croke Park in Dublin would be the natural destination that springs to mind and that stadium can hold over 82,500 people.
Ireland does boast several top WWE names too, like Becky Lynch, Finn Balor, Lyra Valkyria, JD McDonagh and Sheamus.
While WWE has yet to hold a pay-per-view in Ireland, they did bring RAW to Belfast in January and SmackDown to Dublin last September.
WWE President Nick Khan recently teased a special WrestleMania 44 location during a town hall meeting.
He said: “Wait until you hear the announcement on where we’re going to be for WrestleMania in 2028.”
WrestleMania is heading to Saudi Arabia in 2027 and will mark the first time the event has been held outside of North America.
