“No Specific Discussions” For London To Host WrestleMania 44

Fans hoping that London will be the host city for WrestleMania 44 have been dealt a crushing blow!

On May 12, an update from the office of the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, was issued to POST Wrestling. The update noted that “no specific negotiations” are taking place to bring Mania to the city.

The following statement was issued via Tom Degun of the Economic Desk with the Mayor of London’s Press Office:

“There are general discussions with WWE, but at present no specific discussions around bringing the 2028 WrestleMania to London.”

Fans in the UK have been hoping that WrestleMania will come to London ever since John Cena teased the announcement. Cena made a surprise appearance at the O2 Arena in London during Money in the Bank. After praising the British fans for always being passionate, Cena made the plea for London to host a future WrestleMania.

The following year, Triple H and WWE President Nick Khan met with Mayor Sadiq Khan, but no further progress has taken place since.

With WrestleMania 43 currently locked in for Saudi Arabia, assuming it is safe to travel at that point, there is a lot of interest in the 2028 event. During a recent town hall meeting, Nick Khan hyped the impending announcement for Mania 44. The current favourite is Nashville, which is currently constructing a new stadium for NFL team the Tennessee Titans. Providing construction is on track, WrestleMania 44 could be the first event held in the new venue.

Additionally, authorities in Ireland have stated that they are also looking to place a serious bid for the show, with Croke Park being the most likely venue.

Analysis: WrestleMania 44, Or Any Future Mania Is Unlikely In London

Cena’s plea to bring WrestleMania to London is a major own goal for WWE in hindsight. There is a reason why the company has the rule of not teasing things on TV unless there will be a payoff.

Stars can talk about London Mania all they want and meetings with the local government can take place, but it’s all about the money. WrestleMania is not free, and host cities need to place a sizeable bid. Las Vegas reportedly bid $6 million for the 2026 event, and Saudi Arabia paid more than $100 million for next year’s show.

With the site fee and other financial incentives, WrestleMania is not cheap. Additionally, London does not need WrestleMania. With annual sporting fixtures, a thriving theatre scene and the biggest acts playing in the capital, London has enough options to drive tourists and boost the local economy.

Aside from money, the other motivation is to break an existing record. While the actual attendance is disputed, AEW has stated that it distributed 81,035 tickets for All In 2023, the first Wembley Stadium show for the promotion. Selling more tickets than SummerSlam 1992, All Elite Wrestling have claim to the most tickets sold to a UK wrestling event. The only way for WWE to break this record would be to return to Wembley Stadium more than 30 years later. Is WWE that petty to sacrifice money to stick it to their rivals? Improbable, but not impossible.

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