TKO President Mark Shapiro: Our Superfandom Is Outside the U.S.
Many of WWE and UFC’s biggest events have traditionally taken place in the United States, but the largest portion of their fanbase resides overseas. Speaking on The Varsity with John Ourand podcast, TKO President Mark Shapiro emphasized that the company’s “superfandom” is found outside the U.S.
“We have a billion TKO fans, and the majority of those fans are outside the U.S. The majority of our economics are in the U.S., but outside is where our superfandom is.”
His comments come just days after WWE confirmed that WrestleMania 43 will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2027. The event will mark WWE’s third WrestleMania outside the U.S. and the first ever to be staged outside North America. Despite the company’s enthusiasm for what some fans are calling “Saudi-Mania,” the announcement has already sparked backlash, including a “you sold out” chant directed at a WrestleMania graphic shown during Worlds Collide.
Before heading to Riyadh, WWE will host a Premium Live Event in Italy in 2026, the company’s first PLE in the country. WWE last brought cameras to Italy earlier this year for a SmackDown on the Road to WrestleMania in Bologna.
While the U.S. remains the financial center of TKO’s operations, the company has made it clear that international growth is a top priority. And with Shapiro pointing to “superfandom” abroad, more major WWE and UFC shows overseas appear inevitable.
