'We want WrestleMania to come to London': Mayor makes pitch to WWE legend Triple H

CNBC

3 days ago

London Mayor Sadiq Khan made a pitch to World Wrestling Entertainment legend Paul "Triple H" Levesque to bring the wrestling promotion's biggest event, Wrestlemania, to the U.K. capital.
"I'd love for WrestleMania to come to London," Khan told CNBC's Tania Bryer. "Triple H if you're watching, we want WrestleMania to come to London."
Speculation has been rife about London as a destination since 2023 when wrestling legend John Cena made a surprise appearance at a show in the city and gave backing to the idea of bringing WrestleMania to the British capital.
If the event, dubbed the "Super Bowl of Wrestling," were to come to the U.K.'s capital city, it would be the first time the event is hosted outside of North America.
Levesque, whose ring name is Triple H, is now chief content officer of the WWE. Khan held talks with Levesque in July last year, adding to the speculation. He then made a further pitch for London during the CNBC interview.
"If WrestleMania came to London, my message to the team there is that we wouldn't just have a great weekend, we'd have a festival, of you know, legends in WrestleMania coming to London, current stars, but also future stars as a well," Khan said.
"It will open a completely new market for them as well."
WrestleMania 41, the biggest show in the WWE calendar, was held in Las Vegas this year. The two-day event takes place over a weekend with shows such as "Smackdown" and "Raw" usually taking place around the time of the main event.
Khan described London as the "sporting capital of the world," touting events such as the tennis at Wimbledon and even American football matches as evidence of its sporting achievements.
WWE, which is owned by TKO Group, has looked to expand the appeal and audience of the wrestling brand. WWE's Monday night weekly show "Raw" began streaming on Netflix this year.
Khan said London could provide WWE the chance to expand further.
"I think the potential has not been reached in terms of WrestleMania. We are the sporting capital in my view, of the world. And if WrestleMania wants to expand, the obvious place to come is London," Khan said.