Booker T Assesses Prospect Of AEW Counter-Programming WWE WrestleMania

The competition between WWE and AEW is heating up, with WWE Wrestlepalooza and AEW All Out both taking place on Saturday, though not head-to-head. Speaking on "The Hall of Fame" following the announcement that WWE WrestleMania is heading to Saudi Arabia in 2027, Booker T commented on the idea of AEW stepping up to fill the gap in the United States on that same night.

"From a business perspective, that may sound good, but if it flops, you've got egg all over your face," Booker said. "I wouldn't even want to try to venture into doing something like that, me personally. Just because I wouldn't want to take the risk of losing."

While Booker acknowledged the logic of wanting to use the situation to their advantage to counter WWE, AEW would be working against a much bigger and more popular entity, and he believes they'd be better off choosing another day to run a show. With the wrestling audience already tuning into a long, two-day event, Booker doesn't believe there's much more attention to go around.

"You might be shooting yourself in the foot," Booker continued. "I would not want to back myself into a corner."

When WrestleMania 43 heads to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it will be the first time WWE's biggest show of the year takes place on international soil. The decision has resulted in an outcry from some spheres of the wrestling fandom over the company's continued partnership with a government that, like many others, has a less-than-stellar record on human rights.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Hall of Fame" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.