WrestleMania 42 Location Uncertainty: What the Hell is Going On?

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t have “WrestleMania 42 suddenly yanked from New Orleans” on my 2025 wrestling bingo card. Yet here we are. Welcome to a Not Sam Wrestling-style emergency blog post, because when the road to WrestleMania takes a sharp left turn, you better believe we’re hitting the gas and diving headfirst into the chaos.

Let’s rewind. Back in February, on the road to Elimination Chamber and ultimately WrestleMania 41, The Rock himself showed up in New Orleans—at a press conference, no less—and proudly announced that WrestleMania 42 would be heading to NOLA in 2026. Cue the cheers. Cue the excitement. Cue all of us mentally booking flights and imagining Bourbon Street flooded with wrestling fans again, just like it was for WrestleMania 30 and 34. For a lot of us, New Orleans is the WrestleMania city. It’s built for it. It’s Mardi Gras meets Mania. What could go wrong?

Apparently, everything.

The Rock Giveth… and TKO Taketh Away

Fast forward to May, and boom—nola.com drops a bombshell: WrestleMania 42 is canceled in New Orleans. Not postponed. Not restructured. Canceled. Just like that, the April 11–12 dates vanish, and the Superdome goes back to being just a football stadium again. According to Walt Ledger of New Orleans & Co., WWE informed local tourism officials that the event is no longer happening in the Big Easy.

Instead, the city gets Money in the Bank next year, a UFC event, and a promise that WrestleMania will eventually return. Think of it like WWE ghosting you after promising dinner and drinks but still Venmo’ing you $20 and saying, “We’ll hang out soon.”

So what happened?

The Business of “Deals”

This is part of the new TKO reality. WWE and UFC are now under one roof, and these mega-events are being bundled up and sold to the highest bidder like wrestling’s version of the Olympics. New Orleans had its deal. Then it didn’t.

This is very similar to what went down with Indianapolis. They landed Royal Rumble 2024, and the word is they’re locked in for a future SummerSlam and WrestleMania. But if that deal was already sealed, why pull out of NOLA now?

That’s what’s strange. Something shifted. Either a bigger fish came swimming along, or WWE’s internal calculus changed.

So... Where the Hell Is WrestleMania 42 Going?

Here comes the speculative part of this rollercoaster ride—let’s talk destinations. Here are the real contenders based on fan buzz, logistics, and some pure wrestling instinct:

1. Las Vegas (Back-to-Back?)

The big rumor is that Las Vegas could host WrestleMania 42, again, after just doing WrestleMania 41. That would be wild—but it also makes a twisted kind of sense.

WWE set revenue records in Vegas. The city is tailor-made for entertainment, with the infrastructure to handle multiple massive events at once. And let’s be honest—Vegas delivered. If you were there, you know.

But going back-to-back? That’s unheard of in WrestleMania history. It would undoubtedly piss off a bunch of cities who’ve been waiting their turn, but hey—money talks.

2. New York/New Jersey

MetLife Stadium has hosted two Manias already (29 and 35) and is about to host SummerSlam. But that's precisely the issue—WWE usually doesn’t double up major events in the same stadium within a 12-month window. So while it’s always in the mix, MetLife might be too busy to call it home next April.

3. Saudi Arabia

There’s been a lot of buzz about Saudi Arabia landing a WrestleMania. That conversation gained traction with the Royal Rumble heading there in 2026. But would WWE really do both in the same year? Unlikely. Even the TKO machine might not push that far that fast. It's not off the table long-term, but don’t bet on it for 42.

4. Philadelphia

Philly just killed it with WrestleMania 40. The fans were electric, the city turned up, and the event felt historic. Could WWE double-dip? Possibly. But Philly had some frigid weather, and going back there for another April Mania would be a hard sell. Frostbite and body slams don’t always mix.

5. Indianapolis

Already in line for a future Mania, but if that deal was inked before this NOLA fiasco, it’s hard to believe WWE shuffled things just to bump Indy up the line. So don’t count on it.

6. Orlando or Tampa

Now this is sneaky interesting. WWE is currently operating out of Florida. WrestleMania 37 (in Tampa) was the pandemic Mania with limited fans and cardboard cutouts. That felt like a missed moment—and WWE knows it.

There’s a rumor that the timing of this cancellation could tie into an upcoming Florida announcement. Could WrestleMania 42 be returning to Tampa or going to Orlando? Don’t rule it out. Especially if they want to do right by a fanbase that never got their full Mania moment.

7. London – The Dark Horse

Look, if we’re going bold… London makes sense. Wembley Stadium. Two-night Mania. International spectacle. The kind of “global sports moment” WWE keeps hyping. Sure, April weather in London is dicey. But if AEW can fill it for All In, imagine what WWE could do with two nights of Mania.

It would also send a message that TKO is thinking international for its marquee shows. London is long overdue.

What’s Next?

The bottom line is: We don’t know yet. But that announcement? It’s coming. Maybe as soon as this week. Maybe during SmackDown. Maybe at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Wherever and whenever it happens, you better believe we’ll be back in emergency mode breaking it all down.

Until then, it’s speculation city. And honestly? That’s part of the fun. We’re all booking WrestleMania in our heads, screaming into the void, “Just tell us already!”

So buckle up, stay tuned, and keep your eyes on Vegas, Florida, and possibly even London. WrestleMania 42 is still coming—it’s just not coming where we thought it would.