​WrestleMania is the biggest wrestling event in the world, drawing fans from across the globe not only for WWE’s flagship spectacle, but for an entire weekend celebrating sports entertainment.“The best part is just the community that you’re around,” said Ben Davis, who has been to 18 of them. “The only thing I can really compare it to is like Christmas.”Now, there are questions about whether that celebration can, or should, happen next year.WrestleMania 43 is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia in 2027, marking the first WrestleMania held outside North America.But safety concerns surrounding the country have added uncertainty ahead of the event amid conflict involving Saudi Arabia and Iran-aligned Houthis in neighboring Yemen. The questions come as WWE prepares to return to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel on Nov. 7, where it is expected to announce the dates for WrestleMania 43.Concerns already surround WWE moving forward with Crown Jewel. But an even bigger question looms beyond November: Should WWE bring its biggest event to Saudi Arabia in five months?A majority of experts and fans interviewed by USA TODAY say no.“When it comes to the physical safety of an event,” said Daniel Benaim, former top U.S. State Department official for the Gulf and Middle East, “it’s something that the WWE and their advisors and the Saudi government have to take seriously.”WWE did not respond to multiple requests for comment from USA TODAY about the situation.Backlash has surrounded WWE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia since its partnership with the country’s Ministry of Sport began in 2018. The deal has largely been viewed by critics as part of Saudi Arabia’s sportswashing efforts, with scrutiny intensifying after the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside a Saudi consulate that same year.Despite that criticism, Benaim said WWE’s presence in Saudi Arabia has played a positive role in helping modernize the country while giving its citizens a greater sense of connection to the rest of the world.Fans who have attended WWE events in Saudi Arabia have also described positive experiences.Andrew Leber, a nonresident scholar in the Carnegie Middle East Program and an assistant professor in Tulane University’s Department of Political Science and Middle East & North Africa Studies program, attended the first Crown Jewel in 2018 and recalled the enormous excitement surrounding the event.Liverpool resident Michael Stuart made a last-minute decision to attend the 2026 Royal Rumble in January. He called it a “surreal experience” and said attending the event ultimately didn’t feel much different from going to a WWE show in another country.“Everyone else there’s just super friendly,” Stuart said. “I didn’t really come into any trouble when I was out there. Thinking about it, it took a bit getting used to, but by the second or third day, it was quite normal, to be honest.”Criticism resurfaced when WWE announced in S