WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has laid out an ambitious plan for how All Elite Wrestling could counter-program WWE’s historic WrestleMania 43 event in 2027, which is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia. Henry proposed that AEW should seize the opportunity to present a massive “supershow” in the United States on the same day, featuring champions from other promotions and making it an “open door” event for collaborative matchups. His vision is for a major, annual show that would establish AEW as a central hub for the global wrestling community and provide an alternative for fans who may not be able to attend WrestleMania overseas.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Henry outlined his idea for how AEW could create an evergreen event that would benefit the entire wrestling ecosystem.
“It’s something that could be evergreen, that you could always have it regardless of competition with WWE or not. I think that would be awesome, but I think what would be more awesome is if you made it like the ‘open door’ where some of the champions from the other company got to come in and compete with your people and there was some give-and-take, not all take.”
He also emphasized the financial viability of such an event and the potential benefits for the industry as a whole.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney did it, or one of the big conglomerates decided, ‘You know what? We’re gonna do it!’ But somebody better jump on it fast, because it’s a good idea.”
However, Henry also acknowledged the potential drawbacks of creating an event that could overshadow AEW’s existing pay-per-views.
“Does it take away from your existing program? AEW’s got All, All Out, they have the Forbidden Door, they have all these pay-per-views — if you create that, would you make that bigger than you want?” Henry pointed out. “It will get bigger than you; are you willing to do that?”
AEW President Tony Khan has previously stated that the company plans to run a “huge event” in Spring 2027, promising a major show to coincide with WWE’s overseas WrestleMania.