Updated 5/22/25 @ 5:30 PM ET
Anthony Mcauley of NOLA.com indicates that the top leadership within WWE has decided the company would rather hold WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, again returning to city after hosting the big-two night event this past April.
Furthermore it was noted that Walt Leger of New Orleans & Co. said it was WWE’s decision to pull out of New Orleans for 2026 and that they have been working with the company over for the last few days on identifying future dates for future events.
“After the success of this year’s event, the new leadership running WWE decided that they would rather hold next year’s event in Las Vegas and see what response they get from fans, according to an industry official who wasn’t authorized to be quoted by name.“
We will continue to provide updates as they become available.
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Updated 5/22/25 @ 4:35 PM ET
Fightful Select has provided details on the internal reactions to WrestleMania 42 no longer taking place in New Orleans.
The report notes that the response has been a mix of surprise and indifference, as several WWE staff and talents were said to have been caught off guard, particularly given that the announcement for WrestleMania 41 came unusually late last year. With still no official word as to where the new location will be, it was added that some within WWE told Fightful that this is the latest in recent memory that the company has gone without revealing who the host city will be. It was further noted that despite the shock by some within WWE, there are those who are not overly concerned with what has transpired.
One source noted to Fightful Select claims that WrestleMania 42 will instead be heading overseas instead.
We will continue to provide updates as they become available.
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-Original report 5/22/25 @ 2:46 PM ET-
Wrestlenomics is reporting they have received a statement from the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, stating the big two-night event will not take place in the city next year. Instead, the city is getting the Money in the Bank premium live event next July.
During the February 21 episode of WWE SmackDown at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, announced the city was getting WrestleMania 42 in 2026.
The statement comes after the recently announced UFC 318 card set for July 19, 2025 as part of a broader “multi-event, multi-year agreement” which is being negotiated between local organizers and WWE and UFC’s parent company TKO Group Holdings.
“The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and New Orleans & Company are working closely with our friends at TKO to expand our long-standing partnership, which will include UFC 318 on July 19, 2025, Money In The Bank in 2026, and WrestleMania – which will move from the currently scheduled 2026 timeframe to a future year.”
In addition, The foundation described the statement as a joint message from both their organization and WWE.
At the time of the report from Wrestlenomics, there is no confirmation for the new location of WrestleMania 42. Furthermore, the report also notes that WWE did not immediately respond to requests to confirm their agreement with the statement or provide additional comment.
It was also noted by Wrestlenomics that New Orleans & Company, which is mentioned in the statement, is a marketing organization that promotes the New Orleans tourism industry and that the reasons for the change are unclear.
We will provide more details as they become available.