WWE is returning to Saudi Arabia with Elimination Chamber event in Jeddah

This will be the first time the wrestling company hosts the event outside the US

WWE Superstars Big E, left, and Seth Rollins in the ring. Photo: WWE

The WWE is returning to Saudi Arabia.

It’s been announced that its annual Elimination Chamber event will be held at the newly constructed Jeddah Super Dome on February 19. The dome, which is the world’s largest freestanding dome, has an internal area exceeding 24,000 square metres, with a height of 46 metres and a diameter of 210 metres.

Currently, no further details have been announced for the event, including who will take part. It is the first time this wrestling event will take place in the kingdom.

The last time the WWE was in Saudi Arabia was for Crown Jewel in October.

What is an Elimination Chamber match?

In the Elimination Chamber format, wrestlers battle it out inside a chain-linked circular steel structure around the ring. There are generally six participants competing in the match. It starts off with two wrestlers (or more) while the remaining four wait in an enclosure chamber outside each ring corner.

In five-minute intervals, each chamber is opened until all the wrestlers are competing inside the ring, with the winner determined as the last one standing not eliminated by pinfall or submission. The first Elimination Chamber match took place in 2002 and there have been 28 of them since.

In last year’s Elimination Chamber, Drew McIntyre successfully defended his WWE Championship inside the chamber, defeating AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Kofi Kingston, Randy Orton and Sheamus.

This coming event will be the seventh the WWE hosts in the kingdom after a 10-year deal was signed between the wrestling event company and the General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia in 2018.