TKO's Shapiro Says WWE Is in Talks to Bring a Show to Tokyo in 2027
Summary: TKO President Mark Shapiro said on the Nov. 4 earnings call that WWE's Nick Khan is in talks about a Tokyo event in 2027. No date, venue or show type has been announced.
The quick version
- Shapiro spoke on TKO's third-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
- He said he is "pretty bullish" on talks Nick Khan is having about a Tokyo show "next year."
- No date, venue or type of show has been given. WWE has not announced anything.
TKO Group Holdings President Mark Shapiro said on Nov. 4 that WWE is in talks about holding an event in Tokyo in 2027. He made the comment on TKO's third-quarter 2026 earnings call, the same call where he spoke about WrestleMania 43 and Saudi Arabia.
What he said
First reported by Fightful, which transcribed the call. Near the end of his remarks on overseas growth, after saying UFC is having good talks with Abu Dhabi, Shapiro said: "I'm also pretty bullish about some conversations that Nick Khan is having about bringing WWE to Tokyo next year."
That is all that was said on the topic in the coverage we reviewed. Shapiro did not say what kind of show it would be, when it would happen or where in Tokyo. Wrestling outlets that covered the comment, including Slam Wrestling and eWrestling, report no agreement has been made.
Why Japan, why now
WWE's programming began streaming on Netflix in Japan in October, according to Fightful. Slam Wrestling adds that it had been on the Japanese service ABEMA before that. Outlets give different dates for WWE's most recent live trip to Japan, and we have not confirmed which is right, so we are not stating one.
What the announced 2027 schedule shows
WWE announced 11 North American events for Jan. 1 to Feb. 22, 2027 on Nov. 4, and the Royal Rumble is set for Feb. 6 in Glendale, Arizona. None of those dates is in Japan, so any Tokyo show would come later in the year or be added to the calendar. That is our reading of the published lists, not something WWE has said.
NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 21 is Jan. 4, 2027, at the Tokyo Dome, per NJPW.
What to watch
An official WWE announcement. Until there is one, this is a plan being discussed, in one executive's words.
Source: Mark Shapiro's remarks on the TKO Q3 2026 earnings call, as transcribed by Fightful and repeated by Slam Wrestling and eWrestling. We did not listen to the call ourselves. Nothing in this story is a rumor.
Sources
- Fightful, "Nick Khan Having Conversations About Bringing WWE To Tokyo In 2027", Nov. 4, 2026. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/nick-khan-having-conversations-about-bringing-wwe-to-tokyo-in-2027/
- Slam Wrestling, "WWE Considering Return To Japan In 2027, TKO President Reveals", Nov. 5, 2026. https://slamwrestling.net/news/wwe-considering-return-to-japan-in-2027-tko-president-reveals/
- eWrestling, "Backstage News On Nick Khan's Talks To Bring WWE To Tokyo Next Year", Nov. 5, 2026. https://ewrestling.com/article/backstage-news-on-nick-khans-talks-to-bring-wwe-to-tokyo-next-year
- WWE.com, "WWE announces 11 new event dates to kick off 2027", Nov. 4, 2026, and "Glendale to host 40th annual Royal Rumble on Saturday, Feb. 6 at State Farm Stadium", Nov. 2, 2026 (for the existing 2027 dates). https://www.wwe.com/article/wwe-announces-11-new-event-dates-to-kick-off-2027
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling, "World Tag League Teams Revealed!", Nov. 5, 2026 (for Wrestle Kingdom 21 at the Tokyo Dome). https://www.njpw1972.com/678773
- WrestlingNews.com staff reporting: compared the WWE date lists against our earlier story on them.
How we credit sources: Editorial standards.