WWE's return to Salt Lake City just got even bigger

SALT LAKE CITY — WWE's return to Utah just got even bigger.

The sports entertainment organization announced Tuesday that it will host an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event at Salt Lake City's Delta Center the same weekend as its Oct. 31 episode of SmackDown.

And while the event will be held in Utah's capitol city that is home to the University of Utah, at least one WWE Superstar wouldn't mind seeing a member of the Utes' biggest rivals make an appearance.

Making an appearance at Big 12 football media days in Frisco, Texas, WWE wrestler-turned-broadcaster Ettore "Big E" Ewen was asked which Big 12 mascot he thinks would win a "Royal Rumble" style brawl involving the conference's 16 mascots — and he tipped his hat toward Provo and Cosmo the Cougar.

"That BYU mascot is so incredibly athletic," he said. "I think I have to go there. ... Cosmo, yeah, he's the winner."

The announcement was made by TKO Group Holdings, the publicly traded organization that owns WWE, UFC and stakes in other sports and entertainment ventures, in conjunction with the Utah Sports Commission and Sports Entertainment Group.

The organization previously announced that the Delta Center would host an episode of WWE's acclaimed Friday Night SmackDown on Oct. 31, part of a partnership with the Big 12 Conference bringing live shows to campus cities across the league (the show was set to be filmed in conjunction with the weekend's college football game between Utah and Cincinnati).

But Tuesday's announcement expands on the partnership between TKO and SEG, the company owned by Qualtrics co-founder Ryan Smith that owns the NBA's Jazz and NHL's Mammoth.

In addition to WWE, TKO confirmed that a yet unnumbered UFC event would return to Salt Lake City in 2026, building on the success of UFC 278 in 2022, UFC 291 in 2023 and last year's UFC 307 that have garnered a projected economic impact of $74.1 million for the Salt Lake City area, according to research firm Applied Analysis.

"We can't say enough about how great partners and hosts the Utah Sports Commission and Smith Entertainment Group have been for our events," said Peter Dropick, executive vice president of event development and operations for TKO in a prepared statement. "In recent years, Salt Lake City and Delta Center have become a top destination to bring exciting, action-packed UFC and WWE events to our fans in Utah, and we're thrilled to continue that relationship into 2026."

Both of WWE's brands, Monday's Raw and Friday's SmackDown, have made regular appearances in Salt Lake City, bringing WWE superstars like Cody Rhodes, Seth "Freakin" Rollins, Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch and others to Utah's capitol city.

But Halloween weekend will mark the first time WWE events will be held on back-to-back nights at the Delta Center, with Saturday Night's Main Event moving to a Peacock-exclusive package in the fall after ESPN became a top broadcaster for WWE.

UFC is no stranger to Salt Lake City, either, with the organization setting a crowd and gate record at Delta Center with 18,467 fans and just over $6.5 million in gate revenue back in 2023.

Last year's Pereira-Roundtree Pay-Per-View card drew 17,487 fans and generated a $5 million gate at the arena, as KSL.com reported at the time.

"We are thrilled that live WWE entertainment and UFC action will return to Utah," said Chris Barney, president of revenue and commercial strategy at Smith Entertainment Group, in a statement. "Every TKO event Delta Center has hosted has captivated fans and brought people from across the country into Salt Lake City, creating opportunities to showcase Utah's world class sports and entertainment landscape.

"We value our continued collaboration with TKO and the Utah Sports Commission and look forward to setting new records together when these incredible experiences take over Delta Center."

Ticket sales, bout cards and participating WWE Superstars for the Salt Lake City event will be announced at a later date.

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