Despite facing pressure from fans, mainstream media, and even US Senators, WWE will move forward with the Saudi Arabian Crown Jewel event as originally planned.
In their Q3 earnings reports, WWE issued a statement regarding their choice to maintain their relationship with the Saudis.
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“WWE has operated in the Middle East for nearly 20 years and has developed a sizable and dedicated fan base. Considering the heinous crime committed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the Company faced a very difficult decision as it relates to its event scheduled for November 2 in Riyadh.
Similar to other U.S.-based companies who plan to continue operations in Saudi Arabia, the Company has decided to uphold its contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority and stage the event. Full-year 2018 guidance is predicated on the staging of the Riyadh event as scheduled.”
There was no shortage of scrutiny surrounding WWE and Crown Jewel, and now that Vince McMahon and Co. are sticking to their guns, they’ll likely face new waves of criticism.
Before this announcement, there were rumors suggesting that WWE would cancel or at least move Crown Jewel from Saudi Arabia. Reports indicated that McMahon and WWE were set on execting their plans barring an order from President Trump. However, on Wednesday, a story emerged claiming that whatever decision was made, it would not be WWE’s alone.
The reason for all the drama stems from the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was allegedly murdered by Saudi Arabian officials. As that story has developed, a number of American entities have ended or at least frozen their relationship with the Saudis. By WWE going ahead with Crown Jewel, they’ll make no shortage of negative headlines.
The dissonance has reportedly affected WWE’s locker room. John Cena has allegedly told WWE that he will not be participating in the event and the same goes for Daniel Bryan. However other WWE personalities like Randy Orton and JBL urge that WWE should still go to Saudi Arabia as the flagbearer of change.
As to the dissenting US Senators, Lindsey Graham told IJR he hopes that President Trump “prevail upon them not doing it. There should be a pause … I want a complete rethinking of our relationship.”
Senator Chris Murphy (CT) said “This is a brazen assault on the freedom of the press and a slap in the face to the United States, if this murder occurred as it seems it did, I’d hope that they would be rethinking their relationship with the kingdom especially with respect to events coming up in the next weeks like [WWE Crown Jewel].”
Senator Bob Menendez (NJ) said “Private enterprise is private enterprise, different than a governmental entity, but because [Linda McMahon] is part of the president’s cabinet, it falls into the grey area where the administration really should give it some thought and maybe even prevail upon them not doing it.”
But now, all of these points are effectively moot. WWE is going to Saudi Arabia on November 2, and likey several more times in the next few years.
