Former WWE Champion and commentator John Bradshaw Layfied (also known as JBL) doubled down on his defense of WWE holding their upcoming Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia on the latest episode of Busted Open Radio.
Layfield had previously gone on Fox Business to defend WWE’s decision to not cancel the event following the alleged murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and echoed his previous sentiment about the event promoting change in the country.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“You want to get something changed, you send sport,” Layfield said. “Look what happened when Pee Wee Reese puts his arm around Jackie Robinson. That did more for racial relations in the United States through sport. That’s one of the reasons I would take WWE away from Saudi Arabia. And people say, ‘ah, they’re just trying to make money.’ They’re a business. They should try to make money. But, to me, the greater good is you go over there and you show people that it’s okay to be from different backgrounds. It’s okay to be a woman and compete. They’re not competing in Saudi Arabia yet. I think they will and I think it’s a right step forward. And I think that’s why it’s so important that sport… sport changes the world, man. Once you line up beside somebody in sport, you don’t care what color they are, what ethnicity they are, what orientation they are. It doesn’t matter.”
Following Khashoggi’s death, many companies cut ties with the country and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. WWE officially stated they were “monitoring” the situation, and Layfield said he thought it was hypocritical for the company to get criticized.
“I think it’s horribly unfair,” Layfield said before giving examples of wrongdoings in Russia, China and the United States.
“This isn’t whataboutism, but this is a one-for-one correlation,” he continued. “We have a mass incarceration among minorities that is disproportionate to our population. It’s a travesty what’s going on with our mass incarceration specifically of minorities. Yet, we still do business in the United States. You can’t change certain things just by not going there. WWE, from what I understand, has a contract with Saudi Arabia. WWE, to me, if you want to promote change, you let these guys go.”
New reports came out this week that WWE officials will make a final decision on Wednesday over whether or not to cancel the event.
John Cena, who was booked to take part in the eight-man World Cup tournament, has reportedly pulled out of the show.
