WWE's Next Saudi Arabia Event Date Reportedly Set

WWE has kept quiet about its ongoing deal with Saudi Arabia since the start of the year, but the [...]

By Connor Casey

WWE has kept quiet about its ongoing deal with Saudi Arabia since the start of the year, but the company reportedly has its next event in the country already scheduled.

Fightful reported on Tuesday that the next Saudi Arabia show will take place on Friday, May 3. No word yet on location or what the event will be called.

WWE signed a deal with the country's General Sports Authority as part of their Saudi Vision 2030 economic reform back in early 2018, leading to the Greatest Royal Rumble event in April and Crown Jewel in November.

The Greatest Royal Rumble featured a 50-man Royal Rumble main event match that brought in current stars as well as part-times such as Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio for massive one-match paydays. But with the exception of a controversial finish to the Brock Lesnar-Roman Reigns Universal Championship cage match, the event didn't have any real consequences on the ongoing televised product.

The Crown Jewel event in November had a bit more relevance to the weekly WWE product as it culminated a months-long feud between D-Generation X and the Brothers of Destruction, culminating in Shawn Michaels coming out of retirement for a tag team match.

However the show was also hit with a wave of controversy. At the time, numerous companies had backed out of business deals with the country over the murder of journalist and American citizen Jamal Khashoggi. WWE stopped mentioning Saudi Arabia on the televised product, but went ahead with the event in Riyadh anyway.

"WWE has operated in the Middle East for nearly 20 years and has developed a sizable and dedicated fan base," the company wrote in a statement at the time. "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."

The biggest fallout from the show was Shane McMahon winning the title of "Best in the World" by winning the World Cup tournament, leading to his ongoing program with The Miz that recently resulted in them winning the SmackDown Live Tag Team Championships.

Another result of the show was Triple H tearing his pectoral muscle during the main event tag match, which forced him to undergo surgery and has (reportedly) forced WWE to throw out the planned WrestleMania 35 event between he and a returning Batista.

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