WWE announced on Thursday that their upcoming Crown Jewel event would be taking place as planned on Nov. 2 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But now that the show is official, the company might have to go on without two of its biggest stars.
Barstool Sports’ Robbie Fox initially reported earlier in the week that both John Cena and Daniel Bryan were refusing to work the event following the controversy surrounding the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul, Turkey.
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Pro Wrestling Sheet’s Ryan Satin reached out for comment on this situation, and aWWE representative responded on Thursday.
“As always, we maintain an open line of communication with our performers and will address each situation accordingly,” the rep said.
While not a definitive answer, Satin confirmed with other sources that Bryan had in fact told the WWE brass he wouldn’t work the show. Meanwhile, Post Wrestling’s John Pollock reported earlier in the week that Cena was off the show and that the promotion’s creative team was already working on a replacement
Neither Cena nor Bryan have officially commented on the situation. Cena was originally booked to be apart of the eight-man WWE World Cup tournament, while Bryan was scheduled to face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship.
WWE released a statement confirming its decision to keep Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia during its quarterly earnings report on Thursday.
“WWE has operated in the Middle East for nearly 20 years and has developed a sizable and dedicated fan base,” the statement read. “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,” the statement continued. “Full-year 2018 guidance is predicated on the staging of the Riyadh event as scheduled.”
Vince McMahon was directly asked about the decision during the call.
“We’re not going to talk a lot about that,” McMahon said. “It’s a very sensitive subject. I think our statement says what we wanna say.”
Back in March WWE signed a lucrative 10-year deal with Saudi Arabia’s General Sports Authority to bring live events to the country as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 societal and economic program. The first event in that deal, the Greatest Royal Rumble, took place in April.
