Wikipedia

WWE in Saudi Arabia

(Redirected from Professional wrestling in Saudi Arabia)

WWE, an American professional wrestling promotion based in Stamford, Connecticut, has been promoting events in Saudi Arabia since 2014. After initially holding non-televised house shows, WWE announced a 10-year strategic partnership with the Ministry of Sport in 2018, which would see the hosting of pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming events in Saudi Arabia. In 2019, WWE announced it had "expanded" its partnership with the General Authority for Entertainment through 2027, under which it would hold two "large-scale events" in the country per-year.[1] These events have been held at venues in Riyadh and Jeddah.

WWE in Saudi Arabia
PromotionsWWE
BrandsRaw
SmackDown
First eventApril 2014 tour

Since the beginning of the agreement, two PPV and livestreaming events have been held in Saudi Arabia annually. One is held in the first half of the year typically in Jeddah and usually within an existing WWE event chronology, while an annual event known as Crown Jewel is held in late October–early November in Riyadh as part of Riyadh Season. WWE's first major event in Saudi Arabia was Greatest Royal Rumble—a one-off edition of WWE's annual Royal Rumble—on April 27, 2018. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and WWE's suspension of touring, the Saudi events were suspended after Super ShowDown in February 2020 and returned with Crown Jewel in 2021.[2]

The partnership has faced criticism over Saudi Arabia's poor human rights record (including suppression of women's and LGBT rights), allegations of sportswashing, and the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.[3][4][5][6] Some WWE performers have declined or were restricted from participating in the shows due to government policies and political tensions, while members of WWE's women's division were initially barred from performing in the first three events; Crown Jewel in 2019 would eventually feature WWE's first women's match in the country, and Super ShowDown featured its first women's title defense.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter named the partnership between WWE and Saudi Arabia the "Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic" in both 2018 and 2019, and named the 2018 and 2023 Crown Jewel and 2019 and 2020 Super ShowDown events as those year's "Worst Major Wrestling Show".[7][8]

History

edit

Saudi Arabia had previously been visited by professional wrestling tours - one such tour in 1986 included Tony St. Clair.[9] Other wrestlers who performed on shows in Saudi Arabia included Greek star Georgios Tromaras in 1990.[10]

In December 2013, it was announced that WWE would begin holding shows in Saudi Arabia,[11] and in April 2014, the promotion held their first house shows in Riyadh;[12] these were three separate shows at Green Halls Stadium.[13] In October 2015, WWE held three house shows in Jeddah, at the King Abdullah Sports City Sports Hall.[14][15] In November 2016, WWE returned to Green Halls Stadium for two non-televised events,[16] which exclusively featured wrestlers from the SmackDown brand.[17] In 2017, WWE launched the Arabic-language recap show, WWE Wal3ooha, which airs in Saudi Arabia.[18]

On March 5, 2018, WWE and the Saudi General Sports Authority (renamed Ministry of Sport in 2020) advertised the Greatest Royal Rumble, a pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event to be held on April 27, 2018, at King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah.[19][20] The event was announced as the first in a 10-year strategic multi-platform partnership between WWE and the Saudi General Sports Authority in support of Saudi Vision 2030, the country's social and economic reform program.[21][22]

WWE announced on November 4, 2019, that it had "expanded" its partnership with the General Entertainment Authority through 2027, under which it would hold two "large-scale events" in Saudi Arabia per-year.[23] In addition, Riyadh Season, an entertainment festival that launched in October 2019 also organized by the General Entertainment Authority, would begin hosting the annual Crown Jewel event, as well as WWE Experience, an indoor theme park themed around WWE (named after its former syndicated television program), which launched during the 2023 season and officially opened on February 16, 2024. It was the first WWE theme park since the 2011 closure of the former WWE Niagara Falls.[24]

Controversies

edit

Women's rights

edit
See also: Women in WWE

WWE received criticism for holding the events without female wrestlers, who were unable to perform in Saudi Arabia between 2014 and 2019, due to the country's limitation on women's rights.[25] Triple H, WWE's Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, stated: "I understand people are questioning it, but every culture is different and just because you don’t agree with a certain aspect of it, you can’t dictate to a country about how they handle things... WWE is at the forefront of a women’s evolution in the world [and] we have had discussions about [women competing] and hope in the next few years, they will".[25]

Consistent with the change in law for sporting events in 2017,[26] women were able to attend WWE events if accompanied by a male guardian.[25] This was in response to "a series of social changes" by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman,[27] who repealed the previous legislation completely banning women from public events. During the Greatest Royal Rumble, WWE aired a promotional video which included female wrestlers in their ring gear. The Saudi General Sports Authority issued an apology for "indecent material" that aired at the event.[28]

During the second Crown Jewel event in 2018, Renee Young provided commentary at the show; she reprised her role at 2019's Super ShowDown.[29] Hours before 2019's Super ShowDown, reports emerged that WWE were attempting to add a women's match, which would have seen Alexa Bliss face Natalya. The two women joined WWE personnel for the trip, but the match was ultimately rejected by the Saudi Arabian government.[30][31]

On October 30, 2019, WWE announced that a match between Natalya and Lacey Evans had been approved for the 2019 Crown Jewel event, making it the first-ever women's match in Saudi Arabia. At the event, Evans wore a full bodysuit instead of her normal ring attire (Natalya's normal ring attire is a full bodysuit) and both wore T-shirts promoting their WWE shirts for sale, due to the country's conservative dress policy.[32] WWE largely celebrated the match as groundbreaking, which they later nominated for a WWE Year-End Award for Moment of the Year, with WWE CBO Stephanie McMahon stating in an interview: "You can either sit on the sidelines and there are plenty of companies and brands that decide to do that or you can be a part of hopefully enacting change. You can be a part of progress. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. It takes time. It takes perseverance. Now here we are with the first ever women's match in Saudi Arabia. It's pretty mind blowing."[33][34]

However, reactions from other media outlets were mixed. While some were positive, such as Heavy.com, who stated that the match was "put in place to break barriers and further WWE's 'Women’s Evolution' for the proud ladies in attendance and watching all over the world. And for that, I have to give it the utmost props", or Canoe.com who stated that "The historic match was about and meant so much more [than its result]."[35][36] Newsweek called the match part of "Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's [intent on] luring major sports event [...] to position the ultra-conservative Islamic country as more liberal and diversify its economy away from depending on the oil industry as part of its Saudi Vision 2030 plan", with Saudi Arabian Amnesty International researcher Dana Ahmed calling the match "a prime example how the Saudi Arabian authorities are using elite sports to try to 'sportswash' their dire human rights record and image internationally".[37] CBS Sports criticized Michael Cole's commentary, pointing out that he was "trying to put over the progressiveness of Saudi Arabia" during the match.[38]

At Super ShowDown in 2020, Bayley defended her SmackDown Women's Championship against Naomi, making it the first time a women's championship was defended in Saudi Arabia.[39][40]

Killing of Jamal Khashoggi

edit
Main article: Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi
See also: Crown Jewel (2018)

One month prior to the 2018 edition of Crown Jewel, Saudi Arabia received substantial negative press due to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi agents. This led to the WWE facing calls to cancel the event, with prominent U.S. Democratic and Republican politicians criticizing the company's endeavors in Saudi Arabia.[41] Questions were raised whether because of the position of then-Administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon, who is married to the WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and a former WWE executive herself, WWE's endeavors in Saudi Arabia could still be viewed as a strictly private business enterprise. Due to this, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez urged the US government to pressure WWE into canceling the event, while Republican Lindsey Graham, among others, called for WWE to reconsider their business deal with the Saudi kingdom.[42] WWE continued to promote the show, but erased all references to Saudi Arabia as the event's location.[43]

On October 19, the day tickets were to go on sale, the Saudi government confirmed the death of Khashoggi within the consulate and WWE.com removed ticket information from the event page.[44] On October 25, WWE confirmed the event would go on as planned, citing contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority.[45] Speaking with Sky Sports on pushing forward with the event despite the murder, Stephanie McMahon spoke of "an incredibly tough decision, given that heinous act", but said that in the end it was strictly a business decision.[46]

Wrestlers refusing to work

edit

Sami Zayn did not participate in the Greatest Royal Rumble as Zayn is of Syrian descent, and Saudi Arabia had strained relations with Syria.[47] Noam Dar, an Israeli wrestler, has never participated in any of the Saudi events due to the Arab League boycott of Israel and the Arab–Israeli conflict.[48]

During Crown Jewel (2018), Daniel Bryan was scheduled to face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, but he refused to work the show due to the Khashoggi murder.[49][50] As a result, his title match was bumped up to the October 30 episode of SmackDown, and he was replaced by Samoa Joe. John Cena, who was scheduled to participate in the WWE World Cup at the event and had called it "an honor and a privilege" to compete in Saudi Arabia during the Greatest Royal Rumble, was replaced by Bobby Lashley, as he reportedly refused to work the show in wake of the Khashoggi murder.[51][52][53] In February 2019, Fightful reported that prior to his leukemia diagnosis, Roman Reigns had informed Vince McMahon that he also would not be taking part in the Crown Jewel PPV due to the controversy surrounding the event.[54]

In 2019 for Super ShowDown, Kevin Owens and Aleister Black told WWE that they would not travel to Saudi Arabia, in addition to Zayn and Bryan once again not competing on the show.[55][56] Kevin Owen's refusal to work the show allegedly comes from his friendship with Sami Zayn.[57] As a result of his absence, he was replaced in the WWE Championship match by Dolph Ziggler.

Despite Dar not participating in the Saudi Arabia shows due to the Arab–Israeli conflict, Goldberg and Paul Heyman have worked multiple Saudi Arabia shows without incident despite both being Jewish and in Heyman's case his own mother having been a Holocaust survivor. Goldberg would go on to defend WWE on the shows following his victory over Bobby Lashley at the 2021 Crown Jewel, saying that he feels the country is heading in the right direction in "Westernizing" the country and the Middle East region as a whole, citing the progress just in WWE's shows alone in the Kingdom.[58] Goldberg did, however, later admit on The Pat McAfee Show that he was initially scared to go to Saudi Arabia due to his strong Jewish heritage, but felt more comfortable after receiving a positive response from the Saudi fans and understood the bigger picture of the shows.[59]

Since Saudi Arabia has strict laws against apostasy which is punishable by death, Montel Vontavious Porter (Hassan Assad), who is a former Muslim converted during his prison term, avoided travel to the country for Crown Jewel in 2022.[60][61]

After Saudi Arabia–Syria relations were re-established in May 2023, Zayn and Owens were scheduled to perform at Night of Champions later that month in Jeddah.[62] This was in turn Zayn's first Saudi event since a WWE Live tour in April 2014 and Owens' first Saudi event since Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018.[63]

Travel issues

edit

After Crown Jewel in 2019, a charter flight back to the United States carrying roughly 200 WWE employees (including performers and other staff) was delayed at King Fahd International Airport for multiple hours. WWE and the airline Atlas Air officially stated that the flight had been grounded for mechanical issues,[64][65] but reports from former WWE Spanish-language commentator Hugo Savinovich and wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer suggested that disputes with the Saudi government over missed payments to WWE for the previous shows were a factor in the delays (including the presence of Saudi military police).[64][66] 20 WWE employees, including CEO Vince McMahon and 12 wrestlers, booked their own flights back to the United States,[64][66] while the following night's SmackDown in Buffalo was retooled to primarily feature talent from the women's division and NXT (which did not participate in the event).[67][68]

Lawsuit

edit

On March 6, 2020, a retirement fund for firefighters filed a lawsuit against WWE in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, stemming from concerns related to the fund's holding of WWE stock. According to Forbes, it is "an attempt at class action alleging that WWE defrauded investors via its handling of their deals with the Saudi royal family, who also control OSN, the network that airs WWE programming in Saudi Arabia." The lawsuit claims that the Saudi Arabian government failed to pay WWE millions of dollars owed from their deal with the company, that WWE's failed to disclose said payment issues and that OSN unlawfully terminated a broadcast deal with WWE.[69]

Live events

edit

House shows

edit
SmackDown-branded event
# Date City Venue
1 April 17–19, 2014[17] Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia Green Halls Stadium
2 October 8–10, 2015[70] Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia King Abdullah Sports City Sports Hall
3 November 3–4, 2016[17] Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia Green Halls Stadium

Weekly television

edit
# Event Date City Venue Main event Ref.
1 SmackDown May 24, 2024 Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia Jeddah Super Dome Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga [71]
2 Raw November 3, 2024
(aired November 4, 2024) 		Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia Mohammed Abdo Arena Seth "Freakin" Rollins vs. Damian Priest vs. Sheamus vs. "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio to determine the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship [72]

Pay-per-view and livestreaming events

edit
# Event Date City Venue Main event Ref.
1 Greatest Royal Rumble April 27, 2018 Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia King Abdullah International Stadium 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble match for the Greatest Royal Rumble Trophy and Championship [73][74]
2 Crown Jewel (2018) November 2, 2018 Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia King Saud University Stadium D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels and Triple H) vs. The Brothers of Destruction (Kane and The Undertaker) [75]
3 Super ShowDown (2019) June 7, 2019 Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia King Abdullah International Stadium The Undertaker vs. Goldberg [76]
4 Crown Jewel (2019) October 31, 2019 Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia King Fahd International Stadium Seth Rollins (c) vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in a Falls Count Anywhere match for the WWE Universal Championship which could not be stopped for any reason [77]
5 Super ShowDown (2020) February 27, 2020 Mohammed Abdu Arena "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship [78][79]
6 Crown Jewel (2021) October 21, 2021 Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship [80][81]
7 Elimination Chamber (2022) February 19, 2022 Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia Jeddah Super Dome Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles vs. Austin Theory vs. Riddle vs. Seth "Freakin" Rollins in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship [82]
8 Crown Jewel (2022) November 5, 2022 Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia Mrsool Park Roman Reigns (c) vs. Logan Paul for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship [83]
9 Night of Champions (2023) May 27, 2023 Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia Jeddah Super Dome Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (c) vs. The Bloodline (Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa) for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship [84]
10 Crown Jewel (2023) November 4, 2023 Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia Mohammed Abdu Arena Roman Reigns (c) vs. LA Knight for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship [85]
11 King and Queen of the Ring (2024) May 25, 2024 Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia Jeddah Super Dome Cody Rhodes vs. Logan Paul for the Undisputed WWE Championship [86]
12 Crown Jewel (2024) November 2, 2024 Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia Mohammed Abdo Arena Cody Rhodes (Undisputed WWE Champion) vs. Gunther (World Heavyweight Champion) for the Crown Jewel Championship [87]
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match

Championships and accomplishments

edit

These are accomplishments that have occurred as special attractions at Saudi Arabian events, not including regular championship matches.

The colors and symbols indicate the home brand of the champions.

† Raw ‡ SmackDown § NXT ∞ Unbranded
Open
Championship Winner Reign Date won Event Location Notes Ref.
WWE Crown Jewel Championship   Cody Rhodes ‡ 1 November 2, 2024 Crown Jewel Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Defeated Raw's World Heavyweight Champion Gunther to become the inaugural champion. [87]
WWE Women's Crown Jewel Championship   Liv Morgan † Defeated SmackDown's WWE Women's Champion Nia Jax to become the inaugural champion.

Other accomplishments

edit
Open
Accomplishment Winner Date Event Location Notes Ref
King of the Ring tournament Gunther † May 25, 2024 King and Queen of the Ring Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Defeated SmackDown's Randy Orton to become the 23rd King of the Ring and earn a match for Raw's World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam. [88]
Queen of the Ring tournament Nia Jax ‡ Defeated Raw's Lyra Valkyria to become the second Queen of the Ring and earn a match for SmackDown's WWE Women's Championship at SummerSlam.

Former accomplishments

edit
Open
Accomplishment Winner Date Event Location Notes Ref
Greatest Royal Rumble Braun Strowman † April 27, 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Last eliminated SmackDown's Big Cass in the 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble match to win the Greatest Royal Rumble trophy and championship. [89]
WWE World Cup Shane McMahon ‡ November 2, 2018 Crown Jewel Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Defeated Raw's Dolph Ziggler in the tournament final to win the WWE World Cup trophy. [90]
51-man Battle Royal Mansoor § June 7, 2019 Super ShowDown Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Last eliminated SmackDown's Elias to win WWE's largest standard Battle Royal. [91]
WWE Tag Team World Cup The O.C.
(Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) † 		October 31, 2019 Crown Jewel Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Last eliminated Raw's The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar) in an interbrand nine-team tag team turmoil match to win the WWE Tag Team World Cup trophy. [92]
Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy Gauntlet Match The Undertaker ∞ February 27, 2020 Super ShowDown Last eliminated Raw's AJ Styles in a six-man gauntlet match to win the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy. [40]
King of the Ring tournament Xavier Woods † October 21, 2021 Crown Jewel Defeated SmackDown's Finn Bálor to become the 22nd King of the Ring tournament winner. In 2024, the tournament final was held at King and Queen of the Ring. [93]
Queen's Crown tournament Zelina Vega ‡ Defeated Raw's Doudrop in the tournament final to become the inaugural Queen's Crown tournament winner. In 2024, the tournament name was changed to Queen of the Ring and held at King and Queen of the Ring.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Currier, Joseph (November 4, 2019). "WWE announces 'expanded' partnership with Saudi Arabia". f4wonline.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  2. ^ Nason, Josh (July 26, 2021). "WWE returning to Saudi Arabia on October 21". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  3. ^ "WWE: End Your Partnership With Saudi Arabia!". Code Pink. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  4. ^ Bixenspan, David (November 1, 2018). "Why Is WWE Creating Propaganda for Saudi Arabia?". The Nation. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  5. ^ Martínez, Sebastián (February 27, 2020). "Super ShowDown: los fans amenazan con darse de baja de WWE Network - Reacción de Bill Goldberg". Solowrestling.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  6. ^ Meltzer, Dave (March 5, 2020). "March 13, 2020 Observer Newsletter: 40th Annual Awards Issue". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  7. ^ Harrington, Chris. "Wrestling Observer Awards (WON) 1980 - 2018 (and runner-ups)". indeedwrestling.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  8. ^ Meltzer, Dave. "March 1, 2021, Wrestling Observer Newsletter 2020 awards issue, Elimination Chamber". Figure4Weekly. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  9. ^ Wrestling Archived April 26, 2024, at the Wayback Machine, transmitted on ITV, January 24,1987, Tony St. Clair Vs Wayne Bridges - commentator Kent Walton mentions that St. Clair has spent the past eight months touring Japan, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Austria, event occurs at 3min 40secs.
  10. ^ https://greekreporter.com/2022/01/24/tromaras-modern-day-hercules/
  11. ^ "WWE Live Comes To Saudi Arabia". WWE. Saudi Arabia. December 15, 2013. Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  12. ^ "WWE wrestlers in Saudi Arabia for live matches". Al Arabiya. April 17, 2014. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  13. ^ "Photos: WWE's past visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia". WWE. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  14. ^ "WWE LIVE returns to Saudi Arabia". WWE. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  15. ^ "John Cena and WWE stars return to Saudi Arabia". english.alarabiya.net. September 8, 2015. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  16. ^ "WWE Live action returns to Riyadh this November". WWE. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  17. ^ a b c "Green Halls Stadium, Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.profightdb.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  18. ^ Newbould, Chris (May 2, 2017). "WWE Wal300ha: the long wait is over for wrestling fans in the Middle East". The National. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  19. ^ Adam Silverstein (March 5, 2018). "WWE news, rumors: 'Greatest Royal Rumble,' NXT injury, Jericho-NJPW done?". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  20. ^ Jefferson Lake (March 5, 2018). "WWE: Saudi Arabia to host 50-man Royal Rumble". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  21. ^ "Saudi Arabia to host the Greatest Royal Rumble". WWE. March 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  22. ^ "National Transformation Program 2020" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 1, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  23. ^ Currier, Joseph (November 4, 2019). "WWE announces 'expanded' partnership with Saudi Arabia". f4wonline.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  24. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (February 13, 2024). "Undertaker's Graveyard Escape Part Of WWE Experience In Saudi Arabia". Fightful. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  25. ^ a b c Paddock, Matty (April 24, 2018). "WWE Greatest Royal Rumble: Triple H defends hosting event in Saudi Arabia without any women wrestlers". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  26. ^ Schmidt, Samantha. "Saudi Arabia will allow women to attend sporting events in stadiums". Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  27. ^ "Women, children attend wrestling event in Saudi Arabia". APNews.com. April 28, 2018. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  28. ^ "APOLOGY ISSUED FOR 'INDECENT' MATERIAL AIRED DURING GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE - PWInsider.com". www.pwinsider.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  29. ^ "Renee Young to be part of WWE Crown Jewel announce team". October 30, 2018. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  30. ^ Meltzer, Dave (June 7, 2019). "Alexa Bliss-Natalya WWE match not approved by Saudi Arabian government". F4WOnline. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  31. ^ Satin, Ryan (June 7, 2019). "Alexa Bliss And Natalya Reportedly Not Approved To Wrestle At WWE Super ShowDown". Pro Wrestling Sheet. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  32. ^ "Women's wrestling match is first in Saudi Arabia". BBC News. October 31, 2019. Archived from the original on November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  33. ^ Perez, Chris (December 28, 2019). "WWE Reveals 2019 Year End Award Winners". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  34. ^ "Exclusive: Stephanie McMahon on WWE's First-Ever Women's Match in Saudi Arabia". October 30, 2019. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020 – via www.bbc.com.
  35. ^ Jones, Elton (October 31, 2019). "WWE Crown Jewel 2019: Reactions & Review". Heavy.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  36. ^ Powell, John (October 31, 2019). "The Fiend, WWE women make history at Crown Jewel". Canoe.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  37. ^ Powell, John (October 31, 2019). "WWE, SAUDI ARABIA 'SPORTSWASHING' COUNTRY'S 'DIRE HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD' WITH FIRST-EVER WOMEN'S MATCH". Newsweek. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  38. ^ Silverstein, Adam; Crosby, Jack (October 31, 2019). "2019 WWE Crown Jewel results, recap, grades: Major world title change among surprising outcomes". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  39. ^ Brookhouse, Brent (February 21, 2020). "WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Goldberg spears The Fiend, Bella Twins announced for Hall of Fame class". CBSSports. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  40. ^ a b Keller, Wade (February 27, 2020). "2/27 WWE Super ShowDown Report: Fiend vs. Goldberg, Lesnar vs. Ricochet, Reigns vs. Corbin in a cage, Gauntlet Match, Seth & Murphy vs. Street Profits, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020. Cite error: The named reference "SuperShowDown2020" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  41. ^ Reed, Adam (October 12, 2018). "Multimillion-dollar WWE pay-per-view deal in jeopardy due to Saudi Arabia tensions". CNBC. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  42. ^ "Multiple Senators question WWE's Saudi Arabia dealings". Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  43. ^ Bixenspan, David (October 17, 2018). "WWE Is Not Handling The Backlash To Its Saudi Deal Very Well". Deadspin. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  44. ^ Martinez, Philipp (October 20, 2018). "WWE CROWN JEWEL: TICKET SALES POSTPONED, MENTIONS OF SAUDI ARABIA REMOVED FROM SITE". Newsweek. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  45. ^ McKenna, James (October 25, 2018). "WWE Announces Crown Jewel Will Continue As Planned". Pro Wrestling Sheet. Archived from the original on October 25, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  46. ^ "Stephanie McMahon defends WWE Saudi Arabia event Crown Jewel". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  47. ^ "VINCE THANKS SAUDI ARABIA, BACKSTAGE NOTES AND MORE FROM GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE". PWInsider. April 28, 2018. Archived from the original on April 28, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  48. ^ Cailler, Adam (October 5, 2019). "No One Wants WWE To Return To Saudi Arabia". Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  49. ^ Gartland, Dan (October 30, 2018). "Daniel Bryan out of to Saudi show, replaced by Samoa Joe". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  50. ^ Johnson, Mike (October 30, 2018). "Spoiler: Daniel Bryan's status for Crown Jewel and more". PWInsider. Archived from the original on December 3, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  51. ^ Bonesteel, Matt (October 30, 2018). "John Cena won't appear at WWE Crown Jewel show in Saudi Arabia". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  52. ^ Fiorvanti, Tim (October 30, 2018). "John Cena won't take part in WWE's Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  53. ^ Rose, Byran (October 29, 2018). "John Cena off WWE Crown Jewel, replaced by Lashley". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  54. ^ Ross Sapp, Sean. "Exclusive: Roman Reigns Told WWE He Didn't Want To Go To Saudi Arabia Before Leukemia Diagnosis". Fightful. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  55. ^ "Exclusive: Kevin Owens Told WWE He Didn't Want To Go Back To Saudi Arabia | Fightful Wrestling". www.fightful.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  56. ^ Pollock, John (May 22, 2019). "Several WWE performers are not expected to go to Saudi Arabia". POST Wrestling | WWE NXT NJPW UFC Podcasts, News & Reviews. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  57. ^ Martinez, Phillip (May 22, 2019). "Kevin Owens told WWE he won't be a part of Super Showdown, according to a new report". Newsweek. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  58. ^ "Goldberg Responds to Fans Critical of WWE Saudi Arabia Shows: "We're Part of a Revolution"". October 29, 2021. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  59. ^ "Goldberg Explains Why His Match with the Undertaker Was A "Debacle"". December 30, 2021. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  60. ^ "What Bray Wyatt said during the Crown Jewel PLE, why MVP missed the event". November 6, 2022. Archived from the original on November 6, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  61. ^ Goitom, Hanibal (2014). Laws criminalizing apostasy in selected jurisdictions (Report). Law Library of Congress. p. 13. LCCN 2014434112. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  62. ^ Keller, Wade (May 12, 2023). "WWE SmackDown Results 5/12: Keller's report on WWE World Title Tournament, Theory vs. Lashley vs. Sheamus, Styles vs. Edge vs. Mysterio". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  63. ^ Carey, Ian (May 15, 2023). "Update on Zayn & Owens wrestling in Saudi Arabia at WWE Night of Champions". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  64. ^ a b c Riley-Smith, Ben (November 5, 2019). "WWE stars 'held hostage' on Saudi Arabia plane after dispute with crown prince, reports claim". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  65. ^ "Delayed in Saudi Arabia, some WWE talent to miss SmackDown in Buffalo". The Buffalo News. November 1, 2019. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  66. ^ a b "WWE Chairman Vince McMahon's issue with Crown Prince lead to plane mishap in Saudi Arabia?". Hindustan Times. November 6, 2019. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  67. ^ "WWE Sets Announcers for 'SmackDown' in Wake of Saudi Arabia Delays". TheWrap. November 1, 2019. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  68. ^ "Special WWE SmackDown Announce Team Revealed For Tonight, Update On The WWE Travel Situation". Wrestling Inc. November 1, 2019. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  69. ^ Bixenspan, David (March 7, 2020). "Another Retirement Fund Sues WWE, This Time Alleging Cover-Up Of Saudi Issues". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 8, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  70. ^ "King Abdullah Sports City Sports Hall, Jeddah, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.profightdb.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  71. ^ "SmackDown results May 24, 2024". WWE. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  72. ^ Powell, Jason (November 5, 2024). "WWE Raw results (11/4): Powell's live review of Seth Rollins vs. Damian Priest vs. Sheamus vs. Dominik Mysterio for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship, Battle Royal for a shot at the Women's World Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  73. ^ "Saudi Arabia to Host the Greatest Royal Rumble®". WWE. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Stamford, Connecticut. Business Wire. March 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2021. The Saudi General Sports Authority in partnership with WWE will present the Greatest Royal Rumble event at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, April 27. For the first time ever, the Royal Rumble match will feature 50 WWE Superstars.
  74. ^ India Today Web Desk (March 6, 2018). "WWE: Saudi Arabia to host The Greatest Royal Rumble, 25 superstars to participate". WWE. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  75. ^ Lake, Jefferson (October 9, 2018). "WWE Raw: D-Generation X reunite to battle The Undertaker and Kane". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2021. Michaels has not competed since losing a career-versus-streak match to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26 but makes his return to face the Dead Man in a tag match at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia next month.
  76. ^ Staff, WWE.com (May 13, 2019). "Undertaker, Goldberg to clash for first time ever at WWE Super ShowDown". WWE. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  77. ^ Burdick, Michael (October 15, 2019). "Universal Champion Seth Rollins vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (Falls Count Anywhere Match)". WWE. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  78. ^ Barrasso, Justin (February 27, 2020). "53-Year-Old Goldberg Out to Prove He Still Has It in Match vs. Bray Wyatt". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2021. On Thursday at Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh—more than 6,500 miles away from WWE's Connecticut headquarters—Goldberg will wrestle "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship.
  79. ^ Staff, WWE.com (February 7, 2020). "Might meets fright when Goldberg challenges "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt". WWE. Archived from the original on February 8, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2021. Who's next for Goldberg? Universal Champion 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt. Might meets fright for the Universal Championship at WWE Super ShowDown.
  80. ^ Nason, Josh (July 26, 2021). "WWE returning to Saudi Arabia on October 21". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  81. ^ Johnson, Mike (August 16, 2021). "WWE Returning to Saudi Arabia". PWInsider. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  82. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (January 17, 2021). "WWE Confirms Elimination Chamber Event In Saudi Arabia". Fightful. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  83. ^ Casey, Connor (May 23, 2022). "WWE Announces Crown Jewel 2022, Updated Event Schedule for 2022". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  84. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (April 13, 2023). "WWE Changes 'WWE King & Queen Of The Ring' PLE To 'WWE Night Of Champions'". Fightful. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  85. ^ Guzzo, Gisberto (October 7, 2023). "WWE Crown Jewel Officially Announced For November 4, 2023". Fightful. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  86. ^ "WWE Bringing Back King Of The Ring". Inside the Ropes. April 7, 2024. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  87. ^ a b Powell, Jason (November 2, 2024). "WWE Crown Jewel results: Powell's review of Gunther vs. Cody Rhodes for the Crown Jewel Championship, Nia Jax vs. Liv Morgan for the Women's Crown Jewel Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  88. ^ Powell, Jason (May 25, 2024). "WWE King and Queen of the Ring results: Powell's live review of Cody Rhodes vs. Logan Paul for the WWE Title, Gunther vs. Randy Orton in the KOTR finals, Nia Jax vs. Lyra Valkyria in the QOTR finals". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  89. ^ Powell, Jason (April 27, 2018). "Powell's WWE Greatest Royal Rumble live review: 50-man Royal Rumble match, Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns in a cage match for the WWE Universal Championship, AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship, John Cena vs. Triple H, Undertaker vs. Rusev in a casket match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  90. ^ Powell, Jason (November 2, 2018). "Powell's WWE Crown Jewel live review: Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman for the vacant WWE Universal Championship, AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship, Undertaker and Kane vs. DX, World Cup tournament". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  91. ^ Powell, Jason (June 7, 2019). "WWE Super ShowDown results: Powell's live review of Undertaker vs. Goldberg, Seth Rollins vs. Baron for the WWE Universal Championship, Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Championship, Triple H vs. Randy Orton, Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  92. ^ Powell, Jason (October 31, 2019). "WWE Crown Jewel results: Powell's live review of Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez for the WWE Championship, Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt in a Falls Count Anywhere match for the WWE Universal Championship, Braun Strowman vs. Tyson Fury, Lacey Evans vs. Natalya". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  93. ^ Powell, Jason (October 21, 2021). "WWE Crown Jewel results: Powell's live review of Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship, Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair for the Smackdown Women's Championship, Big E vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, Edge vs. Seth Rollins in a Hell in a Cell match, Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley in a No Holds Barred match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WWE_in_Saudi_Arabia&oldid=1258088165"