It looks like WWE has become a player in the ongoing diplomatic & proxy conflict between Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dave Meltzer noted on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that the WWE World Cup tournament being held at Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has to do with the Saudis being upset over Qatar landing the 2022 FIFA World Cup of soccer. The Saudis reportedly wanted the soccer World Cup but did not bid on it and couldn’t get it, so they went to WWE to hold their own World Cup of wrestling at Crown Jewel, according to the report.

The issues between the Kingdom and Qatar go back to the mid-1990s but have escalated in the past few years as the two countries fight for power in the region. The conflict is often referred to as the Second Arab Cold War and now it appears there is a WWE-related chapter to add to the history books.

You can read the latest on the controversy surrounding WWE, Crown Jewel and the Saudis at this link.

Source: WrestlingINC

Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso posted an article titled WWE Talent Is Uncomfortable With Saudi Arabia Show—And They Should Be. In his piece Barrasso made his case for why, considering the current political climate, WWE should pull out of their planned Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. Included in his editorial was insight from anonymous sources on the talent roster that have, “expressed discomfort with the idea of performing in Saudi Arabia.”

Wrestling Inc reached out to WWE in regards to the rumored discomfort amongst some talents. WWE responded with the following, “As always, we maintain an open line of communication with our performers, as we continue to monitor the situation.”

Source: WrestlingINC

Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso has new piece on the controversy surrounding WWE’s Crown Jewel event scheduled for Friday, November 2 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We’ve noted how both Republican and Democratic Senators have expressed concern over WWE’s relationship with the Kingdom after the recent disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and US citizen. The Turkish government claims they have evidence of Khashoggi being kidnapped, tortured and murdered by the Saudis in a state-sponsored crime.

SI reports that under the condition of anonymity, multiple members of the WWE roster have expressed discomfort with the idea of performing in Saudi Arabia, especially considering the past human rights abuses in the Kingdom. WWE officials recently confirmed to the media that they were watching the situation but it appears that the event will go on as planned. Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that it would take action from the US State Department or President Trump to stop Crown Jewel from happening. SI points to how the event will forever be tainted, if it happens, and how two big moments would be associated with a tainted event in the history books – WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels coming out of retirement and the first WWE Title match between Daniel Bryan and champion AJ Styles, plus the WWE World Cup tournament.

Regarding WWE talents being concerned with the event, Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that talents on the lower end of the card can’t speak out because of how the media would latch on to them, and the top guys can’t speak out because they know it would really hurt the company. Meltzer said, “It’s like the freedom of expression, if you’re in WWE, this is one where you cannot express your viewpoint, no matter what it is. Even if you’re in favor of it, people are going to jump down your throat. This is probably the biggest conundrum that WWE has been in the middle of in a long, long time. You’ve got a situation where everyone knows it, everyone’s thinking about it, everyone’s got an opinion about it but nobody can say a word, and that’s really something when it comes to the nature of that culture. It’s really scary in a lot of ways, that you have that. You’re going to have a lot of individuals that are gonna have a lot of really negative feelings about this. Some will understand it, and justify it for the business reasons and some will just go, kind of like any normal person would go about it – we don’t need the money, it makes our business look absolutely horrible to the public. But bringing attention to it will only make it worse.”

Crown Jewel is the second event under a 10-year partnership between WWE and the Kingdom. WWE did discuss back-up plans when the controversy began but Meltzer reports that WWE officials are “bound and determined” to go through with Crown Jewel for fear of losing the deal with the Saudis. It’s believed that the first show under the deal, last April’s Greatest Royal Rumble event, brought in somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 – $50 million for the company.

Source: WrestlingINC

Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver isn’t someone to mince words, and after the incident involving the alleged kidnapping and murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brought to light last week, the Crown Prince and the Saudi Government have found themselves in the eye of the storm. CNN also reported that most of the news outlets that agreed to cover a high-profile business conference in Saudi Arabia have pulled out following the revelation, and John Oliver, in the most recent episode of HBO’s Last Week Tonight put WWE on blast for their hesitancy in doing the same.

As earlier reported, WWE released a statement to the media that they were monitoring the situation in Saudi Arabia before making a decision about WWE Crown Jewel, but reports have since emerged that the company has decided to go ahead with their original plans.

John Oliver, while discussing the Crown Prince’s PR push to attract businesses and change the world’s perception of Saudi Arabia, mentioned the working relationship between Saudi Arabia and the WWE.

“They held their first of many events there back in April”, Oliver stated before continuing, “And audiences around the world were treated to wall-to-wall propaganda about the new Saudi Arabia, including a video showing women happily driving, men dancing, and tourist destination beauty shots, as well as constant excited announcements throughout the broadcast.

“It seems that WWE is as overtly pro-Saudi Arabia as it is lately homoerotic, which is to say intensely.”

You can find the portion of the episode where John Oliver talks about WWE below:

You can see the whole video by clicking here. Video contains foul language.

Source: WrestlingINC

Four U.S. senators are speaking out in a new article about WWE‘s involvement with the Saudi Arabian government, with one suggesting the President’s administration get involved before Crown Jewel.

William Steakin from the Independent Journal Review spoke with members of Congress on Thursday to get their opinions on the upcoming event in Saudi Arabia.

For those unaware, Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was reportedly assassinated in the Saudi consulate in Turkey last week. The team of people who allegedly murdered him reportedly dismembered his body with a bonesaw at the order of the highest levels of the Royal Court.

According to CNN, Turkish authorities have audio and visual evidence which proves this.

Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut told IRJ, “I’d hope that they [WWE] would be rethinking their relationship with the kingdom especially with respect to events coming up in the next weeks…”

“Private enterprise is private enterprise, different than a governmental entity,” Senator Bob Menendez from New Jersey told the Independent Review Journal. “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.”

As we previously reported, Crown Jewel is the second event following a lucrative long-term deal between WWE and the Saudi General Sports Authority. During the first event, Greatest Royal Rumble, a propaganda-like advertisement aired praising the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Senator Chris Coons from Delaware told IRJ that WWE should be “taking a hard look” at this partnership and controversial Senator Lindsey Graham said “there should be a pause.”

WWE released a statement on Thursday which states they are “monitoring” the situation.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet