Last week, WWE went to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel. Following the event, the majority of WWE superstars and personnel were stuck at the airport for hours.
Many took to Twitter, some saying they would never go back and others hinting at dubious allegations. Former WWE announcer Hugo Savinovich said that WWE talent told him they were held there by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia due to a money dispute with Vince McMahon.
When the news broke, there was one source who told Dave Meltzer that Seth Rollins asked WWE talent to not talk about these things on social media. Rollins blasted Meltzer for the report, calling it a lie.
No Dave, my problem is that you’re spreading complete lies. I gave no speech. I said nothing before, during or after the meeting. So either you or your source is full of it. Either way, it’s a bold faced lie and I kindly ask you to quit pushing it. https://t.co/1G2umltIqm
— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) November 5, 2019
Despite the controversy, WWE simply ignored it and they are moving forward as planned.
WWE expands partnership with Saudi Arabia
Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet (who also works for WWE Backstage on Fox Sports 1) reported that the WWE relationship with Saudi Arabia will continue and the agreement was actually extended.
Following the historic Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, WWE (NYSE: WWE) and the Saudi General Entertainment Authority (GEA) have expanded their live event partnership through 2027 to include a second annual large-scale event. WWE and GEA also continue to work towards the completion of a media agreement in the MENA region.
This is huge news for WWE financially. It also offers up more groundbreaking moments for the company.
So far, the Saudi Arabia shows have seen Shawn Michaels come out of retirement after a decade of sitting at home to team up with Triple H to battle Undertaker and Kane. Goldberg also returned to the ring to battle Undertaker.
At the most recent WWE Crown Jewel show, women wrestled a professional wrestling match for the first time ever in the country when Natalya and Lacey Evans faced off. MMA star Cain Velasquez and boxing champion Tyson Fury competed in matches as well.
The original agreement was a 10-year deal, which was through 2027, so what makes this different? According to Satin, this agreement was to solidify the two-event a year plan, as they only had to do one show a year on the current deal.