Controversies are not going to put an end to the bond between WWE and Saudi Arabia. At least for 2019, the biggest pro-wrestling promotion of the world will continue visiting the country on multiple occasions. This might sound strange to some of the fans of WWE Universe. But money has always been the sole reason behind this.
WWE started the trend of hosting PPV events in Saudi Arabia starting from Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018. Controversies started to hit the company from that point that reached the maximum extent during the next time. It was in November 2019 when WWE went back to the country to host another big event named Crown Jewel.
The death of Jamal Khashoggi is still a burning topic around the world. It just started to take off prior to Crown Jewel mounting huge pressure to the WWE. They were keeping the situation under observation giving birth to rumors that the location might get changed. But ultimately McMahon and Co.did not make any alteration in the schedule.
They are not likely to make any changes to Saudi Arabia tour in 2019, too. The deal allows the company to host two PPV shows in a calendar year benefitting them millions of dollars in return. So WWE has already booked two dates to visit the middle east country. As per reports from Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE has dates booked in Saudi Arabia for May and November.
As stated above, WWE has come to agreements with Saudi Arabia sports authority for hosting events. The signed contract between the two parties will be active for ten years. So anyone who was hoping to see WWE canceling the deal is likely to be disappointed. For now, they will not confirm the exact dates for the PPV just to avoid another heat.
The source suggested that WWE will hold off the official announcement around Saudi Arabia just to keep the fan backlash minimal. The Jamal Khashoggi controversy is not coming to an end, sooner. So there’s less chance that fans will forget the fact and start anticipating about another global show in May 2019.
Bonuses for the Crown Jewel PPV for the superstars have recently arrived. Reports claim that some of them were not happy with the amounts. This might also create some negative heat among them, too. Last time, John Cena and Daniel Bryan decided to skip the show. We will see whether some more superstars add their name to the list or not.
