MUMBAI: World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) upcoming Crown Jewel event will be staged in Saudi Arabia despite the pre-meditated murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of de facto Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The WWE said that despite Khashoggi’s assassination, the event would be staged in Riyadh itself as the company faced a great deal of difficulty before scheduling the event for November 2.
A statement released by the company on Thursday as part of the company’s earnings release acknowledged the “heinous crime” committed, but declared that the spectacle will still take place in Riyadh on November 2.
It declared: “WWE has operated in the Middle East for nearly 20 years and has developed a sizable and dedicated fan base.
“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 US-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.
“Full year 2018 guidance is predicated on the staging of the Riyadh event as scheduled.”
WWE also adds that it “is continuing to monitor ongoing developments in the region, and there can be no assurances in this regard.
“If the event were to be cancelled, there could be material adverse impact on 2018 Adjusted OIBDA guidance. While not anticipated, it is possible that a cancellation could also impact expected results beyond 2018.”
Despite the confirmation, the attendance of two of the biggest stars in the business remains in doubt amid reports John Cena and Daniel Bryan do not wish to participate.
The advertised card includes an eight-man WWE World Cup tournament, featuring Cena, and Bryan challenging SmackDown’s AJ Styles for the WWE Championship.
WWE has not mentioned ‘Saudi Arabia’ on air while promoting the event in recent weeks, but have continued to add further matches to the card.
Tickets had been set to go on sale on Friday, October 19, but they still had not on October 24.
In a related development, Dan Le Batard of ESPN Radio blasted WWE for keeping Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia during “The Dan Le Batard Show” on Thursday.
“Did you see WWE is still going to Saudi Arabia? What a bad decision that is. But it’s the sewer and the sewer is going to behave like the sewer,” Dan said. “There’s a lot of money in Saudi Arabia, so much money, so wrestling is going back to Saudi Arabia as we wonder whether Saudi kills journalists with bone saws. It’s not a hard statement to make. You’re not usually this overt about, ‘We’ll take your money even though you’re being investigated for killing a journalist with a bone saw. … Yeah, we’ll take your money, your blood money. No matter what.”
The journalist went missing on October 2 after cameras captured him walking into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. After two weeks of denial about any information on his disappearance, and constantly shifting storylines subsequently, Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor admitted on Thursday the assassination was premeditated.
