WWE Cannot Ignore What Is Going On In Saudi Arabia

As controversy continues to swirl around political issues in Saudi Arabia, the WWE cannot turn a blind eye as the world watches.

Whether the WWE wants to acknowledge the situation or not, their continued partnership with Saudi Arabia is a questionable decision. The ten-year deal between the US-based WWE, and Saudi Arabia has brought the organization both praise and disdain from those that follow both the professional wrestling industry and important social issues around the world.

As the organization prepares for their second show, titled Crown Jewel, the country is embroiled in a tenuous issue surrounding accusations of an assassination involving a columnist for the Washington Post. This is something that the organization cannot afford to ignore and must address in one way or another.

For those who are not following the story, this week, multiple outlets reported that Jamal Khashoggi, a well-known columnist who was critical of the Saudi Arabia rulership, was killed by the Saudi consulate in Turkey. In fact, grim details came out yesterday that he was killed quickly after arriving to the location and his body was dismembered using a bone saw. Many US officials, including President Donald Trump, have come out to admonish the situation and call for various investigations into the matter.

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As this issue and its details continue to develop, many organizations that are involved with the Saudi Arabia leadership are coming under scrutiny. One of those companies is the WWE. Companies such as Virgin and CNN have both backed out of business deals with the country, but it’s hard to see the WWE doing the same.

Which the exact figures are unknown, many believe that the deal between the WWE and Saudi Arabia is worth nearly $450 million. This partnership started with the Greatest Royal Rumble, which occurred earlier this year, and involves additional shows over a ten-year partnership. But even the WWE can’t turn their eyes to what is going on within the country and the area surrounding it. This week the company released a statement on this potentially heinous act by saying “We are currently monitoring the situation,” but that doesn’t cause any to believe that the company will make any moves to back away from this highly contentious country.

It will be interesting to see if the company decides to take any action. With less than three weeks until the show, the company risks losing a lot of capital in order to draw a hard line on social issues. This is the same company that allowed Saudi Arabia to basically ban all of the women on its roster from performing during The Greatest Royal Rumble and glossed over the in-show storyline that stroked demographic fears in the that area. To think that decision makers within the organization would be willing to lose out on millions of dollars due to outcry is a hard idea to float.

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We no longer live in a world where it’s acceptable to ignore the impact of social issues in professional wrestling. As the industry works to become more inclusive of everyone, it’s important to monitor how the WWE responds to this matter involving Saudi Arabia. As more information is available, their response will resonate with just what is the most important to the organization. And while a bad decision won’t be enough to derail its growing financial momentum; it should be enough to draw the concern of those within its demographic that are becoming more socially aware.

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