WWE Confirms Crown Jewel Will Remain in Saudi Arabia Amid Controversy
After weeks of speculation regarding the November 2nd PPV, WWE announced moments ago that Crown Jewel will go on as planned as they released their 3Q financial results.
The following is a statement released by the WWE during their 3Q earnings statement in regards to the status of the Crown Jewel event scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia:
"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 U.S.-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"
This decision comes on the heels of a turbulent two weeks for the company ever since Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was reported missing by Turkey officials after entering the Saudi Arabian consulate.
In the weeks since, reports have confirmed that he was murdered and WWE had faced pressure from several US senators in recent weeks to pull out of the event.
WWE had been facing internal pressure as well. Reports broke this week that John Cena and Daniel Bryan both were refusing to appear at the event despite being booked for top-of-the-card matches.
Despite removing Crown Jewel from their ‘upcoming schedule’, refusing to mention Saudi Arabia by name the last two weeks on television, and slightly tipping their hand by not having sold any tickets for an event that was less than 10 days away, a decision was not made until today.
While rumors have ranged from canceling the event to finding a new location, Twitter user @TheBarnBurns seemed to break the news that the event would be moved Wednesday morning at 11:00 AM after sending out the following tweet:
WWE reportedly was considering the impact that moving Crown Jewel would have on its top line revenue figures. Pulling out of Saudi Arabia came down to a classic business decision: do the ethically correct thing or protect your top line growth?
WWE choose the latter and only time will tell what impact that may have on a WWE Universe base that has expressed frustration with the company response to this event.