WWE unbowed by criticism for Saudi event, more events likely

Under growing pressure, the show went on for WWE last Friday in Saudi Arabia. It was most likely not its last event in the country.

Amid the furor over the suspected murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Oct. 2 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, WWE pressed ahead with its Crown Jewel event in Riyadh. The decision sparked widespread criticism on social media and among a number of TV pundits, but the company does not appear to be wavering in its commitment to its 10-year partnership with the Saudi government that was launched earlier this year.

“I think WWE acted wisely in how they handled the event,” said Josh Shuart, chairman of marketing and sports management at Sacred Heart University. “They dialed down promotion across all platforms for a while, as the public cried out for them to outright cancel the event. You do have to be sensitive to the potential impact that canceling a 10year deal, in year one, may have had on the company.”

In an Oct. 26 statement, WWE officials had condemned Khashoggi’s killing as a “heinous crime.” On the same day, WWE Co-President George Barrios said, on an earnings call, that proceeding with Crown Jewel was “a difficult decision.”

The commitment to Crown Jewel contrasted with the pullback of many American companies in Saudi Arabia in the wake of Khashoggi’s death. A number of top U.S. executives withdrew from an investment conference held last month in Riyadh.

WWE superstars John Cena and Daniel Bryan were two noticeable omissions from the event, with varying accounts circulating about their absence. Another superstar, Roman Reigns, withdrew after announcing last month he needed to suspend his ring appearances to battle leukemia.

No women competed at Crown Jewel, just as they were sidelined for the WWE Greatest Royal Rumble, the company’s previous event in Saudi Arabia, in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

Many WWE fans and critics have panned on social media the exclusion of women in the Saudi programming. WWE officials have said they are trying to respect their host country’s social norms and have not ruled out women participating in future events there.

In contrast, a number of Saudi-owned media outlets gave glowing reviews of Crown Jewel, while omitting references to the outrage over Khashoggi’s death.

“The event is being praised for how it embodies the diplomatic power of sport and highlighting the WWE’s support for Saudi Arabia’s social reforms,” said the lead of an article posted last Saturday on the English-language website of broadcaster Al Arabiya.

WWE did not release Crown Jewel’s viewership statistics, with the event shown on the subscriptionbased WWE Network and several regional networks.

Crown Jewel was a sellout at the approximately 25,000-capacity King Saud University Stadium, according to WWE.

The spectacle would likely contribute significantly to WWE’s event earnings this year. In the third quarter, the company’s event business brought in $26.7 million, down about 15 percent from the same period a year ago. The decline reflected lower attendances at events around the world and reduced ticket prices at gatherings held outside the U.S.