Earlier this week, there was a rumor that John Cena and Daniel Bryan were “refusing” to wrestle at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.
Pro Wrestling Sheet is now reporting that they have “confirmed with sources that Daniel did indeed tell management he will not work the event due to the Saudi government’s reported involvement in the death of Jamal Khashoggi.” They added that there was “no confirmation on the Cena side of things, including from one of his representatives.”
Robbie Fox of Barstool Sports, who first reported the Cena/Bryan rumor, said today that John Cena is “100% off the show.”
Still awaiting confirmation on Bryan, but John Cena is still 100% off the show.
As reported by @iamjohnpollock, the WWE were hopeful they’d come to terms with Cena, but there’s been zero change on John’s end.
— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) October 25, 2018
Dave Meltzer also said on the Wrestling Observer board that WWE creative was “most definitely told [Monday] that Cena was off the show and they need to think about a replacement.” He added, “As for Bryan, I have no idea. Nobody has confirmed it, but WWE didn’t deny it when I asked them.”
A rep for WWE released this statement to Pro Wrestling Sheet when asked: “As always, we maintain an open line of communication with our performers and will address each situation accordingly.”