WWE released their Q3 2018 financial results today and in the report, confirmed that they are going ahead with Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on November 2.
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
There were reports that WWE could have possibly been asked to not go by the US State Department, according to Dave Meltzer, who added that Vince McMahon would never pull out of the show on his own because he’s “too far out of touch.”
There were also reports that WWE (and the US government) were waiting for Turkey to release more information about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, but on Tuesday, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan mostly just re-iterated the information that was already known, without providing any new “bombshells.”
It will be interesting to see if WWE will still air horrendous propaganda videos talking about how wonderful and “progressive” the barbaric Saudi monarchy is. Saudi Arabia isn’t paying them all this money for nothing.