As noted before, WWE signed a ten-year deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to hold major events annually in the country. Both of WWE’s Saudi events held last year were embroiled in controversy with the biggest issues involving the ban placed on their female talent and the high profile murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
WWE reportedly is currently working on plans to remove the ban placed on their female talent for future Saudi-based events, according to Fightful.
Fightful reported that there have been recent talks within the company, led by several high level individuals, for a women’s match to be featured on the card of their next Saudi event, which is rumored to take place this May. It was also reported that WWE recently held early talks with the organizers of these Saudi events regarding this potential idea and their attempt to lift the ban.
Fightful also reported that some within the company also view the idea of holding a women’s match in Saudi Arabia as just something that can be spun it into a huge public relations victory for the company’s troubled working relationship with the Saudi government.
In a related note, WrestlingDVDNetwork reported that WWE recently scrapped plans for an official DVD release of last year’s Crown Jewel event. This DVD was originally scheduled to be released in early 2019 and likely was canceled due to WWE not wanting to reopen the controversy surrounding this event, which involved the murder of Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi agents.