10 Worst Moments From WWE In Saudi Arabia (So Far)

Where to even start...

By Jacob Simmons /

For many wrestling fans, the recent announcement that WWE will be returning to Saudi Arabia later this year was met with feelings of dread, disappointment, and a general desire to throw up. WWE's relationship with The Kingdom has been disastrous at almost every turn with enough scandals, controversies, and legal threats to sink any other company.

Advertisement

But there have only been five big Saudi shows thus far, how much could possibly have gone wrong? Well, if you've somehow managed to miss every piece of news relating to these shows, then buckle up, because things are about to get bumpy.

In this list, there won't be much mention of the real-life issues caused by WWE's appearances in Saudi Arabia (that's a topic of its own) and will instead focus on the mountains of in-ring garbage that wrestling fans have had to endure whilst watching these events.

Think of it as a trip down memory lane, only the pavement is cracked, the street lights don't work, and the road leads to sewage works.

Let's cross our fingers and hope that the worst is behind us in Saudi Arabia and that WWE don't do anything as bad as any of these entries when they return there...

10. Hulk Hogan's Return

WWE were just asking for trouble at Crown Jewel 2018. The event was already under intense scrutiny after the Saudi government's role in the alleged killing of Jamal Khashoggi was revealed, but not only did WWE not cancel the show, they also thought "in for a penny, in for a pound!" and brought back one of their most controversial figures of recent times.

Advertisement

Hulk Hogan hadn't been seen or mentioned in WWE since clips emerged of him using racist language. The company completely severed ties with The Hulkster, scrubbing his name from their website and even removing him from the Hall of Fame. It looked like Hogan was gone for good, until Saudi Arabia came calling.

In 2018, it was announced that Hogan would be making his return to WWE as the host of Crown Jewel. Clearly The Crown Prince's love of old wrestling got the better of WWE and The Hulkster was welcomed back with (somewhat) open arms. Fans and wrestlers alike were critical of Hogan's return, arguing that he had not learned his lesson. However, none of this mattered in the end, as Hogan is still a fixture of WWE events to this very day.

Advertisement