10 Big Concerns Heading Into WWE Crown Jewel 2021
1. We Don't Address The Elephant In The Room
The biggest concern of all, however, is that this is treated as any other show.
There are millions of reasons why WWE agreed on this deal with the Saudi Prince, all of them safely locked away in Vince McMahon's bank account. Whilst WWE aren't the only organisation and wrestling isn't the only industry to be involved in it, this is still sports washing.
Large, box office boxing matches have been held in Riyadh, and recently, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund purchased the Premier League football club, Newcastle United. It's all part of a 'rebrand' that looks flashy and shiny, and distracts many people from some of the human rights atrocities that happen within the country.
Of course, WWE are unlikely to mention any of it, in fact, they are likely to push some of the propaganda down our throats which immediately makes this event practically moot, despite the outcomes of some of the matches on a surprisingly decent card.
Yes, we are wrestling fans and we are here due to our interest, whether positive or negative, in WWE. But we shouldn't be bashing them for putting on a poor show in Riyadh, we should be grilling them for going in the first place.
Trying to buy a better reputation is only beaten by accepting the money to allow it to happen.
We shouldn't just ignore it.