10 Reasons WWE Should Never Return To Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Saga: Stating the obvious to an audience of one who doesn’t listen.
WWE has been no stranger to critical brickbats of late. Whether it be their woefully inconsistent TV shows, under attended live events or their suspect business practices, they’ve taken a kicking from commentators and fans alike.
However, their deal with Saudi Arabia and the subsequent stadium events have been poorly received even relative to the current products low standards. WWE have come under fire from both moral and creative standpoints. The company are set to receive a reported £450 million a year from the deal but the reaction to it has been almost universally negative.
Still, these, “WrestleMania level events,” look set to continue as planned. According to reports from PW Insider, WWE’s next Saudi Arabian shindig is set to take place in late October, once again using the name Crown Jewel.
But let’s not fret. Nothing lasts forever. WWE’s deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority is only set for 10 years and we’re already over a year in. That’s less than nine years left. That’s nothing. It’s only very nearly a decade. Honestly, it’ll be over before you know it.
After all, with new upstart babyface organisation AEW on the horizon WWE can easily afford to keep sabotaging their own reputation for years to come. Right?
10. Dead Crowds
In the Attitude Era, everyone was over. You don’t need to be told that. Even if you weren’t there you’ll have read this point before in many, many other articles. It’s about the least original thing you can read about wrestling on the internet. But that doesn’t make it any less true.
Go back and watch those old episodes of Raw and the atmosphere is electric. Then compare that to Stomping Grounds or this year’s Extreme Rules. It’s hard to sustain crowd interest throughout such B-level pay-per-views these days, let alone three hour TV shows.
You can even see it at WrestleMania 35. Good matches between talented wrestlers struggled to rouse much enthusiasm. Fans were completely fatigued from hour after hour of wrestling.
All of which is nothing to the lukewarm indifference of the Saudi Arabian Crowds. They don’t cheer the faces or boo the heels. There’s not even so much as a bit of go-away heat for Baron Corbin.
They only really come alive for the biggest of legends. Or anything involving Mansoor.
None of this looks good to the viewer at home or makes it any easier to invest in already lukewarm matches.