10 Reasons WWE Should Never Return To Saudi Arabia
5. LGBT Rights
Just a heads up, things get a little more serious from here on in. Other WWE events might be accused of dead crowds or dull matches. The Saudi Shows have a unique set of rather uncomfortable problems.
Saudi Arabia has one of the worst LGBT rights records in the world. Homosexuality is illegal and punishments for homosexual acts include not just prison but public whipping and chemical castration. Practices that would be considered barbaric in WWE’s United States home.
Advocating for LGBT rights is also illegal in Saudi Arabia. So Finn Bálor deserves some credit for tweeting a photo of himself at a Saudi stadium wearing an equality t-shirt. Even then he probably waited to be safely on a plane home before tweeting. It’ll be interesting to see if he makes the next trip.
Continuing to work with the Saudi Sports Authority isn’t an endorsement of the countries attitudes to LGBT people but it does represent a tacit acceptance. Where Bálor makes a statement his bosses prefer to keep their mouths shut and line their coffers.
This would all be terrible for any openly LGBT wrestlers on the roster. Luckily, as we’ll see, they’re not taking Sonya Deville with them anyway...