10 Times WWE Went Too Far
3. Continuing With Crown Jewel Post-Khashoggi
Dissident Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered inside Istanbul's Saudi consulate on 2 October 2018, having previously fled his country of birth to go into exile. While the Saudi government initially denied the death, the country's attorney general confirmed the premeditated murder of a man never shy of sharing his criticising of King Salman and Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who, according to a CIA investigation, ordered the assassination.
These are the people WWE leapt into bed with when agreeing their multi-million dollar deal.
The backlash was swift. WWE were put under immense pressure to scrap their upcoming show in the wake of Khashoggi's death, though it'd mean missing out on a huge financial windfall. Ultimately, they chose cash over morales.
"Considering the heinous crime committed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the company faced a very difficult decision as relates to its event," WWE's statement read. “Similar to other U.S.-based companies who plan to continue operations in Saudi Arabia, the Company has decided to uphold its contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority and stage the event."
Disappointing? Bitterly. Surprising? Absolutely not. As if WWE would actually be the company to turn down literal blood money.