6 Ups And 5 Downs From WWE Crown Jewel 2023

2. Vision 2030? More Like 1730

When WWE first announced its partnership with Saudi Arabia, they went all-in as a willing partner in the sportswashing effort for the repressive kingdom, airing vignettes touting how “progressive” the country was because they now let women drive and attend school.

Then the murder of an American-based journalist forced that outward praise into the shadows, as WWE didn’t even mention they were in Saudi Arabia, going to great pains to cover up the relationship, while still cashing each $50 million check for every paid show.

Fast-forward to 2023, where time has healed all wounds, according to WWE, as they once again praised Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan, an economic reform plan to make the kingdom a destination.

But this all comes less than two months after a Saudi court handed down a death sentence for a man because he made critical social media posts about the Saudi government.

The Saudi government will pay WWE $50M+ for today's #WWECrownJewel, the price for each event that's part of their 10-year deal.

$50M is equivalent to about 3 Wrestlemanias-worth of ticket sales.The government continues to punish critics, including Muhammad al-Ghamdi who was… https://t.co/dJm47A6RGH

— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) November 4, 2023

WWE, the company that drapes itself in the American flag and talks a good game about freedom, has no problem staying in bed with a nation that literally murders its citizens for speaking out against it, presumably because their checks don’t bounce. It’s an absolute embarrassment that should be called out at every opportunity as a reminder of how disgusting it truly is.