The Disturbing Truth Behind Saudi Arabia Buying WWE
Vince McMahon has not turned heel.
On November 5, 2022, to much public outcry, WWE presented the Crown Jewel Premium Live Event from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of its ongoing business partnership with (or, more accurately, its propagandising of) the Saudi Arabia General Sports Authority.
Nothing on the show, despite a high level of quality relative to those early non-canon glorified house shows, seemed to matter in the wake of the shadow looming over it. All but the most ardent WWE apologists were united in their dismay. How could this happen, they said. How could WWE get into bed with a brutal dictatorship that violently prohibits free speech and oppresses the LGBTQ community?
It was a sad day for professional wrestling. Its innocence had been lost forever. It didn't matter that the headline attraction was a blow-away success, that a battle of the behemoths also over-delivered, albeit to a less impressive degree, or that the roster had their working boots on against a visually spectacular backdrop. The mood was simply too low for any of this to register.
Except absolutely none of this happened.
People raved about the main event. The conversation was dominated not by the gross nature of the relationship but rather the remarkable progress made by Logan Paul, who wrestled something close to a true WWE classic in just his third-ever match. The only noisy controversy stemming from the show was the Twitter activity of Braun Strowman. A lot of people were more prepared to defend the art of high-flying wrestling than those struggling in marginalised communities.
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