The Disturbing Truth Behind WWE Super ShowDown

WWE Crown Jewel
WWE.com

WWE cannot even improve the fortunes of its wealthy, privileged athletes, much less, for example, thousands of exploded, incinerated Yemeni schoolchildren. WWE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia doesn’t change the regime; WWE perpetuates it. The GSA pays eye-watering sums of money to WWE so that the association itself depicts the regime as western-friendly. Progressive. Things of that nature, quite frankly.

This isn’t a blanket demonisation of the Saudi population—but WWE isn’t presenting a show for the Saudi population. This isn’t an entertainment company promoting a show.

Super ShowDown has been met with significantly less resistance than Crown Jewel, and that is because Jamal Khashoggi was not murdered in May of 2019.

The western media found that story juicy—a sexy international incident ripe for Oscar-bait adaptation in a few short years. The proxy murderers dispatched by the Crown Prince cut off the journalist’s fingers in a scene that would have felt literally hacky, under the pen of a Hollywood screenwriter. Khashoggi’s dismembered corpse; the threat to journalistic freedom; the brazen machinations of global politics: this was far more glamorous and intriguing than, say, an air strike conducted by a Saudi-led coalition that killed at least 40 schoolchildren in Yemen. Carried out as part of its crusade to reinstate a political ally at the expense of young, innocent lives, this intervention has resulted in the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crisis.

CONT'D...(4 of 5)

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!