Was WWE's Flight Delayed After Super ShowDown?

All the latest on WWE's departure from Riyadh.

by Andy H Murray
WWE Super ShowDown
WWE.com

WWE encountered major travel issues when attempting to leave Saudi Arabia after Crown Jewel 2019, with the crew's plane held on the tarmac for hours amid muddy reports of technical faults and disagreements between Vince McMahon and Saudi officials.

It was a calamity. The wrestlers ended up leaving the Kingdom roughly 24 hours later than planned, causing many of them to miss the following day's SmackDown. In fairness, the NXT call-ups necessitated by this helped created one of the best shows of the year, though the circumstances were far from ideal.

Fortunately, WWE appears to have avoided these issues following yesterday's Super ShowDown 2020 event. Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin tweeted the following last night:-

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Thank goodness for that.

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Yesterday's news that Saudi Arabia had closed its borders to incoming passengers travelling from countries with reported Coronavirus infections led to fears that WWE may face troubles on departure, given the recent COVID-19 case in North Carolina. This was compounded by reports that the promotion had used the same flight company as they did for Crown Jewel 2019. Fortunately, those concerns were unfounded.

Here's to a safe arrival in the United States and a strong episode of SmackDown tonight.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.