WWE's Saudi Arabian Return Date CONFIRMED?
Here's when WWE plans on returning to Saudi Arabia.
COVID-19 related restrictions pending, WWE plans on returning to Saudi Arabia on 21 October.
This was first reported by the Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast's Andrew Zarian, who tweeted the following on Monday:-
Hearing from source:
AdvertisementWWE will be returning to Saudi Arabia in October. (If there are no restrictions at that time) Heard 10/21 but have not double confirmed. #WWE #News pic.twitter.com/ojILv6yyEC
— Andrew Zarian (@AndrewZarian) July 26, 2021
POST Wrestling's John Pollock has since confirmed 21 October with a different source. Whether it be Crown Jewel, Super ShowDown, or a different event entirely, it sounds like the show is happening.
This will be WWE's first big card in Saudi Arabia since Super ShowDown 2020 in February 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and its myriad travel restrictions have prevented Vince McMahon's promotion from fulfilling its two-shows-a-year obligation to Saudi Arabia's General Sports Authority, having signed a big-money deal in 2018. Now, it looks like the two parties are on the verge of getting back on schedule.
WWE's first big Saudi pay-per-view, April 2018's Greatest Royal Rumble, attracted widespread criticism for airing what was essentially pro-government propaganda while earning money directly from the country's regime. Though such vignettes were toned down in subsequent shows, WWE's Saudi criticism peaked around Crown Jewel 2018, as the company faced pressure to cancel the event in the wake of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing by Saudi agents one month prior.