If we’re to believe the reports going around, and there isn’t much reason not to, WWE is scrambling to figure out what to do about its upcoming Crown Jewel event, which had been scheduled for Nov. 2 in Saudi Arabia but is now reportedly in jeopardy. We don’t know what has tipped the scales in this direction, as the company seemed adamant about going forward with the show as early as last week, but things have changed in recent days that seem to have turned the tide.
That includes reports that stars the likes of John Cena and Daniel Bryan have refused to work the show or, at the very least, expressed displeasure with it. That’s on top of previous reports that many within the company were uncomfortable with going to Saudi Arabia at all.
Either way, it’s led to this:
UPDATE: WWE is currently in the process of frantically scouting locations to move Crown Jewel to. This is NOT definite confirmation that it's out of Saudi Arabia, but the location and date are unquestionably in major jeopardy right now.
— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) October 23, 2018
Now, instead of a bought show that would net them gobs of money, they have to move it to an arena large enough to sell enough tickets to come anywhere close to not completely losing their ass in talent payouts alone. Remember, Brock Lesnar and Shawn Michaels are reportedly getting paid a lot of money to come back for this event, money WWE was able to throw around because of this deal. What’s more, the event is 10 days away from its scheduled date. Moving that back won’t be easy, especially considering Survivor Series is scheduled for Nov. 18, but cancelling it outright isn’t a decision they can make considering how much they’ve promoted the show, with all the big names attached to it.
You could argue WWE was fine just running shows there before, but when they ran that propaganda at Greatest Royal Rumble it turned everything. The current international situation following the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the circumstances surrounding it is such that it would be inexcusable to continue on with this show. The show, by the way, always felt awful, what with the women on the roster being unable to work it while the company is in the middle of promoting a women’s revolution and may very well have booked an entire event for them just days prior to deflect criticism.
This is WWE going through a hell of its own making. There are going to be many headaches over all the decisions they have to make now, and those headaches are deserved.