John Cena and Daniel Bryan reportedly absent from Saudi show

Following WWE's decision to move ahead with pay-per-view television in Saudi Arabia, John Cena and Daniel Bryan would retire from the series.

Several reports have confirmed that Cena and Bryan would not travel to Saudi Arabia for their scheduled matches at Crown Jewel. After WWE's decision to continue the event, Cena's decision would apparently not have been changed, although the company tried to convince the two men to leave.

WWE issued this statement on this subject: "As always, we maintain an open line of communication with our interpreters and treat each situation accordingly."

John Cena and Daniel Bryan shake hands after their title match at SummerSlam 2013 WWE

On Monday, Robbie Fox of Barstool Sports reported that Cena and Bryan "refused" to work with Crown Jewel, and Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer confirmed that the WWE creator had been informed that Cena would not make the series.

WWE is apparently preparing for the two men's exit this week. RAW will be replaced in the Monday night World Cup tournament and Bryan's WWE Championship match with AJ Styles will be announced leading to Crown Jewel without Daniel's actual participation.

TWEET – https://twitter.com/RobbieBarstool/status/1055842709192302592

WWE has taken a lot of heat for this deal with Saudi Arabia following the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Turkish consulate. WWE originally announced it would "monitor the situation," but after weeks of investigations and the Saudi government's finding of Khashoggi's death, the Connecticut-based company has announced it will continue to operate with Crown. Jewel.

"WWE has been operating in the Middle East for almost 20 years and has developed a large and dedicated fan base," said the president in a statement posted on the group's website. "Considering the heinous crime committed in front of the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, the company faced a very difficult decision because of its event scheduled for Nov. 2 in Riyadh.

"Similar to other US companies that plan to continue operating in Saudi Arabia, the Company has decided to meet its contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority and to organize the event. Forecasts for the whole of 2018 are based on planning the Riyadh event as planned. "

Fans will have to wait for Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live next week to see how the WWE will host the Cena and Bryan boycott of the crown jewel.