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WWE will hold its crown jewel ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday.
It's an indescribable way to describe a show – titled by big stars such as The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar – that the WWE usually blitzes with the hype in fashion.
Bigger! Badder! And usually with an event logo connecting the event to its host city, such as the New York skyline or the New Orleans fleur de lis incorporated into the latest WrestleMania designs.
Instead, WWE has muted Saudi Arabia as backlash against its lucrative long-term deal with a kingdom facing global turmoil. The financial situation is bleak, but the WWE is expected to earn between $ 20 and $ 40 million per event thanks to two Saudi issues this year under a 10-year contract. Critics of supporters and politicians started because women had been excluded from competition at an April event, then changed and spread after the death of writer Jamal Khashoggi at Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul.
WWE fans, traditionally also non-PC ring wrestlers, booed whenever Crown Jewel is mentioned when a wrestler cuts a promo and that video feed that announces that the event has was abruptly closed to the crowd -female event Sunday to crush an adverse reaction. The deal was hailed two weeks in a row on HBO in "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver".
WWE has tried to distance itself from the international outcry over the murder and minimize its ties to Riyadh.
"We will not talk much about it," WWE President Vince McMahon said during a conference call. "It's a very sensitive topic these days, of course."
The company's advertisers have refused to mention Saudi Arabia during recent live events. The WWE website only mentioned the date and time of the map on Tuesday. The April Great Rumble Rumble page still mentions King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, under the hour / place heading.
"WWE has been in the Middle East for almost 20 years and has developed a large and dedicated fan base," WWE said in a statement. "Given the heinous crime committed at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, the company faced a very difficult decision regarding its event (Crown Jewel)." Similar to other state-based companies States that plan to continue their activities in Saudi Arabia, the company has decided to respect its contractual obligations vis-à-vis the General Sports Authority and organize the event. "
The stock price of the WWE fell last month after a steady rise this summer, rising from $ 94.22 per share on October 1 to $ 66.16 Monday.
The reaction also impacted the impact of Crown Jewel's marquee. John Cena, the face of the company for 15 years, has been replaced on the map of Saudi Arabia by another wrestler and the move has been inscribed in the fictional story of the series. Cena, who could not be contacted for comment, would have doubts about his participation and how this could affect his thriving film career.
"Do not give up something you just enjoy because of pressure from others around you," Cena tweeted Monday.
The WWE certainly did not do it, even though Cena's absence and the sudden departure of Roman Reigns while he fought leukemia stirred the card.
McMahon discussed this sensitivity while announcing a quarterly profit, posting revenues of $ 188.4 million for the third quarter and a record $ 657.7 million over nine months, ending in September. Much of this money comes from Saudi shows – and WWE has used large checks to help attract retired wrestler Shawn Michaels after eight years of retirement and encourage other motivations.
"One of my biggest winnings in my history for Vince has been to make a trip to Saudi Arabia," said WWE host Jim Ross on his podcast. "I was very well paid."
WWE has not hesitated in the face of public pressure even as other companies have rethought their commercial ties with Saudi Arabia. Endeavor, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has withdrawn from an agreement that would have caused Saudi Arabia to invest $ 400 million.
"I did not hear about anyone who did not want to go and who was afraid to talk about it," said Wade Keller, editor and founder of the Wrestling News PWTorch wrestling website. com. "The people I've talked to have had more of a shoulder shrug than it is somehow out of their hands and over their payment ladder." know that there are people who are not comfortable with that and who would like that not to happen. "
WWE has survived – and even flourished – as a result of inappropriate public relations problems in the past. McMahon faced steroid-related charges levied by the federal government in the early 1990s; a series of wrestlers suffered premature deaths, many of which related to drugs, until the late 1990s; and most notoriously, the horrific murders committed by former champion Chris Benoit, who would also kill himself in 2007, rocked the organization.
Despite the previous troubles, fans have never gone in droves. Not when there was always the next big map on the horizon, the next spiritual slogan to market on a t-shirt or future movie star in the making to retain fans.
WWE has been strengthened over the last 12 years by a family-friendly transformation and society has eliminated many of the bloody chair shootings and the origin of concussions and rude comments that have frightened advertisers. The company tried to stop drug use with a welfare policy that even caught the biggest wrestlers with violations. WWE has placed a strong emphasis on the charitable and goodwill efforts of the military, cancer foundations, anti-bullying programs and Make-A-Wish, and strives to build relationships with the sport community. WWE routinely sends championship belts to World Series or Super Bowl-bred winners by showcasing athletes on parade routes.
"It totally goes against what they've spent years trying to make the WWE brand," Keller said. "I think fans have accepted that and feel betrayed and disappointed.People who thought it was a company that wanted to do good now consider it a drain on money."
Mainstream America still has a raised eyebrow on wrestling – sports entertainment, as the WWE calls it – and nearly 70 years of popularity have little relevance to critics when the company stands out.
"There are many things they can do to make the world a better place, without having to get caught up in making propaganda for a government with Saudi Arabia's reputation," Keller said.
So why do it? Especially when the cities make an offer for WrestleManias like the Super Bowls and that $ 1 billion television deals with the US and Fox start in 2019?
"They feel they can survive, because if they receive $ 40 million for this event, they can suffer a lot of beating to the body and head while beating their minds only in dollars." and cents, "says Keller. "But the negative mood and the loss of goodwill are obvious."
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