WWE Facing Major Backlash After Doubling Down on Saudi Arabia Partnership

WWE enjoys having shows in Saudi Arabia so much the organization will now have two big shows there per year. However, after what happened at the last show in Saudi Arabia, fans are not really happy about the move. On Monday, WWE announced they have extended their partnership with Saudi Arabia for another eight years. The organization also announced they will have two shows per year that will likely be on the WWE Network.

“Following the historic Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, WWE (NYSE: WWE) and the Saudi General Entertainment Authority (GEA) have expanded their live event partnership through 2027 to include a second annual large-scale event. WWE and GEA also continue to work towards the completion of a media agreement in the MENA region,” the WWE said in a press release. “This long-term partnership demonstrates WWE and GEA’s commitment to bring sports entertainment to the region and supports Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.”

There was quite a bit of backlash from fans on Twitter.

One fan wrote, “‘Well, after leaving our Superstars in Saudi Arabia due to contractual issues, we decided to expand our partnership with them anyways.’ Guess how many people will wanna go there? NOBODY!”

Another fan said, “Bathing in blood money,” while another fan said, “This is the opposite of good news.”

One fan took a shot at WWE public relations by saying, “WWE PR isn’t very good at WWE PR.”

So here’s why WWE fans don’t like this. Last week, there was a WWE Network event called Crown Jewel. After the show, the talent was getting ready to leave Saudi Arabia for the U.S., but their flight was delayed. The WWE announced that they were dealing with mechanical issues, but it was reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman detained the plane because he was upset the WWE cut the live feed of the event because the company did not get paid for the broadcast at the time. However, the New York Post reported the WWE got the $60 million it was owed.

The fact something like this happened was not good for WWE because the company made history at Crown Jewel. Natalya and Lacey Evans competed in a match and it was the first time two women held a pro wrestling match in Saudi Arabia.