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WWE IN SAUDI ARABIA: HAS EXPANSION TO THE MIDDLE EAST BEEN SUCCESSFUL?

The WWE is a global brand with fans all around the world. The Middle East has in recent years established itself as a popular destination for top class international sport and entertainment. It was therefore inevitable that the WWE would branch out into the region, taking its shows and stars to a part of the world with plenty of fans and even more money.

The first foray into the Middle East market took place in 2012 when the Raw World Tour stopped off in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi. Since then, a further three shows have been held in Abu Dhabi and one in neighbouring Dubai, in 2016.

However, the WWE’s presence in the region has been strongest in Saudi Arabia, with a total of eight shows so far in the Kingdom. After three Smackdown shows, the WWE and Saudi Arabia signed a 10-year partnership in March 2018, committing the company to the long-haul in the Arab world’s most populous and richest nation. The contract outlines that two shows per year are to be held in Saudi Arabia.

While the UAE does have a questionable record regarding human rights and receives its fair share of criticism, it is still a modern and progressive country with a sizeable expatriate community and a long history of hosting global events. Therefore, taking the WWE to the Emirates was never deemed a controversial move.

Saudi’s strict censorship

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, courts far more controversy. The kingdom has some of the strictest lifestyle and censorship laws in the world. Media, news, and entertainment are strictly censored to adhere to Islamic government regulations, while Internet searches are blocked when attempting to visit websites the government deems “immoral”. 

For certain website content, like adult entertainment, that is not such a surprise, but there are also blocks on news services from certain countries Saudi Arabia view as enemies, like Israel, Iran, and Qatar. As for playing in online casinos or streaming foreign TV, forget it: VPNs are illegal and unable to connect. Saudi Arabia have even censored Netflix.

It is no surprise, then, that any international event that decides to go to the nation is accused of money-grabbing and aiding the state’s attempts to sportswash its image, thereby using sports and entertainment shows to provide a façade of modernity when in actuality many Saudi laws and ways of life remain extremely oppressive.

So, it has proved for the WWE, which has found itself exposing, and embroiled in, many of the issues for which Saudi Arabia has earned its status as one of the world’s worst countries for human rights.

Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia – or more aptly, lack of rights – have received worldwide criticism, with a host of barbaric laws aimed at suppressing the nation’s females. To think, it wasn’t until June 2018 when women were legally allowed to drive. 

Khashoggi looms large

The WWE soon found itself at the centre of a storm when Saudi Arabia banned female wrestlers from participating in its shows. While that was bad enough, when Triple H, the WWE’s Executive Vice President, moved to defend Saudi’s stance, it left a bad taste in the mouth and only heightened accusations that the WWE were prioritizing money over morals.

After attempting to add a female match – Alexa Bliss v Natalya – to the Super ShowDown card in June 2019, which got rejected by the Saudi government, the WWE were finally able to gain approval four months later at Crown Jewel, where Natayla faced Lacey Evans. But even then, compromises were made, and conditions were in place as both wrestlers wore full body suits and t-shirts instead of their typical ring attire. 

While there was some negative feedback about the nature of the first ever female match in Saudi Arabia, it was largely hailed as a breakthrough moment for the WWE and the kingdom itself. 

However, no amount of positive publicity generated by the match could compensate for the build-up to Crown Jewel, with Saudi Arabia in the middle of a diplomatic crisis after the killing of Saudi citizen and prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, just one month prior to the show. 

US politicians urged the WWE to cancel the event and a number of high-profile wresters including Daniel Bryan and John Cena withdrew in protest. But, in another move that did not sit well, Stephanie McMahon insisted the show would go ahead as a “business decision”. Another money over morals moment for the WWE.

Time to call it quits?

The controversy surrounding the Crown Jewel event continued after the show when a charter plane comprising wrestlers and WWE staff were refused take-off and sat on the runway for six hours. While the official line from Saudi officials was plane mechanical issues, that was easily disputed. 

The WWE’s most recent event in Saudi, February’s Super ShowDown, went off without any of the previous controversies and scandals, yet the show itself was universally slammed by critics for being below-par.

So, what next for the WWE in Saudi Arabia? With the coronavirus pandemic grinding international events to a halt, it is unlikely the company will be returning to the kingdom for its second show of 2020. 

Yet, with the mounting tension between the with Saudi authorities, an increasing number of wrestlers staying away, and controversy at every turn, an extended break before deciding the future relationship should be welcomed by the WWE. 

The partnership with Saudi Arabia has undoubtedly been a financial success for the company. But at what price? 

 

 

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