WWE in Saudi Arabia

Series of professional wrestling events in Saudi Arabia by American promotion WWE.

Professional wrestling pay-per-view event series

WWE in Saudi Arabia

Promotions| WWE
Brands| Raw
SmackDown
First event| April 2014 tour
Part of a series on

Professional wrestling

History

* History of professional wrestling
* By year
* Early wrestling championships
* Gold Dust Trio
* 1980s boom
* Black Saturday
* 1994 NWA World Title Tournament
* Monday Night Wars
* Attitude Era
* 2000 All Japan Pro Wrestling mass exodus
* The Invasion
* Wednesday Night Wars

Notable promotions

* All Elite Wrestling
* All Japan Pro Wrestling
* All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
* American Wrestling Association
* Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
* Extreme Championship Wrestling
* Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
* Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling
* Jim Crockett Promotions
* Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide
* National Wrestling Alliance
* New Japan Pro-Wrestling
* Pro Wrestling Noah
* Ring of Honor
* Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling
* Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
* UWF International
* Women of Wrestling
* World Championship Wrestling
* World Wonder Ring Stardom
* WWE
* Others

Notable people

Early 20th Century

* George Hackenschmidt
* The Great Gama
* Frank Gotch
* Billy Sandow
* Toots Mondt
* Ed Lewis
* Jack Pfefer
* Jim Londos
* Salvador Lutteroth
* Lou Thesz

Mid 20th Century

* Gorgeous George
* El Santo
* Sam Muchnick
* Mildred Burke
* The Fabulous Moolah
* Blue Demon
* Verne Gagne
* Karl Gotch
* Rikidōzan
* Stu Hart
* Bruno Sammartino

1970s and 1980s

* Terry Funk
* Harley Race
* Gordon Solie
* Antonio Inoki
* Giant Baba
* Mil Máscaras
* André the Giant
* Carlos Colón
* Dusty Rhodes
* Ric Flair
* Jim Crockett Jr.
* Big Daddy
* Vince McMahon
* Dynamite Kid
* Satoru "Tiger Mask" Sayama
* Hulk Hogan
* Randy Savage
* Hisashi Shinma
* Akira Maeda

1990s

* Ted Turner
* Sting
* The Great Muta
* The Undertaker
* Jim Ross
* Mitsuharu Misawa
* Kenta Kobashi
* Toshiaki Kawada
* Atsushi Onita
* Antonio Peña
* Eric Bischoff
* Paul Heyman
* Jim Cornette
* Bret Hart
* Shawn Michaels
* Kevin Nash
* Scott Hall
* Vince Russo
* Stone Cold Steve Austin
* The Rock
* Paul "Triple H" Levesque

2000s

* Chris Jericho
* Jeff Jarrett
* Eddie Guerrero
* Rey Mysterio
* Brock Lesnar
* John Cena
* Hiroshi Tanahashi
* Místico

2010s and 2020s

* CM Punk
* Bryan Danielson
* Roman Reigns
* Kazuchika Okada
* Kenny Omega
* Tony Khan
* Nick Khan
* Cody Rhodes

By region

* Australia
* Bolivia
* Canada
* China
* France
* India
* Israel
* Japan
* Mexico
* New Zealand
* Puerto Rico
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* United Kingdom
* United States

Styles

* British wrestling
* All-in style
* Mountevans rules
* Catch-as-catch-can
* Cruiserweight
* X Division
* Hardcore
* Intergender
* Lucha libre
* Midget
* Mini-Estrella
* Puroresu
* Shoot style
* U-Kei
* Women's

Concepts

* Attire
* Masks
* Wrestling singlet
* Wrestling shoe
* Backyarding
* Blading
* Championship
* World Heavyweight
* Dirt sheet
* Glossary of terms
* Kayfabe
* Gimmick
* Face
* Heel
* Shoot
* Heat
* Job
* Push
* House show
* Match types
* Music
* Rib
* Ring name
* Sports entertainment
* Tag team
* Weight classes
* Wrestling ring

Culture

* Cauliflower Alley Club
* Cauliflower ear
* Comic books
* Films
* Luchador films
* Magazines
* Paintings
* Gustave Courbet
* Thomas Eakins
* William Etty
* George Luks
* Ribera Steakhouse
* Sculpture
* Ten-bell salute
* Video games
* Wrestling personalities in politics
* Zubaz

Media outlets

* Botchamania
* Box y Lucha
* Dark Side of the Ring
* Fighting Spirit Magazine
* Live Audio Wrestling
* OSW Review
* Power Slam
* Pro Wrestling Illustrated
* Súper Luchas
* Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Controversies

* Animals in professional wrestling
* Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide
* Death of Owen Hart
* Mass Transit incident
* Montreal Screwjob
* Murder of Bruiser Brody
* Murder of Rikidōzan
* Premature deaths
* Speaking Out
* United States v. McMahon
* Vince McMahon sexual trafficking scandal
* WWE–Saudi Arabia relationship

Lists

* Attendance records
* Championships
* Matches rated 5 or more stars by Dave Meltzer
* Moves
* Promotions
* Rivalries
* Rosters
* TV shows
* Wrestling families

Related topics

* Combat sport
* Comparison of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts
* Martial arts
* Mock combat
* Pankration
* Sport wrestling
* Amateur
* Catch
* Shoot
* Submission
* Lancashire
* Luta Livre
* Pehlwani
* Stage combat
* Theatre

* v
* t
* e

WWE, an American professional wrestling promotion based in Stamford, Connecticut, has been promoting events in Saudi Arabia since 2014. After initially holding non-televised house shows, WWE announced a 10-year strategic partnership with the Ministry of Sport in 2018, which would see the hosting of pay-per-views (PPV, now premium live events [PLEs]) in Saudi Arabia. In 2019, WWE announced it had "expanded" its partnership with the General Authority for Entertainment through 2027, under which it would hold two "large-scale events" in the country per-year.[1] These events have been held at venues in Riyadh or Jeddah.

Since the beginning of the agreement, two PLEs have been held in Saudi Arabia annually. One is held in the first half of the year within an existing WWE chronology, while an annual event known as Crown Jewel is held in either late-October or early-November. WWE's first major event in Saudi Arabia was Greatest Royal Rumble—a one-off edition of WWE's annual Royal Rumble—on April 27, 2018. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and WWE's suspension of touring, the Saudi events were suspended after Super ShowDown in February 2020. They returned with Crown Jewel in 2021.[2]

The partnership has faced criticism over Saudi Arabia's poor human rights record (including suppression of women's and LGBT rights), allegations of sportswashing, and the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.[3][4][5][6] Some WWE performers have declined or were restricted from participating in the shows due to government policies and political tensions, while members of WWE's women's division were initially barred from performing in the first three events; Crown Jewel in 2019 would eventually feature WWE's first women's match in the country, and Super ShowDown featured its first women's title defense.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter named the partnership between WWE and Saudi Arabia the "Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic" in both 2018 and 2019, and named 2018's Crown Jewel and the 2019 and 2020 Super ShowDown events as those year's "Worst Major Wrestling Show".[7][8]

## History[edit]

Saudi Arabia had previously been visited by professional wrestling tours - one such tour in 1986 included Tony St. Clair.[9]

In December 2013, it was announced that WWE would begin holding shows in Saudi Arabia,[10] and in April 2014, the promotion held their first house shows in Riyadh;[11] these were three separate shows at Green Halls Stadium.[12] In October 2015, WWE held three house shows in Jeddah, at the King Abdullah Sports City Sports Hall.[13][14] In November 2016, WWE returned to Green Halls Stadium for two non-televised events,[15] which exclusively featured wrestlers from the SmackDown brand.[16] In 2017, WWE launched the Arabic-language recap show, WWE Wal3ooha, which airs in Saudi Arabia.[17]

On March 5, 2018, WWE and the Saudi General Sports Authority (renamed Ministry of Sport in 2020) advertised the Greatest Royal Rumble, a televised live event to be held on April 27, 2018, at King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah.[18][19] The event was announced as the first in a 10-year strategic multi-platform partnership between WWE and the Saudi General Sports Authority in support of Saudi Vision 2030, the country's social and economic reform program.[20][21]

WWE announced on November 4, 2019, that it had "expanded" its partnership with the General Entertainment Authority through 2027, under which it would hold two "large-scale events" in Saudi Arabia per-year.[22] In addition, Riyadh Season, an entertainment festival also organized by the General Entertainment Authority, would host the WWE Experience, an indoor theme park themed around the WWE (named after its former syndicated television program), for its 2023 season; it opened on February 16, 2024. It was the first WWE theme park since the 2011 closure of the former WWE Niagara Falls.[23]

## Controversies[edit]

### Women's rights[edit]

See also: Women in WWE

WWE received criticism for holding the events without female wrestlers, who were unable to perform in Saudi Arabia between 2014 and 2019, due to the country's limitation on women's rights.[24] Triple H, WWE's Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, stated: "I understand people are questioning it, but every culture is different and just because you don’t agree with a certain aspect of it, you can’t dictate to a country about how they handle things... WWE is at the forefront of a women’s evolution in the world [and] we have had discussions about [women competing] and hope in the next few years, they will".[24]

Consistent with the change in law for sporting events in 2017,[25] women were able to attend WWE events if accompanied by a male guardian.[24] This was in response to "a series of social changes" by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman,[26] who repealed the previous legislation completely banning women from public events. During the Greatest Royal Rumble, WWE aired a promotional video which included female wrestlers in their ring gear. The Saudi General Sports Authority issued an apology for "indecent material" that aired at the event.[27]

During the second Crown Jewel event in 2018, Renee Young provided commentary at the show; she reprised her role at 2019's Super ShowDown.[28] Hours before 2019's Super ShowDown, reports emerged that WWE were attempting to add a women's match, which would have seen Alexa Bliss face Natalya. The two women joined WWE personnel for the trip, but the match was ultimately rejected by the Saudi Arabian government.[29][30]

On October 30, 2019, WWE announced that a match between Natalya and Lacey Evans had been approved for the 2019 Crown Jewel event, making it the first-ever women's match in Saudi Arabia. At the event, Evans wore a full bodysuit instead of her normal ring attire (Natalya's normal ring attire is a full bodysuit) and both wore T-shirts promoting their WWE shirts for sale, due to the country's conservative dress policy.[31] WWE largely celebrated the match as groundbreaking, which they later nominated for a WWE Year-End Award for Moment of the Year, with WWE CBO Stephanie McMahon stating in an interview: "You can either sit on the sidelines and there are plenty of companies and brands that decide to do that or you can be a part of hopefully enacting change. You can be a part of progress. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. It takes time. It takes perseverance. Now here we are with the first ever women's match in Saudi Arabia. It's pretty mind blowing."[32][33]

However, reactions from other media outlets were mixed. While some were positive, such as Heavy.com, who stated that the match was "put in place to break barriers and further WWE's 'Women’s Evolution' for the proud ladies in attendance and watching all over the world. And for that, I have to give it the utmost props", or Canoe.com who stated that "The historic match was about and meant so much more [than its result]."[34][35] Newsweek called the match part of "Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's [intent on] luring major sports event [...] to position the ultra-conservative Islamic country as more liberal and diversify its economy away from depending on the oil industry as part of its Saudi Vision 2030 plan", with Saudi Arabian Amnesty International researcher Dana Ahmed calling the match "a prime example how the Saudi Arabian authorities are using elite sports to try to 'sportswash' their dire human rights record and image internationally".[36] CBS Sports criticized Michael Cole's commentary, pointing out that he was "trying to put over the progressiveness of Saudi Arabia" during the match.[37]

At Super ShowDown in 2020, Bayley defended her SmackDown Women's Championship against Naomi, making it the first time a women's championship was defended in Saudi Arabia.[38][39]

### Killing of Jamal Khashoggi[edit]

Main article: Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi

See also: Crown Jewel (2018)

One month prior to the 2018 edition of Crown Jewel, Saudi Arabia received substantial negative press due to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi agents. This led to the WWE facing calls to cancel the event, with prominent U.S. Democratic and Republican politicians criticizing the company's endeavors in Saudi Arabia.[40] Questions were raised whether because of the position of then-Administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon, who is married to the WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and a former WWE executive herself, WWE's endeavors in Saudi Arabia could still be viewed as a strictly private business enterprise. Due to this, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez urged the US government to pressure WWE into canceling the event, while Republican Lindsey Graham, among others, called for WWE to reconsider their business deal with the Saudi kingdom.[41] WWE continued to promote the show, but erased all references to Saudi Arabia as the event's location.[42]

On October 19, the day tickets were to go on sale, the Saudi government confirmed the death of Khashoggi within the consulate and WWE.com removed ticket information from the event page.[43] On October 25, WWE confirmed the event would go on as planned, citing contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority.[44] Speaking with Sky Sports on pushing forward with the event despite the murder, Stephanie McMahon spoke of "an incredibly tough decision, given that heinous act", but said that in the end it was strictly a business decision.[45]

### Wrestlers refusing to work[edit]

Sami Zayn did not participate in the Greatest Royal Rumble as Zayn is of Syrian descent, and Saudi Arabia had strained relations with Syria.[46] Noam Dar, an Israeli wrestler on 205 Live, has never participated in any of the Saudi events due to the Arab League boycott of Israel and the Arab–Israeli conflict.[47]

During Crown Jewel (2018), Daniel Bryan was scheduled to face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, but he refused to work the show due to the Khashoggi murder.[48][49] As a result, his title match was bumped up to the October 30 episode of SmackDown, and he was replaced by Samoa Joe. John Cena, who was scheduled to participate in the WWE World Cup at the event and had called it "an honor and a privilege" to compete in Saudi Arabia during the Greatest Royal Rumble, was replaced by Bobby Lashley, as he reportedly refused to work the show in wake of the Khashoggi murder.[50][51][52] In February 2019, Fightful reported that prior to his leukemia diagnosis, Roman Reigns had informed Vince McMahon that he also would not be taking part in the Crown Jewel PPV due to the controversy surrounding the event.[53]

In 2019 for Super ShowDown, Kevin Owens and Aleister Black told WWE that they would not travel to Saudi Arabia, in addition to Zayn and Bryan once again not competing on the show.[54][55] Kevin Owen's refusal to work the show allegedly comes from his friendship with Sami Zayn.[56] As a result of his absence, he was replaced in the WWE Championship match by Dolph Ziggler.

Despite Dar not participating in the Saudi Arabia shows due to the Arab–Israeli conflict, Goldberg and Paul Heyman have worked multiple Saudi Arabia shows without incident despite both being Jewish and in Heyman's case his own mother having been a Holocaust survivor. Goldberg would go on to defend WWE on the shows following his victory over Bobby Lashley at the 2021 Crown Jewel, saying that he feels the country is heading in the right direction in "Westernizing" the country and the Middle East region as a whole, citing the progress just in WWE's shows alone in the Kingdom.[57] Goldberg did, however, later admit on The Pat McAfee Show that he was initially scared to go to Saudi Arabia due to his strong Jewish heritage, but felt more comfortable after receiving a positive response from the Saudi fans and understood the bigger picture of the shows.[58]

Since Saudi Arabia has strict laws against apostasy which is punishable by death, Montel Vontavious Porter (Hassan Assad), who is a former Muslim converted during his prison term, avoided travel to the country for Crown Jewel in 2022.[59][60]

After Saudi Arabia–Syria relations were re-established in May 2023, Zayn and Owens were scheduled to perform at Night of Champions later that month in Jeddah.[61] This was in turn Zayn's first Saudi event since a WWE Live tour in April 2014 and Owens' first Saudi event since Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018.[62]

### Travel issues[edit]

After Crown Jewel in 2019, a charter flight back to the United States carrying roughly 200 WWE employees (including performers and other staff) was delayed at King Fahd International Airport for multiple hours. WWE and the airline Atlas Air officially stated that the flight had been grounded for mechanical issues,[63][64] but reports from former WWE Spanish-language commentator Hugo Savinovich and wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer suggested that disputes with the Saudi government over missed payments to WWE for the previous shows were a factor in the delays (including the presence of Saudi military police).[63][65] 20 WWE employees, including CEO Vince McMahon and 12 wrestlers, booked their own flights back to the United States,[63][65] while the following night's SmackDown in Buffalo was retooled to primarily feature talent from the women's division and NXT (which did not participate in the event).[66][67]

### Lawsuit[edit]

On March 6, 2020, a retirement fund for firefighters filed a lawsuit against WWE in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, stemming from concerns related to the fund's holding of WWE stock. According to Forbes, it is "an attempt at class action alleging that WWE defrauded investors via its handling of their deals with the Saudi royal family, who also control OSN, the network that airs WWE programming in Saudi Arabia." The lawsuit claims that the Saudi Arabian government failed to pay WWE millions of dollars owed from their deal with the company, that WWE's failed to disclose said payment issues and that OSN unlawfully terminated a broadcast deal with WWE.[68]

## Live events[edit]

### House shows[edit]

| SmackDown-branded event

|

#  | Date  | City  | Venue

|
|
|

1  | April 17–19, 2014[16] | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Green Halls Stadium
2  | October 8–10, 2015[69] | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | King Abdullah Sports City Sports Hall
3  | November 3–4, 2016[16] | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Green Halls Stadium

### Pay-per-view and livestreaming events[edit]

#  | Event  | Date  | City  | Venue  | Main event  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Greatest Royal Rumble | April 27, 2018  | Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia | King Abdullah International Stadium | 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble match for the Greatest Royal Rumble Trophy and Championship  | [70][71]
2  | Crown Jewel (2018) | November 2, 2018  | Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia | King Saud University Stadium | D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels and Triple H) vs. The Brothers of Destruction (Kane and The Undertaker)  | [72]
3  | Super ShowDown (2019) | June 7, 2019  | Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia | King Abdullah International Stadium | The Undertaker vs. Goldberg | [73]
4  | Crown Jewel (2019) | October 31, 2019  | Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia | King Fahd International Stadium | Seth Rollins (c) vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in a Falls Count Anywhere match for the WWE Universal Championship which could not be stopped for any reason  | [74]
5  | Super ShowDown (2020) | February 27, 2020  | Mohammed Abdu Arena | "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship | [75][76]
6  | Crown Jewel (2021) | October 21, 2021  | Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship | [77][78]
7  | Elimination Chamber (2022) | February 19, 2022  | Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia | Jeddah Super Dome | Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles vs. Austin Theory vs. Riddle vs. Seth "Freakin" Rollins in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship | [79]
8  | Crown Jewel (2022) | November 5, 2022  | Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia | Mrsool Park | Roman Reigns (c) vs. Logan Paul for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship | [80]
9  | Night of Champions (2023) | May 27, 2023  | Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia | Jeddah Super Dome | Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (c) vs. The Bloodline (Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa) for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship | [81]
10  | Crown Jewel (2023) | November 4, 2023  | Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia | Mohammed Abdu Arena | Roman Reigns (c) vs. LA Knight for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship | [82]
11  | King and Queen of the Ring (2024) | May 25, 2024  | Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia | Jeddah Super Dome | Cody Rhodes vs. Logan Paul for the Undisputed WWE Championship | [83]
12  | Crown Jewel (2024) | November 2, 2024  | Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia | Kingdom Arena | TBD  |

(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match

## See also[edit]

* Sportwashing

## References[edit]

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52. ^ Rose, Byran (October 29, 2018). "John Cena off WWE Crown Jewel, replaced by Lashley". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
53. ^ Ross Sapp, Sean. "Exclusive: Roman Reigns Told WWE He Didn't Want To Go To Saudi Arabia Before Leukemia Diagnosis". Fightful. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
54. ^ "Exclusive: Kevin Owens Told WWE He Didn't Want To Go Back To Saudi Arabia | Fightful Wrestling". www.fightful.com. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
55. ^ Pollock, John (May 22, 2019). "Several WWE performers are not expected to go to Saudi Arabia". POST Wrestling | WWE NXT NJPW UFC Podcasts, News & Reviews. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
56. ^ Martinez, Phillip (May 22, 2019). "Kevin Owens told WWE he won't be a part of Super Showdown, according to a new report". Newsweek. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
57. ^ "Goldberg Responds to Fans Critical of WWE Saudi Arabia Shows: "We're Part of a Revolution"". October 29, 2021.
58. ^ "Goldberg Explains Why His Match with the Undertaker Was A "Debacle"". December 30, 2021.
59. ^ "What Bray Wyatt said during the Crown Jewel PLE, why MVP missed the event". November 6, 2022.
60. ^ Goitom, Hanibal (2014). Laws criminalizing apostasy in selected jurisdictions (Report). Law Library of Congress. p. 13\. LCCN 2014434112.
61. ^ Keller, Wade (May 12, 2023). "WWE SmackDown Results 5/12: Keller's report on WWE World Title Tournament, Theory vs. Lashley vs. Sheamus, Styles vs. Edge vs. Mysterio". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
62. ^ Carey, Ian (May 15, 2023). "Update on Zayn & Owens wrestling in Saudi Arabia at WWE Night of Champions". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
63. ^ a b c Riley-Smith, Ben (November 5, 2019). "WWE stars 'held hostage' on Saudi Arabia plane after dispute with crown prince, reports claim". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
64. ^ "Delayed in Saudi Arabia, some WWE talent to miss SmackDown in Buffalo". The Buffalo News. November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
65. ^ a b "WWE Chairman Vince McMahon's issue with Crown Prince lead to plane mishap in Saudi Arabia?". Hindustan Times. November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
66. ^ "WWE Sets Announcers for 'SmackDown' in Wake of Saudi Arabia Delays". TheWrap. November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
67. ^ "Special WWE SmackDown Announce Team Revealed For Tonight, Update On The WWE Travel Situation". Wrestling Inc. November 1, 2019.
68. ^ Bixenspan, David (March 7, 2020). "Another Retirement Fund Sues WWE, This Time Alleging Cover-Up Of Saudi Issues". Forbes. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
69. ^ "King Abdullah Sports City Sports Hall, Jeddah, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.profightdb.com. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
70. ^ "Saudi Arabia to Host the Greatest Royal Rumble®". WWE. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Stamford, Connecticut. Business Wire. March 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2021. "The Saudi General Sports Authority in partnership with WWE will present the Greatest Royal Rumble event at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, April 27. For the first time ever, the Royal Rumble match will feature 50 WWE Superstars."
71. ^ India Today Web Desk (March 6, 2018). "WWE: Saudi Arabia to host The Greatest Royal Rumble, 25 superstars to participate". WWE. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
72. ^ Lake, Jefferson (October 9, 2018). "WWE Raw: D-Generation X reunite to battle The Undertaker and Kane". Sky Sports. Retrieved April 15, 2021. "Michaels has not competed since losing a career-versus-streak match to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26 but makes his return to face the Dead Man in a tag match at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia next month."
73. ^ Staff, WWE.com (May 13, 2019). "Undertaker, Goldberg to clash for first time ever at WWE Super ShowDown". WWE. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
74. ^ Burdick, Michael (October 15, 2019). "Universal Champion Seth Rollins vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (Falls Count Anywhere Match)". WWE. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
75. ^ Barrasso, Justin (February 27, 2020). "53-Year-Old Goldberg Out to Prove He Still Has It in Match vs. Bray Wyatt". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2021. "On Thursday at Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh—more than 6,500 miles away from WWE's Connecticut headquarters—Goldberg will wrestle "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship."
76. ^ Staff, WWE.com (February 7, 2020). "Might meets fright when Goldberg challenges "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt". WWE. Archived from the original on February 8, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2021. "Who's next for Goldberg? Universal Champion 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt. Might meets fright for the Universal Championship at WWE Super ShowDown."
77. ^ Nason, Josh (July 26, 2021). "WWE returning to Saudi Arabia on October 21". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
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79. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (January 17, 2021). "WWE Confirms Elimination Chamber Event In Saudi Arabia". Fightful. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
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81. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (April 13, 2023). "WWE Changes 'WWE King & Queen Of The Ring' PLE To 'WWE Night Of Champions'". Fightful. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
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83. ^ "WWE Bringing Back King Of The Ring". Inside the Ropes. April 7, 2024.

Portals:

* Saudi Arabia
* United States

* v
* t
* e

WWE

History|

* McMahon family
* Capitol Wrestling Corporation
* 1980s boom
* Black Saturday
* WrestleMania I
* Steroids trial
* The Kliq
* Bone Street Krew
* Monday Night Wars
* Montreal Screwjob
* Attitude Era
* The Invasion
* Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide
* PG Era
* New Monday Night Wars
* Wednesday Night Wars
* ThunderDome
* Vince McMahon sexual trafficking scandal

Programming|

| Weekly in-ring shows|

* Monday Night Raw
* history
* special episodes
* on-air personalities
* Friday Night SmackDown
* history
* special episodes
* on-air personalities
* NXT
* Seasons 1–5
* special episodes
* NXT Level Up
* Speed
* Main Event

|

Recap shows|

* Afterburn
* Bottom Line
* This Week in WWE
* Vintage
* Wal3ooha

Seasonal shows
and specials|

* Biography: WWE Legends
* Miz & Mrs.
* Most Wanted Treasures
* Rivals
* Tribute to the Troops
* results

Pay-per-view and
WWE Network events|

* Royal Rumble
* Elimination Chamber
* NXT Stand & Deliver
* WrestleMania
* Backlash
* King of the Ring
* Clash at the Castle
* Money in the Bank
* SummerSlam
* Bash in Berlin
* WWE in Saudi Arabia
* Crown Jewel
* Survivor Series
* NXT Deadline

Other|

* Broadcasting rights

Home bases|

* UFC Apex
* WWE Performance Center

Former|

* Amway Center
* Full Sail University
* Tropicana Field
* Yuengling Center

Personnel|

* Hall of Fame
* Former personnel
* A–C
* D–H
* I–M
* N–R
* S–Z

Notable rivalries
and matches|

* André the Giant–Hulk Hogan rivalry
* Bret Hart vs. Tom Magee
* Mankind vs. The Undertaker
* The Streak

Affiliated properties|

* WWE 2K
* WWE Books
* WWE Legacy Department
* WWE Music Group
* Discography
* WWE Network
* Canada
* WWE Podcast Network
* WWE Studios
* Tapout

Defunct businesses|

* World Bodybuilding Federation
* The World
* WWE Classics on Demand
* WWE Home Video
* WWE Niagara Falls
* WWE Magazine
* XFL
* 2001
* 2020

Notable acquisitions|

* American Wrestling Association
* Dragon Gate USA
* Evolve
* Extreme Championship Wrestling
* WWE revival
* Florida Championship Wrestling
* Georgia Championship Wrestling
* Global Wrestling Federation
* Heartland Wrestling Association (video library)
* International Championship Wrestling
* Smoky Mountain Wrestling
* World Championship Wrestling
* history
* Who Killed WCW?
* World Class Championship Wrestling
* World Wrestling Council (video library)

Investments|

* Avid Technology
* Cloud9
* DraftKings
* Drone Racing League
* FloSports
* Marvel Experience
* Phunware
* Premier Lacrosse League
* Tout

Related companies|

| Owners|

* TKO Group Holdings
* Endeavor

|

Sister company|

* Ultimate Fighting Championship

Partnerships|

| Current|

* All Japan Pro Wrestling
* Reality of Wrestling
* Pro Wrestling Noah
* Dream Star Fighting Marigold
* TNA Wrestling (limited - with NXT)

|

Former|

* AAA
* Deep South Wrestling
* Insane Championship Wrestling
* International Wrestling Association
* Memphis Championship Wrestling
* Michinoku Pro Wrestling
* National Wrestling Alliance
* New Japan Pro-Wrestling
* Ohio Valley Wrestling
* Power Pro Wrestling
* Progress Wrestling
* Smoky Mountain Wrestling
* Super World of Sports
* Ultimate Pro Wrestling
* United States Wrestling Association
* Universal Lucha Libre
* Universal Wrestling Association
* Universal Wrestling Federation
* WAR
* Westside Xtreme Wrestling
* World Wrestling Alliance

Championships|

* Current champions
* Former championships
* Types of championships
* Secondary
* Tag team
* Women's
* World

Accomplishments|

* Diva Search
* Money in the Bank
* Tough Enough
* Awards
* Slammys
* NXT Year-End
* WWE Year-End
* Grand Slam
* Triple Crown
* Battle royals
* André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
* Royal Rumble
* WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal

Tournaments|

* Brawl for All
* Cruiserweight Classic
* Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
* King of the Ring
* Mae Young Classic
* Mixed Match Challenge
* NXT Breakout Tournament
* Queen of the Ring
* Sam Muchnick Memorial Tournament

Brand extension|

* Raw
* SmackDown
* NXT
* NXT UK
* 205 Live
* ECW
* Draft
* 2002
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* April 2019
* October 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2023
* 2024

International|

* Australia
* Canada
* India
* New Zealand
* Saudi Arabia
* UK

Miscellaneous|

* Attendance records
* Titan Towers
* Women in WWE
* WrestleMania Axxess
* WWE action figures
* LJN Wrestling Superstars

* v
* t
* e

WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events

Current|

* Royal Rumble (1988–present)
* Vengeance (2001–2007, 2011, 2021–present)
* Elimination Chamber (2010–2015, 2017–present)
* NXT Stand & Deliver (2021–present)
* WrestleMania (1985–present)
* Backlash (1999–2009, 2016–2018, 2020–present)
* King of the Ring (1993–2002, 2015, 2024–present)
* Battleground (2013–2017, 2023–present)
* Clash at the Castle (2022, 2024–present)
* Money in the Bank (2010–present)
* Heatwave (2024–present)
* SummerSlam (1988–present)
* Bash in Berlin (2024)
* No Mercy (1999–2008, 2016–2017, 2023–present)
* Crown Jewel (2018–2019, 2021–present)
* Survivor Series (1987–present)
* NXT Deadline (2022–present)

Former|

* The Wrestling Classic (1985)
* No Holds Barred (1989)
* This Tuesday in Texas (1991)
* One Night Only (1997)
* Capital Carnage (1998)
* Over the Edge (1998–1999)
* Fully Loaded (1998–2000)
* Invasion (2001)
* Rebellion (1999–2002)
* Insurrextion (2000–2003)
* Bad Blood (1997, 2003–2004)
* December to Dismember (2006)
* New Year's Revolution (2005–2007)
* One Night Stand (2005–2008)
* Unforgiven (1998–2008)
* Taboo Tuesday/Cyber Sunday (2004–2008)
* Armageddon (1999–2000, 2002–2008)
* Judgment Day (1998, 2000–2009)
* Breaking Point (2009)
* Bragging Rights (2009–2010)
* Capitol Punishment (2011)
* Over the Limit (2010–2012)
* No Way Out (1998, 2000–2009, 2012)
* NXT Arrival (2014)
* Fatal 4-Way (2010, 2014)
* The Beast in the East (2015)
* Live from Madison Square Garden (2015)
* Cruiserweight Classic Finale (2016)
* Roadblock (2016)
* United Kingdom Championship Special (2017)
* Great Balls of Fire (2017)
* Mae Young Classic (2017–2018)
* Greatest Royal Rumble (2018)
* United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2017–2018)
* Evolution (2018)
* Halftime Heat (2019)
* The Shield's Final Chapter (2019)
* Stomping Grounds (2019)
* Evolve's 10th Anniversary Celebration (2019)
* Smackville (2019)
* Starrcade (2017–2019)
* NXT UK TakeOver (2019–2020)
* Super ShowDown (2018–2020)
* Clash of Champions (2016–2017, 2019–2020)
* TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2009–2020)
* Superstar Spectacle (2021)
* NXT TakeOver (2014–2021)
* NXT WarGames (2017–2021)
* Day 1 (2022)
* In Your House (1995–1999, 2020–2022)
* Hell in a Cell (2009–2022)
* Worlds Collide (2019–2020, 2022)
* Extreme Rules (2009–2022)
* Halloween Havoc (2022)
* Night of Champions (2008–2015, 2023)
* The Great American Bash (2004–2009, 2023)
* Payback (2013–2017, 2020, 2023)
* Fastlane (2015–2019, 2021, 2023)

* v
* t
* e

Saudi Arabia–United States relations

Diplomatic posts|

* Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, D.C.
* Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to the United States
* Ambassadors of the United States to Saudi Arabia
* Quincy House
* Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs

Diplomacy|

* Operation Hajji Baba
* United States Military Training Mission
* Saudi Arabian National Guard Modernization Program
* Safari Club
* Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
* Arab–Israeli alliance
* U.S. support for Saudi-led operations in Yemen
* 2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal
* 2017 Riyadh summit
* International Maritime Security Construct
* Treaty of Jeddah (2023)

Incidents|

* 1973 attack on the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum
* US–Saudi Arabia AWACS Sale
* Saudi Arabia v. Nelson
* Khobar Towers bombing
* September 11 attacks
* Alleged Saudi role
* In re Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001
* Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act
* Saudi Guantanamo Bay detainees
* Homaidan Al-Turki
* United States diplomatic cables leak
* 2011 alleged Iran assassination plot
* Jeff Bezos phone hacking incident
* Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi
* Naval Air Station Pensacola shooting

Related|

* Golden gimmick
* Patricia Roush
* Saudi Aramco
* Saudi Arabia lobby in the United States
* Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee
* WWE in Saudi Arabia
* Prince Sultan Air Base
* King Abdulaziz Air Base
* King Khalid Military City
* King Khalid Military College
* American International School of Jeddah
* American International School – Riyadh
* Dhahran School
* ISG Dammam
* Islamic Saudi Academy
* King Abdullah Academy
* House of Bush, House of Saud

Category:Saudi Arabia–United States relations

* v
* t
* e

Professional wrestling by country

Americas|

* Professional wrestling in Mexico
* promotions
* Professional wrestling in the United States
* independent promotions
* women's promotions
* Professional wrestling in Puerto Rico
* Professional wrestling in Canada
* independent promotions

Asia|

* Professional wrestling in China
* Professional wrestling in Israel
* Professional wrestling in Saudi Arabia
* Professional wrestling in Japan
* promotions

Europe|

* Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom
* promotions
* Professional wrestling in France
* Professional wrestling in Russia

Oceania|

* Professional wrestling in Australia
* promotions
* Professional wrestling in New Zealand
* promotions

Attendance records|

* Europe
* Japan
* Mexico
* Puerto Rico
* United Kingdom

Related|

* Promotions
* women's
* South America

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