World Wrestling Entertainment has become synonymous with professional wrestling when it comes to mainstream media. They also are one of shadiest companies currently in business,
Over the years, WWE has sparked controversy after controversy, whether it be the rampant sexism they’re trying to fix through revisionist history in its “Women’s Evolution,” the exploitations of death and real-life tragedy in their storylines, or their Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon once literally stating that “philanthropy is the future of marketing.”
The list of morally unacceptable things the WWE has partaken in is too long to fully mention; however, they’ve managed to reach a whole new low in light of its recent controversy with its involvement with a certain Middle Eastern country.
Back in March 2018, the WWE signed a lucrative 10-year contract deal with Vision 2030, a social and economic program to lessen Saudi Arabia’s dependence on oil within its economy, diversify, and encourage health education, tourism and infrastructure.
WWE has already appeared in Saudi Arabia once with their The Greatest Royal Rumble event. A controversial show that was labeled by many critics as nothing more than Saudi Arabian propaganda.
Featuring the exploitation of a very real conflict with Iran for the sake of a storyline, excluding women from the card despite being in the middle of a “women’s evolution,” and having a video package about how great Saudi Arabia is and the good the program is doing is a mockery. That video was later removed and apologized for because it featured a female superstar in her ring gear.
Now WWE plans to return with their Crown Jewel event, which coincides with the global tragedy of the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Many believe that it was the Saudi Arabian government that ordered the killing of Khashoggi for his critical work against the government. The Crown Prince and his associates vehemently deny any involvement.
The government later admitted that Khashoggi was “accidentally” murdered during an interrogation. This has led to an international crisis for which many businesses have condemned the country and pulled out of their initial sponsorship deals. One of the companies not doing that, is World Wrestling Entertainment.
Projected to earn $45 million on Crown Jewel alone within a 10-year contract that is set to make them $450 million by its end, WWE has clearly established that it cares more about their own bottom-line than any international travesty.
Fans, journalists and even U.S. Senators actively encouraged WWE to pull out of the show and the deal, a plea to which the WWE has ignored.
It’s pure selfish greed considering that notable pro-wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer has reported that most of the performers scheduled to appear do not want to participate in the event, including fan-favorite Daniel Bryan and John Cena, the latter has confirmed to have pulled out of the event entirely.
The fans criticize, the media discourage it, the performers don’t want to partake in it, and the U.S. Government is condemning it. Literally nobody wants the WWE in Saudi Arabia, except for the corporate higher ups that will make the most money off it in the long run.
In confirming and going forward with the show, the WWE has proven that they care nothing of not just international affairs and how it affects the lives of other people, but also they care nothing of the causes they portray themselves to care about.
Their contributions to feminism through their “Women’s Evolution,” their donations to the LGBT community, all their claims of progressivism, are now all called into question when they let a massive check contradict what they preach.
One can only hope that after the show when the viewership is lower than before, sponsors pull out, and many are turned off to the product that they’ll do something. It seems affecting their profits is the only way to get to them.
