The only other time you ever really hear about these tours is if someone mentions the longstanding story, first reported by Irv Muchnick in the ‘90s, that Jimmy Snuka, at the end of the Summer 1985 tour, was caught at Kuwaiti customs “with controlled substances taped to his body.” The official tours stopped around that time (though Singh noted that the WWF’s local promoter continued running shows with independent wrestlers), not resuming until a decade later.
Despite the star power at the Greatest Royal Rumble, a huge part of the roster will not make the trip to Jeddah. When asked by Deadspin when the show was announced, WWE responded with a statement that “female WWE superstars will not be performing at this year’s event.” Given that WWE has spent the past few years championing their “women’s revolution” and Ronda Rousey is their current biggest mainstream star, this represents a significant step backward. It also indicates WWE doing its part to help rehabilitate Saudi Arabia’s image while indirectly supporting the Kingdom’s ongoing commitment to gender segregation.
(At least one other reporter, Fightful’s Chris Harrington, was told alongside a similar statement to familiarize himself with Vision 2030.)
On December 7th, WWE pushed a show in Abu Dhabi heavily on social media, as it featured Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks in the first ever women’s wrestling match in the United Arab Emirates. Instead of their usual two-piece ring gear, though, both wore full body suits to defer to local dress codes. The messaging was all about “making history,” and that continued in WWE 24: Empowered, a WWE Network documentary.
“When you can take female performers from WWE to someplace where those opportunities don’t necessarily exist, that’s so culturally significant,” says Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE EVP for talent, live events and creative. His wife, WWE chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon, notes the costume change, saying that “They had outfits designed, because we still need to be very respectful, culturally, and they’ve had their skin covered.”
As the documentary moves to clips of the match, McMahon adds that “I don’t think anybody truly understood the weight of that moment until Sasha and Alexa were in the ring and the chant broke out: ‘This is hope.’” After a clip of just a few fans chanting that is shown, McMahon notes that “it seemed like something much bigger than WWE itself” as a little girl is shown enjoying the match ... from what looks to be the UAE royal family’s section.
The very same day that Empowerment premiered, WWE announced that the Greatest Royal Rumble would feature seven title matches, including a rematch of Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns, which headlined WrestleMania, plus a 50-man Royal Rumble match with returning guest stars like Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio. WWE announced this week that the show is sold out.
While Vision 2030 is being lauded as a modern solution to the monarchy’s heavy reliance on oil, it does not involve significant social reform. Instead, it has provided MBS with a strategic way to distract international attention away from the wide-scale human rights abuses that the country continues to commit. The Crown Prince’s heavy investment in sports comes on the heels of Saudi’s brutal campaign in Yemen—a war that has displaced over three million people and created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. The latest example saw the Saudi-led military coalition conduct an air strike on a wedding on Sunday, killing more than 20 people.
...[ Continue to next page ]
Share This Post
