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.
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]
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]
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 CBOStephanie 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]
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 AdministrationLinda 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]
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 Holocaustsurvivor. 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]
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
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
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]
^Wrestling, transmitted on ITV, January 24,1987, Tony St. Clair Vs Wayne Bridges - commentator Kent Walton mentions that St. Clair has spent the past eight months touring Japan, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Austria, event occurs at 3min 40secs.
^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.
В Википедии есть статьи о других людях с такой фамилией, см. Голованов; Голованов, Георгий. Георгий (Егор) Михайлович Голованов Дата рождения 1830 Дата смерти 1913 Место смерти Москва, Российская империя Георгий (Егор) Михайлович Голованов (1830 — 1913, Москва) — крупный том
هذه المقالة يتيمة إذ تصل إليها مقالات أخرى قليلة جدًا. فضلًا، ساعد بإضافة وصلة إليها في مقالات متعلقة بها. (سبتمبر 2019) NGC 4015-2 الكوكبة الهلبة رمز الفهرس NGC 4015-2KCPG 314BPGC 37703 (فهرس المجرات الرئيسية)CAIRNS J115843.22+250237.8 (Cluster and Infall Region Nearby Survey)KPG 314b (Catalogue of isolated pairs of galaxies in the northern hemisphere…
مغالطة خطآن يصنعان صوابا أو مغالطة الإشارة إلى خطأ آخر هي مغالطة تحدث حينما يتذرع المُغالط بأن هناك من يصنع الشيء نفسه، بما يجعله مقبولاً. وهي تسير على النحو التالي:[1] شخصاً ما (أ) يمارس الفعل (س)، أو سوف يمارس الفعل (س) لو استطاع. شخص (ب) يستنتج أن الفعل (س) صحيح أو مقبول. تعتب
This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (March 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) The Gorgon's Gaze First edition hardback coverAuthorJulia GoldingCover artistDavid WyattCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishSeriesCompanions QuartetGenreFantasyPublisherOxford University PressPublication date…
Службовий список статей, створений для координації робіт з розвитку теми. Це попередження не встановлюється на інформаційні списки і глосарії. Зміст 1 Азія 2 Північна Америка 2.1 Гватемала 2.2 Канада 2.3 Мексика 2.4 США 3 Південна Америка 3.1 Еквадор 3.2 …
Макс БрухMax Bruch Зображення Max Christian Friedrich BruchОсновна інформаціяПовне ім'я англ. Max Christian Friedrich Bruchівр. מקס כריסטיאן פרידריך ברוךДата народження 6 січня 1838(1838-01-06)Місце народження Кельн, НімеччинаДата смерті 2 жовтня 1920(1920-10-02) (82 роки)Місце смерті Фріденау, Берлін, НімеччинаПох…
Cloud-based collaborative database software This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Tables Google – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) TablesDeveloper(s)Google LLCInitial releaseSeptember 22, 2020; 3 years ag…
Benoît Vrambout (Poperinge, 16 mei 1816 - Brugge, 1 augustus 1877) was gouverneur van de provincie West-Vlaanderen. Levensloop Benoît Vrambout deed rechtenstudies aan de Katholieke Universiteit Leuven en promoveerde er in 1840 tot doctor in de rechten. Hij vestigde zich aanvankelijk als advocaat in Ieper. Hij bleef ongehuwd. Zijn politieke carrière begon in oktober 1842, toen hij op de liberale lijst in Poperinge tot gemeenteraadslid verkozen werd. Zes jaar later, in 1848, werd hij voor het k…
13°26′51.2″N 144°37′5.5″E / 13.447556°N 144.618194°E / 13.447556; 144.618194 Point Udall (Orote Point) is the headland on the right in this view of Apra Harbor's mouth Point Udall, also called Orote Point, is the westernmost point (by travel, not longitude) in the territorial United States, located on the Orote Peninsula of Guam. It lies at the mouth of Apra Harbor, on the end of Orote Peninsula, opposite the Glass Breakwater of Cabras Island which forms the n…
Film directed by Sam Boyd GenieRelease posterDirected bySam BoydWritten byRichard CurtisBased onBernard and the Genieby Richard CurtisProduced by Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Riva Marker Richard Curtis Starring Melissa McCarthy Paapa Essiedu Denée Benton Marc Maron Jordyn McIntosh Luis Guzmán Alan Cumming CinematographyJohn GuleserianEdited byHeather PersonsMusic byDan RomerProductioncompanies Universal Pictures Working Title Films Distributed byPeacockRelease date November 22, 2023 (…
Peta kawasan geografis di Turki; batas negara dan batas provinsi dilambangkan dengan garis kelabu tebal dan garis putih tipis. Ada tujuh kawasan geografis di negara tersebut, yaitu Kawasan Marmara (hijau tua), Kawasan Laut Hitam (hijau muda), Kawasan Aegea (biru), Kawasan Mediterania (ungu), Kawasan Anatolia Tengah (cokelat), Kawasan Anatolia Timur (jingga), dan Kawasan Anatolia Tenggara (kuning). Kawasan geografis di Turki merujuk kepada tujuh kawasan (Turki: bölge) yang telah dibahas dala…
1936 film by Gustaf Edgren Johan UlfstjernaDirected byGustaf EdgrenWritten byOscar Rydqvist Gustaf EdgrenBased onJohan Ulfstjerna by Tor HedbergProduced byStellan ClaëssonStarringGösta Ekman Björn Berglund Birgit TengrothCinematographyJulius JaenzonEdited byGustaf EdgrenMusic byEric BengtsonProductioncompanySvensk FilmindustriDistributed bySvensk FilmindustriRelease date7 September 1936Running time79 minutesCountrySwedenLanguageSwedish Johan Ulfstjerna is a 1936 Swedish drama film directed by…
Species of butterfly Spotted angle redirects here. For the other butterfly with this common name, see Caprona alida. Spotted angle Dry-season form from Kerala Wet-season form from Bangalore Scientific classification Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Hesperiidae Genus: Abaratha Species: A. agama Binomial name Abaratha agama(Moore, 1857) Synonyms List Pyrgus agama Moore, [1858] Pterygospidea erosula C. & R. Felder, [1867] Pter…
2018 political action film directed by AR Murugadoss SarkarTheatrical release posterDirected byA. R. MurugadossWritten byA. R. Murugadoss,B. JeyamohanScreenplay byA. R. MurugadossStory byA. R. MurugadossProduced byKalanithi MaranStarringVijayKeerthy SureshVaralaxmi SarathkumarRadha RaviCinematographyGirish GangadharanEdited byA. Sreekar PrasadMusic bySongs:A. R. RahmanScore:A. R. RahmanQutub-E-KripaProductioncompanySun PicturesDistributed bySun PicturesRelease date 6 November 2018 …
American civil rights activist Mary Fair BurksBurks, 1976BornMary Fair(1914-07-31)July 31, 1914Montgomery, AlabamaDiedJuly 21, 1991(1991-07-21) (aged 76)Salisbury, MarylandOccupation(s)civil rights activist, academicYears active1930s–1991SpouseNathaniel W. Burks (m. 1946)Childrenone Mary Fair Burks (July 31, 1914 – July 21, 1991) was an American educator, scholar, and activist during the Civil Rights Movement from Montgomery, Alabama. Burks founded the Women’s Political Council i…
Dargah in Uttar Pradesh This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; try the Find link tool for suggestions. (September 2023) Nanhe Mian Dargahनन्हे मियाँ दरगाहReligionAffiliationIslamDistrictBareilly districtFestivalUrsLocationStateUttar PradeshCountryIndiaArchitectureStyleIndo-IslamicDate established1564 Nanhe Mian Dargah is a Shrine (Dargah) of Syed Nanhe Mian Shah, a Sufi saint of 14th cen…
نهائى كاس السويد 2019 جزء من كاس السويد 2018 19 البلد السويد الرياضه كورة قدم تاريخ 30 مايو 2019 الفرق المشاركه نادى هكننادى اسكلستونا الفايز نادى هكن تعديل نهائى كاس السويد 2019 (بالانجليزى: 2019 Svenska Cupen Final) هوا نهائى كورة قدم اتعمل فى السويد سنة 2019. معلومات ال…
Love for or identification with Ukraine or Ukrainians Flag of Ukraine Ukrainophilia is the love of or identification with Ukraine and Ukrainians; its opposite is Ukrainophobia. The term is used primarily in a political and cultural context. Ukrainophilia and Ukrainophile are the terms used to denote pro-Ukrainian sentiments, usually in politics and literature. Ukrainophilia was severely persecuted by the imperial Russian government, and Ukrainian-language books and theater were banned. Pro-Ukrai…
Artikel ini sebatang kara, artinya tidak ada artikel lain yang memiliki pranala balik ke halaman ini.Bantulah menambah pranala ke artikel ini dari artikel yang berhubungan atau coba peralatan pencari pranala.Tag ini diberikan pada Desember 2022. Albert Rumbekwan adalah Ketua Komisi Hak Asasi Manusia atau Komnas HAM Perwakilan Papua yang mengalami beberapa teror. Menurutnya, kejadian teror terjadi setelah dia bertemu dengan Hina Jilani Wakil Khusus Sekretaris Jenderal Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa u…