The lengthy agreement has been a controversial one, but did WWE change Saudi Arabian PLE plans due to pressure?
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We all know that WWE signed a massive money deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia several years back. The money is phenomenal, but it has not always been a smooth deal. There has been plenty of flak. Superstars have refused to take part. There have been some ugly travel issues (leading to the night NXT saved the day). But did WWE change Saudi Arabia PLE plans due to pressure from the Saudi government?
It seems so
Now, we have heard that no, the Saudi government does not have any creative input into the cards. But apparently, they can at least exert some pressure on WWE for certain requests. One funny one making rounds? That they wanted the deceased Yokozuna for the Greatest Royal Rumble. Yes, the Saudi Arabian staff involved can request specific Superstars and Legends to be involved, but it’s mostly just requests.
But according to a recent episode of the Wrestle Matt show, sometimes the requests alter the entire card. Specifically, WWE had plans to revive the King and Queen of the Ring tournament back in 2023 for one of it’s Saudi shows. Apparently, the card was not deemed big enough by KSA officials. That lead to a pivot from the King and Queen, and instead gave us the Night of Champions which featured Seth Rollins and AJ Styles in the finals of the tournament to crown our first ever World Heavyweight Champion (relative to the new title belt).
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WWE did eventually revive the King (and Queen) of the Ring, also in Saudi Arabia. In fairness, the Night of Champions pivot was also a revival, with the show marking the first Night of Champions in almost a decade. Supposedly those involved worried that the King and Queen tournament might not be “big enough”. Suffice it to say, having Rollins and Styles battling for the new title was big enough.
