Moments That Have Defined WWE's 7 PPVs in Saudi Arabia Ahead of Crown Jewel

WWE returns to Saudi Arabia on November 5 for its fourth Crown Jewel, the eighth show in this partnership dating back to the Greatest Royal Rumble in 2018.

It's arguable there is more infamy associated with these shows than the more positive pomp and circumstance each pay-per-view is hyped up with.

Among a series of over-the-top gimmicks, legacy wrestlers making less-than-stellar returns and controversial matches, let's break down the moments that have defined WWE in Saudi Arabia.

WWE in Saudi Arabia Political Controversies

It is hard to address WWE's presence in Saudi Arabia without mentioning the political controversies that have been a black cloud over the agreement from the start.

If anything, the strength of the backlash against these shows has been the biggest talking point, which only gets more intense as more issues arise.

For example, Sami Zayn has never appeared on any of these shows. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported in 2021 that Saudi Arabia banned Zayn from competing because he is of Syrian descent (h/t Ringside News).

Instead, he focuses his attention on his Sami for Syria charity initiative:

The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 led to calls for WWE to cancel its partnership with Saudi Arabia and John Oliver criticizing the company on Last Week Tonight, which is far from the positive press the company seeks.

Wrestlers have refused to perform on these shows, particularly after the debacle of travel delays from Crown Jewel 2019, which has still not been fully explained, although mechanical issues and an argument between Vince McMahon and Prince Mohammed bin Salman were cited as reasons by former WWE commentator Hugo Savinovich in The Hindustan Times.

Thankfully, fewer of these incidents have occurred in the past two years, but the black mark made on the series has proved impossible to scrub off.

Growth of the Women's Division in Saudi Arabia

One controversy that has seen positive growth, however, is the increased presence of the women's division in Saudi Arabia.

Previously, female wrestlers were not allowed to perform on the show. When WWE aired promotional material that featured members of the women's division, the Saudi General Sports Authority issued an apology for showing "indecent material."

Thankfully, such limitations have been lifted with each show.

Renee Young was able to join the commentary team for Crown Jewel in 2018. Then, the following year, Natalya and Lacey Evans made history with the first-ever female match in the country.

Every event since then has featured at least one women's bout.

At Crown Jewel in 2021, Zelina Vega defeated Doudrop to win the first Queen's Crown Tournament, while 12 women took part at the Elimination Chamber PPV in Jeddah in February this year.

There are still many more milestones yet to achieve, but WWE and Saudi Arabia wouldn't have started going down this path if it weren't for that Natalya vs. Evans match that opened the door for female wrestlers.

Records Set as Braun Strowman Wins Greatest Royal Rumble

A recurring feature of these PPVs has been some kind of big-attraction gimmick match, starting with the Greatest Royal Rumble.

With 50 competitors, this was the largest contest of its kind and set many Royal Rumble records that are unlikely to be broken.

Among those are Daniel Bryan's Iron Man run, lasting over an hour and 16 minutes, and eventual winner Braun Strowman setting a new record for most eliminations with 13.

The Monster Among Men was awarded a customised belt and a trophy that was almost the same size as him. Strangely, neither were seen again and WWE rarely brings up this accomplishment. It was almost immediately swept under the rug as if it were non-canon.

This set the tone for a handful of gimmicks that were touted as major deals, only for them to mean nothing the following week.

Shane McMahon Wins WWE World Cup

WWE's follow-up to the Greatest Royal Rumble was the World Cup Tournament at Crown Jewel 2018, which had the opportunity to make these special attractions meaningful.

Sadly, it double-downed on their pointlessness and made things even worse.

By the end of the tournament, Shane McMahon beat Dolph Ziggler to start an annoying heel run where he would be referred to as The Best in the World for months.

The second go-around, The O.C. won the WWE Tag Team World Cup, which was immediately forgotten about. Then, The Undertaker beat AJ Styles in a gauntlet to win the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy—an accomplishment few, if any, would remember in his career.

At this point, if another World Cup or equivalent tournament gets announced, fans will likely groan, considering how terrible McMahon's win and the follow-ups were.

Mansoor Wins 51-Man Battle Royal at Super ShowDown 2019

One of the other specialty attractions was the Biggest Battle Royal at Super ShowDown 2019, which was set to feature 50 Superstars but actually included 51.

At the Greatest Royal Rumble, several prospective Superstars from the region were highlighted as potential signings. One of those, Mansoor, impressed enough in NXT to be given a major spotlight as the winner of the Biggest Battle Royal.

The 26-year-old features regularly on the card for WWE in Saudi Arabia, beating Cesaro at Crown Jewel 2019, Dolph Ziggler at Super ShowDown 2020 and Mustafa Ali at Crown Jewel 2021.

Though not as major as some other entries on this list, Mansoor's push was a solid attempt at making the first Saudi Arabian Superstar a big deal.

He now has a new character as mån.sôör in Maximum Male Models, but no matter how his career pans out, he can be proud of his 2019 victory.

The Brothers of Destruction vs. D-Generation X Disaster

A clear marketing strategy for these events is to use major legacy names to bolster the card.

At Crown Jewel 2018, Shawn Michaels came out of retirement to team up with Triple H as D-Generation X fought with The Brothers of Destruction, Kane and The Undertaker.

Despite having four of the biggest legends the business has known on show, it was an absolute calamity.

Triple H suffered a torn pectoral injury during the match, forcing Michaels to carry the bulk of the contest. Kane's wig fell off in an embarrassing spot, and everyone looked worse coming out of it at the end.

On The Last Ride documentary series, The Undertaker referred to the bout as "a total train wreck...a disaster."

The Undertaker vs. Goldberg Catastrophe

In an effort to compensate for the terrible match between The Brothers of Destruction and DX, the next event featured The Undertaker against Goldberg. But that also turned into a nightmare.

Goldberg suffered a concussion after his head crashed into a ring post. This led to a scary spot where his attempt at a Jackhammer failed and he dropped The Undertaker on his head.

By this point, it became clear the legends just weren't able to put on the type of show in the ring that their marquee names promised on paper.

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Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, Spotify and everywhere you find podcasts. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.