Roman Reigns on Saudi Arabia, Chris Jericho on WWE Creative, More in WWE Roundup

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Reigns Comments on Wrestling in Saudi Arabia

Ahead of his match against Shane McMahon at WWE Super ShowDown in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, next week, Roman Reigns talked about his feeling on WWE holding shows in a country that is oppressive against some groups.

In an interview with Phillip Martinez of Newsweek, Reigns talked about his desire to help enact change in Saudi Arabia by being part of WWE's efforts in the country:

"It gets a lot of mixed and negative reactions. The bottom line for me is, if we're going to help promote change, if we're going to set out to make an impact than I have to be a part of it. I'm not going to sit on the sideline and talk about how we can get there. I want to be a part of the action.

"I look at it as being a part of the solution while still respecting cultures, but it's a big world and I want to experience all of it. So if we can help make a positive impact that's what we're here to do. We're here to put smiles on everyone's faces. We don't discriminate, that's our goal to help and promote positivity and take that to every inch of the world."

Reigns faced Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at the Greatest Royal Rumble in Jeddah last year, but he did not take part in Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, since it was shortly after he announced his leukemia had returned.

The Big Dog returned to action this year, and he will be a key part of Super ShowDown as he continues his feud with Shane-O-Mac.

WWE's decision to continue holding events in Saudi Arabia is controversial considering the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey last year, but Reigns seems to believe WWE can open the door for positive change moving forward.

Jericho on How WWE Creative Helps AEW

All Elite Wrestling is generating a ton of buzz in the wrestling world after the success of Double or Nothing last week, but AEW star Chris Jericho pointed out that WWE's shortcomings are helping the company as well.

On an episode of Talk Is Jericho (h/t Ross Kelly of WrestlingInc.com), Jericho discussed the notion that WWE's creative failures have led to fans being more willing to seek out an alternative such as AEW:

"A lot of [our coverage] has to do with what is going on in the WWE lately. This isn't bagging on the WWE because I love the WWE. I have a great history there and great respect for everybody involved.

"But when you are reading the reports online about what critics are thinking and long-time fans are complaining about the booking and some of the booking decisions where things aren't making sense, there is a whole kind of a real cloud over the WWE's head at this point which in turn is giving AEW so much coverage and we haven't even had to do anything. It is unbelievable when you actually think about it."

WWE's creative has been a hot-button issue since WrestleMania, with multiple changes being made in order to combat low ratings on Raw and SmackDown Live.

The Wild Card Rule has essentially rendered the brand split moot, and the introduction of the 24/7 Championship has received mixed reviews thus far as well.

On Wednesday's episode of Talk Is Jericho, Y2J interviewed former WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose, who is now going by Jon Moxley in WWE. During the interview, Moxley spoke extensively about his frustration with the WWE creative process.

It is yet to be seen if AEW will present a superior weekly television product since its weekly TNT show does not debut until later this year, but there is little doubt that a large portion of the fanbase is desperate for some legitimate competition in the wrestling business.

McMahon's Reported Reaction to AEW Mention on Raw

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon reportedly had a negative reaction to Sami Zayn mentioning AEW on Monday's episode of Raw.

According to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton), multiple people said the AEW mention was not in the script, and he was also told that McMahon "flipped his lid" and was "furious."

Alvarez's report contradicted one from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, who was told that the line was indeed scripted.

The AEW mention occurred during a segment called the "Electric Chair," which featured Zayn fielding questions from fans in the crowd. At one point, Zayn implored the fans to ask him about anything, even AEW.

Zayn's line elicited a response from the live crowd, and it was later removed from the video of the segment that WWE posted on YouTube.

It is difficult to envision a contracted WWE wrestler mentioning a competing company without being told to do so, but things seem to get lost in translation through the WWE creative process at times, which could have led to some confusion.

Regardless of whether AEW was supposed to be mentioned, it got people talking, which may have been the desired result for WWE.

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