Lacey Evans, Natalya to Be 1st Women's Match in Saudi Arabia at WWE Crown Jewel

WWE announced Wednesday that Lacey Evans and Natalya will meet in the first-ever women's match to be held in Saudi Arabia at WWE Crown Jewel on Thursday.

The groundbreaking match was made official during a press conference at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is where Crown Jewel will take place.

Given the stringent laws in place that have limited women's rights in Saudi Arabia over the years, putting on a women's match is considered a significant and unexpected coup for WWE.

Many within WWE have been outspoken about their desire to debut women's wrestling in Saudi Arabia, including Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative Triple H, who said the following last year:

"While, right now, women are not competing in the event, we have had discussions about that and we believe and hope that, in the next few years, they will be. That is a significant cultural shift in Saudi Arabia.

"The country is in the middle of a shift in how it is dealing with that—the position is changing, and rights are changing, as are the way women are handled and treated in society. We think that's a great thing, and we're excited to be at the forefront of that change."

Earlier this year, Natalya and Alexa Bliss made the trip to Saudi Arabia for WWE Super ShowDown in Jeddah in hopes that they would be able to wrestle. Per Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline, the Saudi government initially indicated it would allow the match to happen before reversing course.

Now, Evans and Natalya will have an opportunity to go down in history, much like Bliss and Sasha Banks did when they faced off in the first-ever women's match in Abu Dhabi two years ago.

Although they were sent to separate brands in the WWE draft, Evans and Natalya were engaged in a long-running feud on Raw that saw them exchange victories in September and October. Crown Jewel will mark the continuation of their rivalry, although they will be more cooperative than adversarial in terms of helping women take a step forward in Saudi Arabia.

WWE Crown Jewel will air live Thursday on WWE Network, beginning at 1 p.m. ET, with the Kickoff Show starting at 12 p.m. ET.

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