Despite a largely negative response to holding their first two shows in their mammoth deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this year, WWE currently has two similar shows pencilled in for 2019, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports.
According to the Observer, WWE plans on holding out on announcing these shows “for as long as possible,” probably to avoid another round of PR backlash for holding the shows at all. WWE’s Crown Jewel event was held just weeks after permanent US resident and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was slain and dismembered at the hands of the Saudi regime, leading to public pressure on WWE to cancel the event.
Braun Strowman after winning the ‘Greatest Royal Rumble’ earlier this year. WWE.com
Regardless, WWE held the event, saying in a press release, “Similar to other U.S.-based companies who plan to continue operations in Saudi Arabia, the Company has decided to uphold its contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority and stage the event.”
The two 2019 shows are currently scheduled for May and November, roughly lining up with the timelines of this year’s Greatest Royal Rumble and Crown Jewel events.
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