As noted previously, WWE continues to take heat from politicians, media figures and fans for moving forward with its Crown Jewel show in Riyadh as planned, despite the likelihood the Saudi government had journalist Jamal Khashoggi murdered.
Earlier on Wednesday, Deadspin took another crack at WWE with a story that the promotion indeed had to write John Cena and Daniel Bryan out of Crown Jewel because they refused to work it. On RAW, Cena was taken out of the program in a throw-away segment between Acting RAW General Manager Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley, Cena’s replacement.
However, Bryan, who had not made an official statement coming in to the week, had his showdown with WWE Champion AJ Styles that was intended for Crown Jewel moved up to SmackDown last night. The match was a prolonged one, providing further evidence that it was likely intended for the pay-per-view. At the end, Samoa Joe, rumored to be struggling with an injury, came out and set up getting a shot at Styles at Crown Jewel.
According to a Tuesday report from PWInsider Mike Johnson, WWE’s first plan for the Styles-Bryan match was for it to be filmed at the WWE Performance Center and shown during the Crown Jewel pay-per-view. It is not known whether the Saudis demanded Styles appear in Riyadh or why that option fell apart, but it obviously did.
Also on Tuesday, WWE announced Renee Young, the first female RAW broadcaster, would appear at Crown Jewel, notable because none of the female wrestlers or any other prominent WWE women executives have made appearances in Saudi Arabia so far. Renee Young’s outfits are part of her personal brand, so it will be interesting to see if she shows up in her traditional garb or long sleeves and completely covered skin as is traditional in Saudi Arabia.
To read the entire Deadspin article, visit
https://deadspin.com/yes-wwe-wrote-john-cena-and-daniel-bryan-off-fridays-s-1830118460