WWE thrills, and shocks, with Saudi Arabia show

(RNN) – The WWE staged a groundbreaking show Saudi Arabia on Friday in which women and children were in attendance, and also shocked some with a bit that included the waving of the Iranian flag.

The organization staged the event, the “Greatest Royal Rumble,” in Jeddah, a western coastal city.

It was not the first time they’ve performed in the Kingdom, though it was the first to include women and children. Historically the highly conservative country has barred such mixed public events, though the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has made it a highly-publicized priority to liberalize the country’s entertainment sector.

At one point the show ran a bit in which two Iranian wrestlers, the Daivari Brothers, confronted a group of four amateur Saudi wrestlers who were plucked from tryouts earlier in the week.

On their way to the ring, the Daivari Brothers waved the Iranian flag, ushering in a huge chorus of boos and setting off criticism from some Saudi Twitter users.

It is not uncommon for the WWE to stoke nationalistic sensitivities in their shows – during the Cold War they would frequently use Russian characters to rile up American audiences.

And the mere presence of Iranian wrestlers would not have been offensive to Saudis. But the waving of the Iranian flag, while the country is locked in what they see as an existential struggle against their mortal enemy, Iran, crossed a line for many.

It would be akin to upping the ante in front of an American audience by, say, mocking troops or perhaps waving an ISIS flag: something gratuitous and arguably offensive.

Some also took it in stride, noting the WWE’s history with such gags and the fact that the four Saudi wrestlers beat up the Daivari Brothers and expelled them from the ring.

But Khalid bin Mansour, a verified Saudi Twitter user with more than 400,000 followers, said “even if it was a charade” waving the Iranian flag served to “provoke every Saudi.”

Many took issue by contrasting it with Saudi soldiers, battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen, and criticized the chairman of the country’s General Sports Authority, Turki Al Sheikh.

It is unlikely WWE wouldn’t have had official approval for most or even all of the elements of the show, given how tightly managed public events are in Saudi Arabia. There were no women wrestlers incorporated into the show, for instance.

WWE signed what is thought to be a highly lucrative 10-year contract with the Kingdom last month to stage shows in the country, of which Friday’s was the first. 

 Professional wrestling is extremely popular in Gulf Arab nations.

“I think the Middle East, the Saudi region has always had a massive fan base,” wrestler Triple-H, now a WWE executive whose real name is Paul Levesque, told CNBC this week. “In this region, we have done 40 shows over the years and we have a massive following here.”

Copyright 2018 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.