Former WWE co-president George Barrios has opened up and explained the promotion’s decision to continue its relationship with Saudi Arabia after Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.
In January 2018, WWE announced its ten-year deal with the General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia to run events in the country. The deal marked its start with the Greatest Royal Rumble.
“Our negotiations dragged on because the Saudis are notorious hagglers. By 2018, despite having made great progress, we were struggling to get the deal over the finish line. Complicating matters was the disappearance of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi,” Barrios wrote in his book.
On October 2, 2018, Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi was seen entering the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey but never exited. The CIA later concluded that Khashoggi had been murdered on orders from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Sanctions were imposed on seventeen Saudis, but not bin Salman. Five individuals received the death penalty, three were imprisoned, and three were acquitted.
“As outraged as I was by what happened, I still defy anyone to argue they understand who was truly at fault. All I know is that on our end, Khashoggi’s disappearance called into question our deal with the Saudis,” Barrios further wrote.
Despite Khashoggi’s murder, WWE decided to run its Crown Jewel event on November 2, 2018, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While major backlash surfaced and several other companies pulled out of Saudi Arabia, WWE went ahead with its planned event.
“Vince (McMahon), Michelle (Wilson), and I spent a great deal of time debating the pros and cons of moving forward. Vince in particular was deeply uncomfortable with the uncertainty surrounding the events. In my opinion, we couldn’t walk out on the deal. It was too worthwhile for WWE. But Vince kept shaking his head. “This thing with Khashoggi. Doing the deal could be the biggest risk we’ve ever taken with the company. ‘Vince, listen to me”, I said. “I understand how serious this is. But no one really knows what’s going on,” Barrios detailed in his book.
After Khashoggi’s murder, WWE’s stock fell to less than $70 from its previous $93. Unfortunately, the numbers never fully recovered until the promotion signed a new deal with TKO in 2023.
Barrios joined WWE in 2008 and eventually became co-president with Michelle Wilson. However, the two were let go in January 2020. WWE has since then expanded its partnership with Saudi Arabia, with regular two annual events in Saudi Arabia, as well as an upcoming WrestleMania in 2027.
WWE held a Town Hall event yesterday with talent and staff, with several parts of the business being addressed directly with Triple H and Nick Khan.
According to a new report from PWInsider, one of the big announcements coming out of the Town Hall was that WWE will still be heading to Saudi Arabia in June. Initially, there was concern among many about going over to the Middle East with the ongoing war between the United States and Iran. It appears now though that the company will still be heading to Riyadh, as of writing:
Regarding Saudi Arabia, we are told they said the June event is still on (as are other events down the line) and that they are not concerned about going there. – PWInsider
WWE confirmed to be heading to Saudi Arabia
TKO head Mark Shapiro revealed a few weeks ago at a TKO investors call during his pre-recorded opening monologue that all TKO Saudi Arabia events would still be going ahead. With the US war with Iran still ongoing ,there were question marks as to whether TKO properties would still be in a position to head over, which does appear to still be the case.
Shapiro said he wanted to “address activity in the Middle East and neighboring markets” by saying “we are firmly moving ahead with our scheduled events” that includes a UFC Fight Night in Azerbaijan and WWE Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — both on June 27 — made possible by their own commitment and their respective partners “even and despite a challenging environment.”
He then added that despite Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fun pulling their funding of the LIV Golf league, “our partners in Saudi Arabia have confirmed that will not be the case with TKO. Their commitment to our properties in 2026 and beyond is unwavering.”
Despite “a challenging environment,” both WWE, UFC and Zuffa Boxing are still heading to Saudi Arabia this year and expect to keep their commitments in the Middle East in 2026.
That news was revealed by TKO head Mark Shapiro during Wednesday’s TKO investors call with Shapiro confirming the news during his pre-recorded opening monologue.
Shapiro said he wanted to “address activity in the Middle East and neighboring markets” by saying “we are firmly moving ahead with our scheduled events” that includes a UFC Fight Night in Azerbaijan and WWE Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — both on June 27 — made possible by their own commitment and their respective partners “even and despite a challenging environment.”
He then added that despite Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fun pulling their funding of the LIV Golf league, “our partners in Saudi Arabia have confirmed that will not be the case with TKO. Their commitment to our properties in 2026 and beyond is unwavering.”
He then added that after June 27, they expect the remaining six WWE, UFC and Zuffa Boxing events will take place in the Middle East as planned.
“The demand is real, our partners are committed, and we are leaning in,” he said.
During a company town hall held on Monday, Khan made some statements about their impending plans for Saudi Arabia, revealed in audio obtained by Post Wrestling.
From the Post report:
“We’re only going if it’s safe or if we’re allowed there.”
“We are monitoring with our heads of security internally and with our government affairs folks externally, the situation there,” Khan told staff. “If U.S. citizens are allowed in at this moment in time, it is declared and deemed safe, we’ll all be going there.”
“Saudi is deeply desirous of getting WWE back there and getting events restarted, especially those that come from the United States.”
WWE announced last week that the June PLE was returning to Riyadh as planned despite the ongoing war in the region. However, they will not hold SmackDown and Raw in the country as they have been doing recently.
Despite the current war in the Middle East, WWE president Nick Khan is still planning on next year’s WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia.
Khan appeared at the SBJ CAA World Congress of Sports in Los Angeles on Wednesday where he brought up next year’s show, saying “We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi. First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. We’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”
He did not mention, nor was asked, about the next imminent WWE premium live event set for Saudi Arabia which was reported as being planned for June. It has yet to officially be announced but is one of three WWE PLEs set to take place there in 2026.
According to The Sporting Tribune who attended the event and provided the quotes found here, Khan “downplayed criticism surrounding WWE’s Saudi Arabia events, describing negative feedback as a ‘vocal minority’ and reiterating that company decisions are driven by ratings, revenue and relevancy” — a line he has used before.
***********
Khan alluded to this year’s WrestleMania 42 ticket sales at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium being slower than last year.
When asked about the sales, Khan said they are “feeling good” and said they think that after setting records the last two years, “we think it’s going to get close to that record, but fingers crossed.” He remained steadfast that all is well and that demand is strong, even on the secondary market.
From the Tribune:
“The marketplace dictates the ticket price,” Khan said, noting that even lower-priced tickets can quickly be resold at higher rates, underscoring continued consumer demand.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Lance Storm is back with tons to talk about including WWE and Saudi Arabia, new TNA TV deals, the whole Ricochet situation and how it ties into wrestling social media and more, the NXT TV report, and so much more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Our Bryan Alvarez reported several days ago that there have been discussions about WWE’s next two events in Saudi Arabia planned for both this year and next April’s WrestleMania 43, believed to be prompted by the current US/Israel/Iran war that is causing issues for several other countries that includes Saudi Arabia. No decisions have been made.
Thurston noted that according to one source, Night of Champions is being tabbed for Riyadh as has been other recent WWE events. WWE hasn’t run in Jeddah since May 2024.
Saudi Arabia pays WWE at least $50 million per event as part of a new decade-long deal that kicked off in 2018. The Royal Rumble was held in Riyadh for the first time this year with WWE’s biggest events of the year planned to head there next year.
This past weekend, F1 canceled two races set for April in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Updates on WrestleMania, how we got to Rhodes vs. Orton and feuds that are starting
A look at the UFC White House show and how we got here
Full UFC 326 coverage including the most viewers of a TV UFC show since Paige Van Zant vs. Michelle Waterson
A look at the new AEW streaming service
NXT Vengeance Day coverage and poll results
Odds on upcoming pro wrestling matches
Logan Paul’s grandstand challenge to football players gets several takers, including some big names, but nothing can transpire and how it ended
Full coverage of the 16 Carat Gold tournament in German featuring many of the best independent wrestlers in the world
A complete look at the TV ratings from all the pro wrestling shows over the past week, including breakdowns in various categories, placings, how Raw did on Netflix, competition and more
CMLL’s lineup for its No. 2 show of the year next week
Full rundown of the CMLL all women’s show onFriday
Konnan news
Behnid the Nino Hamburguesa firing
Rey de Reyes notes
Stardom Cinderella tournament news
New Japan Cup and anniversary show news
Pro wrestler and MMA star looks back at a fixed fight and more comments including the Japanese attempt to get a major WWE star to job in an MMA match to theri guy
Notes on a new promotion debuting
Attendance updates for future WWE, AEW, TNA and other shows including Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano.
Giant weekend in Europe including the two big Eve shows and the controversy
TNA future direction
Notes from the Tony Khan media call
Putting recent Collision numbers into perspective
How Zuffa boxing’s biggest show did
Rousey vs. Carano and Rousey’s promotional tactics as well as responses from other fighters
Lots of new UFC fights
Jake Paul’s women’s boxing group makes ESPN deal
Changes to the WWE writing team
ESPN reporting side does exactly what they said they wouldn’t do regarding pro wrestling
— Bryan and I will be up tonight talking about AEW Revolution as well as the rest of the weekend news including SmackDown, New Japan Cup, Rey de Reyes, CMLL, Al Snow, and other news topics of the weekend.
— Regarding WWE and Saudi Arabia, while nothing has been said officially nor decided 100 percent, most are of the impression the July PPV there is unlikely to happen. Unless things change in the world, WWE won’t be going there due to the risk. There were two more shows scheduled this year plus Mania next year. All are contingent on the situation changing as right now big events scheduled for the country are not happening, wheter it be Formula 1, UFC, boxing or WWE. For WWE, it’s a significant loss of expected income.
— I want to make mention here of the death of Dave Newhouse, who was a major name in Bay Area sports dating back to his starting with the Oakland Tribune in 1964. Newhouse passed away yesterday at the age of 87. For decades he was the star sports columnist with the Tribune and among the most influential figures in Bay Area sports media for decades. He was a great writer and was one of the great sports historians when it came to the Bay Area sports scene. I worked with NIewhouse in the sports section from 1980-1985 and he was a guy who was a great influence on me because of how well he treated everyone. I think because we both went to San Jose State that he was very encouraging to me in this profession from the sport, even though he always encouraged me not to go into wrestling. I hadn’t seen him since we sat together at the second Strikeforce MMA show in San Jose in 2006. I can only recall once being a guest on his Sportsphone 68 radio show on KNBR. He wrote 19 books on sports, from boxing, baseball, basketball, football and track.
— Davey Coates, who was the International Tour Manager for WWE events in Europe, passed away yesterday. He had been batling cancer.
— AEW Revolution takes place tonight from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and it feels to me this show has the most interest of any AEW show since All In Texas. It has a strong match lineup in the sense that a number of different bouts have a shot at being match of the year place winning contenders (I’m going with the idea that no matches in all of 2026 have the potential to actually win match of the year as that race looks to be over). At press time there are 12,458 tickets out. It will be called a sellout. Not sure of stage size but WWE’s sellouts with full staging have been 14,000 and I originally saw 13,800 potential tickets. It’s a good number.
Zero Hour on YouTube and HBO MAX at 7 p.m.
Blackjack Battle Royal for National title: Ricochet, Tommaso Ciamap, Jack Perry, Rocky Romero, Trent Baretta, Rush, Dralistico, Scorpio Sky, Daniel Garcia, Anthony Bowens, Hook, Katsuyori Shibata, Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, Ace Austin and six others
Big Boom AJ & QT Marshall vs Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean
Willow Nightingale vs. Lena Kross for the TBS title
PPV at 8 p.m. • Darby Allin & Orange Cassidy & Roderick Strong vs. Gabe Kidd & Clark Connors & David Finlay • Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron vs. Megan Bayne & Lena Kross for AEW tag team titels • Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir everyone banned from ringside • Kazuchika Okada & Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis vs. Mistico & Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey for trios titles • Thekla vs. Kris Statlander 2/3 falls for AEW title • Swerve Strickland vs . Brody King • Andrade vs. Bandido • Jon Moxley vs. KonosukeTakeshita no time limit for the Continental title, everyone banned from ringside • FTR vs, Yung Bucks for tag team titles • MJF vs. Adam Page for AEW title in a Texas death match. If Pager loses he can never get another shot at the AEW title for the rest of his career
— It’s a very tough night for business with the Academy Awards tonight, which last year drew more than 20 million viewers and was the most watched television show of 225 in the U.S.that was not a major football game. In addition, the U.S vs. Dominican Republic baseball game is expected to do a large audience, and both the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball championship brackets are being announced, with the men at 6 p.m. (just before the show starts) and women at 8 p.m.
— Looking for your thoughts on the show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
— Marissa McMahon, the wife of Shane McMahon, was involved with the movie “Train Dreams” which is up for several Academy Awards tonight, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography. She was one of the producers of the movie.
— NXT will not be airing live in Chicago this week either. They have an election there so it will be news coverage of WGN. NXT is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. but culd start laer than that (thanks to Lance LeVine)
— Mila Smidt beat Mercedes Mone to win the EWA tite on Saturday.
— Missy Hyatt noted to us that her account has been hacked with people trying to push Bitcoin, and that her new Twitter account is @RealMissyHyatt
— This was a big weekend for great matches already. I did not see the AAA show yet, but New Japan tournament bouts of Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ryohei Oiwa (best I’ve seen in the tournament so far) and Yuya Uemura vs. Shingo Takagi, the Claudio Castagnoli vs. Ultimo Guerrero match where Castagnoli retained Friday at a sold out Arena Mexico, Andrade vs. Mascara Dorada aired last night (taped Wednesday) and every bit as good as these were a match last night in San Jose with Festuz vs. Rayo Star. The latter match reminded me of Will Ospreay Best of the Super Juniors matches of the 2010s. It was that good. Top tier if it was on a PWG show. I also heard the Rey de Reyes final from last night’s AAA show was great.
— Nattie vs Maxxine has been added to Raw tomorrow.
— New Japan Cup today in Yamanashi had quarterfinals with Oleg Boltin over Ren Narita and Yuya Uemura over Shingo Takagi in what I was told was a great match. Boltin vs. Uemura will be a semifinal match on Friday in Nagaoka.
— I was at last night’s Pro Wrestling Revolucion show in San Jose, CA which sold out with about 1,200 fans. The atmosphere at this show was completely different from any show I’ve seen in the Bay Area before. The closest is AAA shows in the early 90s here when they were loaded with talent. Mistico as a lead star is very different from anyone else today and quite different from seeing Blue Demon or Mil Mascaras as well. Maybe Perro Aguayo was the best comparison. More Bruno Sammartino than a Hulk Hogan or Rock or Roman Reigns. Mistico beat Misterioso to win the PWR title in the main event in 21:00 of a match with super crowd reactions, total face vs. heel with a heel ref in Sparky Ballard dressed up like Tirantes and totally over the top. It worked in this situation based on where they were going with all the slow counts as Mistico had it won via pin until he hit La Mistica and got the submission. Cucuy won a four-way over Esfinge, Mascara Dorada and Capitan Suicde whcih was great but short. Los Espantapajaros vs La Cruz Negra & Necrosis was also a great match. All four were trained at the PWR school in San Jose.
Their next show will be 3/22 in San Francisco at the Chase CenterThrive City.
— For Google searches, Kevin Vallejos, who looked great in beating Josh Emmett in the UFC main event last night, was No. 42 for searches for the weekend with 50,000. Jim Ross was No. 249 for his saying that Steve Austin won’t be wrestling at this year’s WrestleMania. That had 10,000. Drew McIntyre had 5,000. The UFC show overall did 65,000.
— Roxanne Perez is back training after surgery to remove a benign growth in her back. the surgery took place last mnth.
— Many were calling yesterday’s UFC show as the best UFC event so far this year. Viewership on Pramount+ was only down five percent from last week’s show. It was the third most watched television show on Paramount + yesterday behind South Park and Yellowstone, and including Movies, No. 5 overall. It was No. 1 among TV shows in Mexico and most of South and Central America for the day yesterday. But it was only No. 8 for the day in the U.S.
— CMLL sold out Arena Mexico Friday with 16,000 and Arena Coliseo last night with 6,000. I heard Neon vs. Yutani last night was great.
— Claudio Castagnoli defends the CMLL world heavyweight title against Hechicero this coming Friday.
— There were a lot of rumors when Soberano Jr. didn’t wrestle on Friday night at Arena Mexico that he might be jumping, but he did a public appearance yesterday for CMLL and is booked on shows there this week. He said he was sick on Friday and he’s not going anywehre..
— AAA sold out Rey de Reyes in Puebla last night. Domiinik Mysterio retained the Mega title over El Hijo del Vikingo and Grande Americano Kaiser won Rey de Reyes, plus Flammer tjhe women’s title over Bayley. Right now AAA the last few weeks have been easily the best WWE television show.
— Natsupoi will be appearing on Lady Luck II on 4/19 in Las Vegas at Noon at the Hyper X Arena.
— Geza Salmani, the former Rezar, scored a second round knockout over Dan Curtin last night at a Bare Knuckle Fighting show.
— Warrior Wrestling from Friday night in Chicago: Trevor Outlaw b Sam Beale, Tootie Lynn b Masearati, Jason Hotch b Musata Ali in a great match, Janai Kai b Lili, Mad Dog Connellly b Tinmothy Thatcher in a dog collar match, both bleeding. In n a series of matches for the Lucha title, Mortos & Spider Fly & Vengadora & Gringo Loco b Electro & Noisy Boy & Rafael Quintero & Magico, Gringo Loco & Vengador b Mortos & Spider Fly, leading to Gringo Loco b Vengador to win a great match and the Lucha title (thanks to Lance LeVine)
— Hanan beat her sister Rina to win the Stardom Cinderella tournament earlier today at the Yokohama Budokan. Hanan beat Aya Sakura in one semifinal and Rina beat Miyu Amasaki. Hanan will challenge Wonder of Stardom champ Konami.
— Mercedes Mone will be on the TV show Bar Rescue tonight on Paramount at 10 p.m.
— Tokyo Joshi Pro announced 3/29 at Sumo Hall they would have Miu Watanabe defending the Princess of Princess title against Yuki Arai, a tag title match with Yuki Kamifuku & Waka Uehara vs. The Iinspiration, Mirai vs. Suzume and Konosuke Takeshita & Yuka Sakazaki vs. Hyper Misao & Super Sasadango Machine.
— MJF turns 30 today. JD McDonagh turns 36 today. Hall of Fame promoter Lou Daro was born on this day in 1884. Cowboy Bob Ellis was born on this day in 1929. The Iron Sheik was born on this day in 1942. Argentina Rocca, one of the top draws in U.S.history, died on this day 49 years ago at the ageo of 55. Jeff Gaylord was 64 when he died on this day three years ago. 70 years ago today was the famous match where Whipper Billy Watson beat Lou Thesz via count out at a sold out Maple Leaf Garden in Toronto with Jack Dempsey as referee to end the longest NWA world title reign in history of seven years. Lou told me he wanted a break from the schedule so dropped it to Watson, who Thesz won the title back from in November that year in St. Louis, also via count out. (thanks to Tony Richards)
The ongoing conflicts in the Middle East may have prompted WWE to discuss its upcoming two shows in Saudi Arabia.
Our Bryan Alvarez recently noted that there have been discussions about the two WWE shows in Saudi Arabia this year, as well as next year’s WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh. Alvarez emphasized that although there have been discussions, no decision has been made yet.
Alvarez also made it clear that he was not reporting on anything that had already been cancelled or was getting cancelled in the future, and was instead emphasizing the discussions that took place in WWE about their upcoming show status in KSA.
Earlier this year, WWE successfully held the Royal Rumble 2026 PLE in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on January 31, 2026. Two more unnamed WWE PLEs are also planned to take place in Saudi Arabia later in May and November. Both of these events are set to be followed by next year’s WrestleMania 43.
Mustafa Ali initially wasn’t supposed to be on the WWE Night of Champions 2023 card — but a Saudi government official ended up getting him booked on the show.
While appearing on a live edition of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Ali detailed how his match against Gunther at the May 2023 event came to be. Ali had been sent over to do media prior to the show and had a conversation with someone who he didn’t know was a high-ranking Saudi official. That person then requested for Vince McMahon to book Ali.
“I was sent to go do media, like public relations for an upcoming event in Saudi Arabia called Night of Champions,” Ali said. “So I go there — I’m not on the show. I’m just going there as token brown guy. So I’m going there, I’m making everyone happy. Just because it’s, you know, you’re always going to relate to someone that looks like you, right? I do these little events. Obviously, very appreciative of the turnout here [at the podcast episode], but the turnout there was insane. They were expecting 500 people. There was like 3,000 people.
“So the guy’s looking at me like, ‘Oh, this Mustafa Ali, maybe he does the show.’ I was like, ‘It’s the Night of Champions, you have to be a champion to be on the show. I’m not a champion.’ And I didn’t realize I was talking to like the president of the GEA, which is the General Entertainment Authority that basically runs the shows in Saudi Arabia. He goes, ‘You leave it to me, I talk to [Vince].’ I go, ‘No, no.’ He goes, ‘No, no, no, I’m going to request that you’re on the show.'”
Ali said he believes McMahon was not happy about someone telling him what to do, which led to the infamous backstage segment on Raw’s go-home show for the event where Brock Lesnar told Ali to “get a life, kid.”
The Saudi General Entertainment Authority is headed by Turki Alalshikh, who is the person responsible for handling the relationship between WWE and Saudi Arabia.
Ali is now with TNA Wrestling after being released by WWE in September 2023.
“The cookies are going to crumble the way it crumbles, right? I know, when I look at WWE, I know that I knocked on every door, I presented every idea, I never said no for the most part,” Ali said on Insight. “And I did good work, man. I’m never going to look in the mirror and feel like, ‘Oh man, I failed…’
“There was nothing else I could have done. I tried everything, comedy, serious, being the little guy, this guy, whatever the hell. You know what I mean? So I walked away with that. And then when Brock said, ‘Go get a life, kid’ — I quite literally did that. I’m the f***ing man now.”
Ahead of the Royal Rumble, Paul “Triple H” Levesque stopped by WWE’s new office in Saudi Arabia for a visit.
The office, located in Riyadh, opened in the latter half of 2025, with WWE calling it a key step in strengthening their presence in the Middle East/North Africa region. Levesque tweeted out a few pictures from his visit today and hyped that exciting things are being planned for the future.
“So great to spend some time before #RoyalRumble in our brand new KAFD [King Abdullah Financial District] @WWE office with our amazing GEA [General Entertainment Authority] partners,” Levesque wrote. “Exciting things to come in the future.”
When opening the office, WWE said it would help bring the company closer to its partners.
Saudi official Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, is the key person in the government handling the WWE partnership. The controversial relationship between the two sides began in 2018 and has grown recently with Riyadh set to host Royal Rumble 2026 this afternoon and WrestleMania 43 in 2027. This is the first time either of those marquee events is being held in Saudi Arabia.
During Friday’s Royal Rumble kickoff event in Riyadh, WWE took a moment to officially unveil one of the company’s newest roster additions.
It was announced this week that Saudi powerlifter and arm wrestler Fahd Tuwaiq has signed with WWE and begun training at the Performance Center. Tuwaiq’s first appearance for the company came in Riyadh today, with him hyping up his home country fans for Royal Rumble 2026 and WrestleMania 2027.
“I’m really proud to be here in my country between my people, the best fans in the whole world. Royal Rumble tomorrow will be awesome, will be great,” he said. “Next year, WrestleMania will be here in Saudi Arabia. The Mania in Arabia!”
A video aired during the kickoff show with Tuwaiq calling himself the “first Saudi super heavyweight joined to WWE.” He said he wants to change the world and plans on using WWE as his platform to do so.
“I am champion with arm wrestling and powerlifting. I have been at the Performance Center, this is a top place if you want to be a professional wrestler,” Tuwaiq said. “I want to make my country proud, and I will do so in WWE.”
WWE filed a trademark for the name “Fahd Tuwaiq” back on December 5. It’s not known when he’ll be making his in-ring debut.
WWE has signed a Saudi Arabian powerlifter & arm wrestler to a contract.
Turki Al-Sheikh, the chairman of the country’s General Entertainment Authority, revealed on social media that the company has signed Fahd Tuwaiq, who is already training at the WWE Performance Center.
“I want to change the world. And WWE will be my stage to do it,” Tuwaiq declared in the video. He was shown flying to Orlando and doing drills at the WWE Performance Center. “I want to make my country proud and I will do so in WWE,” he added.
WWE made the move to trademark the name Fahd Tuwaiq for wrestling purposes last month. ‘Fahd’ is a masculine name with Arabic roots meaning panther or leopard, while ‘Tuwaiq’ may be associated with the Tuwaiq mountain range in Saudi Arabia.
The announcement comes as WWE is set to return to the country for Friday’s SmackDown and Saturday’s Royal Rumble event, the first Royal Rumble to take place in the country. Next year, WrestleMania 43 will also emanate from Saudi Arabia.
John Cena was a huge fan of CM Punk’s controversial decision to wrestle in Saudi Arabia.
After criticizing the WWE-Saudi relationship in the past, Punk traveled to the country this summer to face Cena at Night of Champions. While there, Punk apologized for the tweet he posted in 2020 telling The Miz to “go suck a blood money covered d**k in Saudi Arabia.” Punk said he was cranky when he sent out the post — and it did not actually have anything to do with Saudi Arabia. Punk noted that he was grateful to be in the country.
A new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet was released today with Cena appearing as the guest. He reflected on his retirement tour, calling the Punk match something that was “larger than sports entertainment.” Cena got emotional over Punk coming to Saudi Arabia because of how “awesome” it was.
“Gosh, one of the moments in sports entertainment that’s larger than sports entertainment is Phil Brooks going to Saudi Arabia. That sh*t made me cry — like, awesome, awesome,” Cena said. “Accountability, vulnerability, apology, forgiveness. Cultures melding into each other. And then he comes out and does my gimmick. Like, how do you follow what I did? He came up with this crazy idea. I’m like, ‘Dude, you have to do that.’ And he crushed it. He absolutely just crushed it.
“And what a trip for him. Like, redemption, acceptance. He can go there wherever he wants and he can entertain fans who are incredible over there. When we started early on, they didn’t know what was going on. Now, they’re loud and they pack that place and it’s a great place to perform. And they welcome him and he welcomes them. And that’s super cool.”
When asked about his favorite moment of his entire career, Cena pointed to everything surrounding the Punk match in Saudi Arabia because of how meaningful it all was. Cena called Punk his “wrestling soulmate.”
WWE’s business relationship with the Saudi government formed in 2018 and has continued to grow in the years since. On January 31, 2026, Saudi Arabia will host the Royal Rumble. It’s also been announced that WrestleMania 43 will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2027.
It’s possible any surprises for the Royal Rumble next year may not be much of a surprise.
Bryan Alvarez notes that with WWE’s annual event taking place in Saudi Arabia this coming January, any surprises set to take place on the show would be hard to hide.
“There is a feeling that we might not get Royal Rumble surprises this year if only for the fact that sneaking people into Saudi Arabia will be a lot harder,” he writes. “Most likely surprises would take place the week prior at SNME.”
WWE announced over the weekend that they will be heading to Montreal for a January edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event one week prior to Royal Rumble weekend, which will be held for the first time ever in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Surprises are commonplace in both the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches. Notable ones from last year include the returning Alexa Bliss, Trish Stratus, streamer iShowSpeed, Joe Hendry from TNA, and Jordynne Grace, who had just signed with WWE after previously appearing in the Rumble as the TNA Knockouts Champion.
