McMahon Was Never Going to Cancel Crown Jewel, Rare DX Matches

Crown Jewel will be airing live on the WWE Network later on today. WWE had been facing a ton of pressure from fans to cancel the event since it will be taking place in Saudi Arabia, which is where journalist Jamal Khashoggi was recently murdered for being outspoken about the Saudi government. Even Daniel Bryan and John Cena, two of WWE’s biggest stars, both pulled out of the show due to the controversial views of the Saudi Royal Family, but despite this, WWE will still be airing the show as planned. Despite some rumors suggesting that the company was considering cancelling or relocating Crown Jewel, it was confirmed last week that the event will still be coming to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia later on today.
Although some fans were hoping to see WWE make a change relating to Crown Jewel’s location, it appears that this was never even an option for company officials. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealed that Vince McMahon never considered cancelling the show, but the only way to convince him to reconsider would have been a direct order from the US Government advising him to cancel travel plans to the nation. As of last week, it even appeared that there was an over 50% chance of that happening. However, on October 24th, McMahon received word that it was his choice to continue on with the event. WWE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia will continue as the company agreed to a 10-year deal to produce shows in the nation earlier this year.
Although Roman Reigns, John Cena, and Daniel Bryan have been removed from Crown Jewel, the event will still be headlined by a major tag team match. WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels will be coming out of retirement later on today when he and Triple H take on The Undertaker and Kane in a tag team match. Prior to the match beginning, fans can now watch two rare DX matches that most have likely never seen before. In the “Hidden Gems” section of the WWE Network, a match featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin teaming up with The Undertaker to face DX in New York City in 1997 has been added, as has another tag team bout taped in 2009 with Triple H and Michaels facing Legacy inside of a Steel Cage.