The Greatest Royal Rumble was a successful event in many respects, but not everybody was happy with a big pro wrestling show being staged in the Middle East.
The Independent reports that Yamen-based branch of Al-Qaeda has issued a warning to the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, calling his efforts to liberalize the Kingdom as “sinful projects.” The Crown Prince ha been accused of “opening the door wide for corruption and moral degradation” by allowing the WWE and other aspects of western culture into the Middle Eastern country.
They appear to be especially upset with the Greatest Royal Rumble. Below is an excerpt from the statement released by the organization, pointing towards the wrestling event:
“[Foreign] disbelieving wrestlers exposed their privates and on most of them was the sign of the cross, in front of a mixed gathering of young Muslim men and women,”
It’s worth mentioning here that after the success of Greatest Royal Rumble, there were reports of the company holding another similar event in the country in November.
In light of this development, it remains to be seen if WWE’s longterm relationship with Saudi Arabia continues as planned. Neither WWE nor the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have publicly responded to Al-Qaeda’s warning as of this writing.
