In the wake of WWE‘s alleged sale to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, its biggest star has taken centre stage. Not Vince McMahon, but Sami Zayn.
Having seen Stephanie McMahon resign hours before news broke of WWE‘s sale to Saudi Arabia, wrestling Twitter is in a frenzy. It wasted no time in its doomsday analysis of WWE‘s polarizing move.
There was also support for LGBTQ wrestlers in one tweet that read, “Sami Zayn. We all love you. To all the LGBT wrestlers, we love you. Y’all deserve better than this,”
One tweet read, “Poor Sami Zayn and also RIP WWE women’s wrestling. This is terrible news,” WWE held its first women’s match in Saudi Arabia in 2019 when Natalya faced Lacey Evans. To compete in Saudi Arabia, women must wear alternate ring gear.
WWE faced fierce backlash when it signed a 10-year partnership with Saudi Arabia in 2018 due to Saudi Arabia’s long list of human rights violations. As a result of the horrific murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the backlash only intensified. In anticipation of the next Saudi show, WWE has gone all in on its relationship with Saudi Arabia, with tensions subsiding in time for the next Saudi show.
Although WWE‘s deal with Saudi Arabia has become a popular talking point, fans have rallied around Sami Zayn, who has become a popular talking point in the wrestling community. Many fear that the top star will be on the outside looking in. Those fears are justified, as Zayn has never competed in a Saudi Arabia show due to being of Syrian descent. Kevin Owens, Zayn’s real-life best friend, declined to attend Saudi shows in protest.
The WWE-Saudi Arabia sale rumours will continue to raise concerns about Syrian WWE Superstars, women and the LGBTQ community.
There is no indication of what type of political dynamic WWE‘s reported sale will create. WWE isn’t the first American company Saudi Arabia has invested in. KSA owns close to $8 billion in U.S. companies, and none of those companies seems to have been severely impacted by KSA’s controversial policies.
Despite WWE‘s biggest news story in history, Sami Zayn’s popularity will only grow, although his future with WWE seems less certain. Anything seems possible in what has been a wild 2023, whether Zayn stays put, does business as usual, is removed from WWE television or leaves in protest.
