Smackdown 1000 Crowd Boos Undertaker’s Mention Of Crown Jewel & Graphics For The Event

In light of their ongoing controversy with Crown Jewel, WWE has been extremely particular about not uttering the words “Saudi Arabia” on their programming this week, but even the removal of the country name won’t allow WWE to escape a negative reaction. When The Undertaker closed Smackdown 1000 with his brief “Rest In Peace” promo, the simple mention of Crown Jewel received boos from the Washington D.C. crowd. Fans also reportedly booed any time their were graphics promoting the event. The following is from PWTorch Editor Wade Keller:

According to multiple fans in the arena, the crowd booed just about every time the “Crown Jewel” logo appeared on the big screen. They also booed after Undertaker mentioned “Crown Jewel” in his show-closing promo, something audible on the live national broadcast on USA Network.

“At least in my section, there was a lot of booing anytime the graphic came up,” said Paul Diem, an on-site correspondent interviewed during The Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show after the event on Tuesday night. “The only time they didn’t boo [the Crown Jewel] logo, as best I could tell, is when they showed the Bryan-Styles graphic and Rey Mysterio in the Crown Jewel graphic, but pretty much every other time.”

He noted the significance of the location of Smackdown 1000. “We’re blocks from the White House, it’s notable,” he said. “The audience was overwhelmingly adult and people seemed to be aware and already just had a visceral reaction. To me, it just seems like – I don’t see how they can run the event in Saudi Arabia. I don’t see how they can do it at this point. They have to move it, right? They can’t not. I think it’s a disaster, but I’m not getting paid 45 million dollars, so maybe I have a different viewpoint on things… I think it’s really short-sighted.”

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