WWE has announced they have extended their partnership with the Saudi General Entertainment Authority. The company says they will now host a “second annual large-scale event” in the region as part of the deal that runs through 2027.
The full press release is below:
WWE® AND THE SAUDI GENERAL ENTERTAINMENT AUTHORITY EXPAND EVENT PARTNERSHIP
STAMFORD, CONN. and RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA, November 4, 2019 – Following the historic Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, WWE (NYSE: WWE) and the Saudi General Entertainment Authority (GEA) have expanded their live event partnership through 2027 to include a second annual large-scale event. WWE and GEA also continue to work towards the completion of a media agreement in the MENA region.
This long-term partnership demonstrates WWE and GEA’s commitment to bring sports entertainment to the region and supports Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
WWE first entered an agreement with the Saudi General Sports Authority as part of a “10-year strategic multiplatform partnership in support of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s social and economic reform program.” The first event as part of the deal was WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble event at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on April 27 2018. Since then, WWE has gone to Saudi Arabia for three more events—Crown Jewel in November 2018, Super ShowDown in June 2019, and last week’s Crown Jewel event.
A WWE official gave this statement to Wrestlezone after asking for clarification of the ‘second annual large-scale event’ referenced in the press release.
“We have been public in our earnings materials about working on a long-term agreement for a second large-scale event annually; this is that agreement.”
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At the time of the original announcement last year, Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO was credited with the following statement. “The Greatest Royal Rumble will be a spectacle of historic proportions. Our partnership with the Saudi General Sports Authority reflects a long-term commitment to present WWE’s world-class entertainment to a global audience on a grander scale than ever before.”
Last week’s event was not without controversy, as there were travel issues preventing talent and crew from getting home to the United States. A reported equipment malfunction with the airplane was cited as the reason for the delay, which caused a number of wrestlers to miss SmackDown. The show was reformatted to include some of the NXT roster; WWE issued the following statement on behalf of the company, Atlas Air:
“A chartered WWE passenger flight operated by Atlas Air is currently delayed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia due to a mechanical issue,” the company wrote. “The flight was scheduled to depart at 0300 local time on November 1. Our top priority is always to ensure our passengers arrive safely and on time at their destination. The aircraft is being repaired and will be inspected and certified before returning to service to transport our passengers to their final destination. We regret that operational disruptions delayed the flight and apologize to our passengers who were inconvenienced.”
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