Triple H Addresses Criticism Over No Women Talent at Saudi Arabia Show

Triple H was interviewed by the Independent and was asked about the criticism over no women WWE wrestlers or any WWE women talent being allowed on the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia this Friday.

Triple H said this:

“I understand that people are questioning it, but you have to understand that every culture is different and just because you don’t agree with a certain aspect of it, it doesn’t mean it’s not a relevant culture.

“You can’t dictate to a country or a religion about how they handle things but, having said that, WWE is at the forefront of a women’s evolution in the world and what you can’t do is affect change anywhere by staying away from it.

“While, right now, women are not competing in the event, we have had discussions about that and we believe and hope that, in the next few years they will be. That is a significant cultural shift in Saudi Arabia.

“The country is in the middle of a shift in how it is dealing with that – the position is changing, and rights are changing, as are the way women are handled and treated in society. We think that’s a great thing and we’re excited to be at the forefront of that change.”

WWE has been rightly criticized for playing up the “women’s revolution” and then having a highly promoted show in the country with possibly the worst record for women’s rights in the entire world. But obviously, Saudi Arabia is paying WWE a ton of money and they aren’t going to turn that down to make a phony display of morals, as if that matters to WWE more than money.

Saudi Arabia is using WWE for propaganda, as the new despotic Saudi crown prince has been on a huge “charm offensive” in the United States over the past few months, trying to make himself seem like a “modern reformer” in US media. He is, however, part of a brutal and tyrannical ruling family that has forced the most ultra-conservative version of Islam in the world on the country of Saudi Arabia, and part of a monarchy that would have likely been overthrown for an actual democratic government a long time ago if not for vast US and UK support and weapons.

It’s easy to say that “this is how their culture is” but the truth is that the Saudi royal family has been brutally enforcing this ultra-conservative culture since it took over (protesting is punishable by death), and WWE is helping to whitewash them. But they were paid a lot of money and “everyone else is doing it” so it’s hard to blame them…