US Senators Urge WWE to Rethink Its Relationship With Saudi Arabia

Several US senators have now urged WWE to rethink its relationship with Saudi Arabia after the Saudi government apparently murdered dissident journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey earlier this month.

Senator Chris Murphy, who represents Connecticut, where WWE headquarters is located, told the Independent Journal Review, “This is a brazen assault on the freedom of the press and a slap in the face to the United States, if this murder occurred as it seems it did. I’d hope that [WWE] would be rethinking their relationship with the kingdom especially with respect to events coming up in the next weeks like [WWE Crown Jewel].”

Senator Chris Coons of Delaware told IJR (Independent Journal Review) that WWE “should be taking a hard look” at its relationship with Saudi Arabia moving forward.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said that “there should be a pause” in WWE’s business dealings with Saudi Arabia. Following reports of the possible murder of Khashoggi, Graham said, “I want a complete rethinking of our relationship” with Saudi Arabia and said that “there would be hell to pay” if the reports were true.

Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey brought up the fact that Linda McMahon is part of Donald Trump’s cabinet, saying, “Private enterprise is private enterprise, different than a governmental entity, but because [Linda McMahon] is part of the president’s cabinet, it falls into the grey area where the administration really should give it some thought and maybe even prevail upon them not doing it.”

WWE has a ten year deal with Saudi Arabia worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In a brief statement about the situation, WWE simply said last night, “We are currently monitoring the situation.”

According to Dave Meltzer, there are backup plans in place if the Saudi Arabia show doesn’t happen.