Alexa Bliss and Natalya Reportedly Traveling to Saudi Arabia (Updated)

Alexa Bliss and Natalya are reportedly traveling to Saudi Arabia for WWE Super ShowDown in Jeddah this Friday, but it’s not clear what their role will be or if they’re going to wrestle on the show. PWInsider first reported that Natalya would be making the trip and Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful added that Alexa Bliss would also be going.

Renee Young, who was an announcer for WWE’s last Saudi show in November, Crown Jewel, is also traveling to the show.

@WrestleVotes also claimed, “I can add that the idea months ago was for a women’s match to happen at this show. Prior to her injury, the plan was Nia Jax vs Natalya. We’ll see if any matchup happens on Friday.”

If they do wrestle, it would be the first women’s pro wrestling match in Saudi Arabia. WWE’s response to women not being allowed on the Saudi shows has been that taking millions of dollars from the barbaric Saudi monarchy with the worst record of women’s rights in the world will allow them to “push for change,” or something.

At the Greatest Royal Rumble last year, WWE aired a short video on the screen that featured women wrestlers. The official Saudi General Sport Authority, which was in charge of the event, apologized for the “indecent” video and said, “the authority has made sure to ban showing of any segment that involves women wrestling or any scenes related to it, and stipulated that to WWE.”

In 2017, Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks wrestled at a show in Abu Dhabi, which was billed as the first women’s match in the United Arab Emirates, another ultra conservative monarchy that is closely allied with Saudi Arabia.

Update:

WWE officials have been going back and forth with the Saudi General Sport Authority for the past few months in the hopes that a women’s match will be approved for the show, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet.

They haven’t gotten approval yet, but Bliss and Natalya are being flown to Saudi Arabia in the hopes that it will be granted before Friday.