Vince McMahon’s Heaping Pile of Blood Money
…money talks…
“I was outspoken on the early relationship between WWE and Saudi. ‘They say they want women’s wrestling over there, I don’t know if I believe it, there are no women on this card.’ There are women on the card and I’ve talked to the women personally that have been over there and they are like, ‘it’s unbelievable. There are women crying, never thinking they would get to see two women be so strong in the ring. It’s really powerful, you’re going to enjoy that.’ – Lita on her involvement in Elimination Chamber held in Saudi Arabia
It seems as if Amy Dumas has the same amount of integrity as her in-ring ability — not much. Like many, Lita has now been bought and sold with endless amounts of Saudi Arabian blood money.
The deal was made between WWE and Saudi Arabia in 2018 with each Crown Jewel event paying out $50 Million to WWE.
Do you want to know the ultimate hypocrisy in all of this? WWE’s ‘Be a STAR’ campaign. Does the Saudi Arabian government follow this code of being a ‘STAR’ in regards to WWE’s own anti-bullying campaign?
Let’s find out…
Show Tolerance and Respect (STAR)
Let’s first examine some statistics to see if Saudi Arabia has abided by this simple, overly corporate message:
-Public executions increased by 148% in 2021.
-Dozens of free speech activists remain behind bars for simply voicing their opinion about the Saudi government.
-Torture is routinely used as punishment in Saudi prisons.
-It is common to be arrested in Saudi Arabia without due process.
-Shia and Sufi religious sects are largely banned from being practiced in the open.
-Nearly 9,000 Yemeni civilians have been murdered by Saudi military in the ongoing Yemen-Houthi/Saudi conflict.
And then there’s the women…
Women in Saudi Arabia
As of 2021, women are finally allowed to travel without a man and live on their own. In 2019, they were finally granted the right to drive. Also in 2019, restaurants were no longer required to have separate entrances for men and women. In 2020, women were allowed to attend sporting events, obtain passports, and make the annual pilgrimage to Mecca without a man.
Progress, am I right?!
That’s not the entire story, though. Among Saudi men, women are still generally seen as inferior. In Saudi Arabia, women still fall victim to:
-Domestic violence
-Healthcare discrimination
-Employment prejudice
-Guardians must approve women studying abroad, or for a women to be released from prison
-Many women’s rights activists still remain imprisoned
-Women must dress ‘moderately’
-Abortions are outlawed, unless approved by a male guardian
-Interactions with men that are not their guardians are limited
But man, Lita versus Becky Lynch will change all of this, right!?
Disingenuous Dickhead
I get what Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is “trying” to do here. But much like the Collision in (North) Korea in 1995, this is nothing more than an extended PR stunt by the Saudi government.
According to the 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, Saudi Arabia still ranks in the bottom 10 of all countries. Here’s the thing…
I understand that overly theocratic nations often have antiquated views towards women, but a pathetic publicity stunt in form a “PREMIUM LIVE EVENT” (lol) isn’t going to change anything. Pressure from the United States in form of economic sanctions would do more than professional wrestling ever will.
That is until you find out that the U.S. is the largest trading partner of Saudi Arabia, so who cares about women’s rights when there’s a profit to be made?
Blood Money
McMahon is doing this for the money, and nothing more. He is taking money from the same government that executes and tortures their own civilians, and treats women like second-class citizens.
When Stephanie McMahon proudly touts the ‘Be a STAR’ campaign, she comfortably skirts around the idea that Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest bullies to their own people, and surrounding nations. Just sit with the happy thought that while Lita makes her return to action in a title match she never deserved, and no one asked for — a mere 30 minutes away, dozens of public executions were held just last year.
Anyone with a Peacock subscription, especially one who watches WWE programming, are throwing their money in the same pile as the Saudi Arabian blood money that McMahon has collected over the years.
AEW is working with the Owen Hart Foundation and the American Heart Association — WWE is working with the Saudi Government, which a chunk of their annual profits are coming from.
You do you, WWE fans. Never change.
-THS