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Saudi Arabia is the flavour of the month in the WWE, and it surely doesn't taste good. The Crown Jewel experience has left a sour taste in the mouths of the WWE Superstars as a majority of the roster that made the trip to the Middle Eastern country were left stranded after the PPV.
The entire Saudi Arabia fiasco has been the most talked-about story in the world of pro wrestling and startling revelations are being unearthed with each passing day.
Now that the dust has seemingly settled and WWE has moved on to focus on their product, we felt it was necessary to peel all the different layers off this dense story.
Many fans don't even know the full scope of what happened in Saudi Arabia, as well as the trouble that the entire roster had to go through. What was the reason behind the unwanted delay? How is the backstage mood in the aftermath of the incident? Which Superstars got out of the country in their private jets?
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We have answered all the burning questions in this feature.
#1. The real reason behind the delay
Money is the root cause of all the problems in life and that's a time-tested fact.
Spanish announcer and AAA employee Hugo Savinovich was told by his trusted sources close to the situation that there were some financial disputes between the Saudi Arabian government and WWE.
The Saudis reportedly hadn't paid the company to the tune of millions for the previous shows that were organized. Vince McMahon was adamant that they get the money before Crown Jewel aired all across Saudi Arabia.
A furious Vince McMahon reacted by cutting Crown Jewel's live feed, which meant that the show aired with a 40-minute delay in the country.
Dave Meltzer elaborated on the Wrestling Observer Radio that the Saudi Government didn't pay the WWE for Super ShowDown until September 30th. However, it was revealed that $60 million was wired to the WWE hours before Crown Jewel on October 31st, which was believed to be the money that was owed to the company.
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman was clearly not happy with McMahon delaying the live telecast of Crown Jewel on Saudi TV and he responded by reportedly holding back the plane that was set to fly the Superstars out of the country.
In a nutshell, the showdown between WWE and the Saudi officials over pending dues was what led to the talents getting delayed.
However, the official statement painted a different picture.
#2. The truth about the reported 'mechanical failure'
Atlas Air issued an official statement in which the delay was attributed to mechanical issues.
The statement reads as follows:
“More than 175 Superstars, production crew and employees boarded a 747 charter flight back to the United States on Thursday. After the door closed, due to several aircraft problems including mechanical issues, all passengers sat on the tarmac for more than six hours.”
Atlas Air reiterated their previous statement by stating that the passenger flight couldn't leave Riyadh due to a mechanical failure.
How authentic is the statement though?
Well, the WWE Superstars don't believe the statement that was issued to the public.
Dave Meltzer was told by various talents that the mechanical error angle wasn't true. However, Meltzer did state that one talent believed the story of a mechanical glitch to be true.
Military police were also at the tarmac while the Superstars waited to board the plane. Mechanical failures don't take 24 hours to fix, which is a point raised by many critics observing the ongoing situation.
An explanation behind the illogical delay was provided by a popular current Champion that has been described in detail later on in this article.
#3. Unhappy WWE Superstars
The talents who had to go through the forgettable ordeal in Saudi Arabia aren't happy.
As revealed by Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio, many talents who travelled for Crown Jewel do not intend to go back to the Middle East ever again.
There were many Superstars who also 'couldn't wait to get out of the company'.
It was added that the Superstars who want to quit WWE on the heels of their Saudi Arabian experience could change their minds in the coming months.
Meltzer said:
“I’ve had people say they are never gonna go back. I’ve had people say they can’t wait to get out of the company. I don’t know if that’s going to…maybe in a couple of months they’re gonna change their mind. I don’t know if something is gonna happen at RAW when the RAW talent is all there.”
#4. The truth about Superstars trying to organize a separate charter to get back in time
WWE was quick to release a statement to address the situation in Saudi Arabia before the most recent episode of SmackDown.
As part of the statement, WWE mentioned that a section of the roster tried to get a separate charter to get back in time for SmackDown. 12 Superstars and 8 production crew workers were said to be working towards getting a separate plane to get back for SmackDown, however, it didn't logistically go according to plan.
More than 175 Superstars, production crew and employees boarded a 747 charter flight back to the United States on Thursday. After the door closed, due to several aircraft problems including mechanical issues, all passengers sat on the tarmac for more than six hours. With SmackDown set to emanate live from Buffalo, N.Y., several Superstars felt so strongly that they arranged for their own separate charter in order to make it back to the U.S. for the show. Due to unforeseen issues, that charter will not land until after the live broadcast on FOX.
Dave Meltzer quashed the claim as b******* and stated that the talents never really tried to push for their own travel arrangements.
#5. What did WWE tell their Superstars to do? AJ Styles reveals the 'truth'
The Saudi Arabia story was subjected to intense media scrutiny and it's unsurprising to note that WWE reportedly took some steps to maintain a level of consistency in its narrative.
Dave Meltzer said that the company was asking its talents to push the mechanical failure story as a means to cover up the truth.
However, AJ Styles revealed what actually went down in Riyadh during a live stream on the Video game streaming platform, Mixer.
The United States Champion clarified that all the reports about the Saudi incident have been exaggerated. He was told that a fuel truck was in the way of the aeroplane and the driver of the truck had apparently gone home. Styles added that there were also paperwork issues, which were settled in 4 to 5 hours. However, once they boarded the plane, there were issues with fuel.
Styles went and spoke to the pilot, who informed him that they were actually experiencing mechanical problems of some sort. The pilot ran out of time due to the constant delays following which it was too late to fly the Superstars out of the country.
The talents were then sent to a hotel, where they rested before they finally boarded the plane. Styles clearly mentioned that the entire story was blown out of proportion to make it seem that they almost got killed.
There were no guns involved and he had a sound sleep at the hotel. Styles also refused to comment on the reports of a rift between the Saudi officials and the company as he had no idea about what had happened.
Styles added, "I don’t know what’s going to happen going forward. I’ll deal with it when I need to. But I’m not gonna throw WWE under the bus either. It’s not gonna do me any good to throw anybody under the bus. Until I know more, I’m not gonna say anymore or say anything negative. If I did find out and I was offended, I would go to the source.” H/t Credit: 411Mania
#6. Who left Saudi Arabia early in private jets?
While 175 talents and crew of the WWE were stuck in Saudi Arabia, a handful of names managed to get out of the country before the real issues began to surface,
Dave Meltzer noted on the Wrestling Observer Radio that Vince McMahon and his staff along with Kevin Dunn left the country on their private jet.
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman flew out early in a jet as they had to get back for an unscheduled SmackDown appearance.
Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Jimmy Hart also boarded a private jet and returned to the United States before the rest of the roster.
Tyson Fury was also said to be a part of one of the private jets that left the country.
Surprisingly enough, Cain Velasquez stayed back with the WWE crew and returned to the States with the other previously stranded stars.
#7. Backstage reaction to Vince McMahon leaving early and the whole fiasco
Yes, you guessed it right - the Superstars were reportedly not happy with Vince McMahon leaving early in his private jet.
Dave Meltzer stated that the talents felt deserted and considered themselves as pawns in a power struggle between the company and the Saudi Government. It was also added that a handful of Superstars may have also lost some respect for Vince.
However, in his defence, the WWE boss may have had no idea of how bad the situation would get when he left Riyadh. He was just focussed on getting back to Buffalo to oversee the SmackDown show and could not have foreseen the unexpected delays that eventually created a furore amongst the pro wrestling fraternity.
#8. The effects of the Saudi Arabia mess on SmackDown
The severe shortage of talents threatened to derail an important SmackDown episode after Crown Jewel. However, WWE pulled out a rabbit out of their hat and booked one of the best Blue brand shows of the year.
Paul Heyman announced that Brock Lesnar was quitting SmackDown to go to RAW. The original plan, as per Dave Meltzer, never really included Heyman and his client on SmackDown.
The WWE Champion was originally supposed to announce his departure from SmackDown on the premiere episode of WWE Backstage on Tuesday, however, WWE changed the plan and added the segment to SmackDown.
The company also booked an NXT invasion angle with Triple H and the talented men and women from the Yellow brand contributing to an episode filled with great moments and entertaining matches.
It was added that the decision to allow Adam Cole to go over clean against Daniel Bryan in the NXT Championship main event was Vince McMahon's call. Triple H also predictably had a major influence on how the show was presented.
Despite all the criticism that stemmed from the events that unfolded in Saudi Arabia, WWE did a fine job of putting together a solid SmackDown show. The show had to go on and WWE made sure it did so in emphatic fashion. All said and done, the company has to be credited for their efforts in not compromising with the quality of the SmackDown episode.
#9. When did the Superstars get back home?
After a delay that lasted 24 painstakingly long hours, the Superstars finally landed at the JFK airport at 12:55 PM ET on Saturday, November 2nd, as per Wade Keller. The passenger plane had wrestlers, production crew members, and writers.
Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that two flights left Saudi Arabia, with one of them having landed with a few Superstars during the SmackDown episode on Saturday Night. The remaining members boarded a flight after SmackDown ended, and reached home on Saturday afternoon.
The RAW Superstars who returned to the States had the chance to either go back home and return for the next episode of the Red brand in New York, or directly make the trip to the city for the show.
As stated earlier, the SmackDown show went ahead with major tweaks as the NXT roster was brought over from Florida. They were taken by a police escort and reached the arena in Buffalo at 7:55 PM ET.
It was a race against time but WWE managed to get the show started and in the end, hit a home run with the limited resources that were at their disposal.
#10. Reactions of the Superstars after they returned home
After all the needless trials and tribulations, the WWE crew who were left in Riyadh came back home safe. That is what mattered.
The Superstars were relieved to be back home and reacted to the Saudi Arabian trip on social media. Some of the talents were naturally frustrated, others were grateful to be back and then there were a few others who revolted in cryptic and blatant fashion. We've put together the most noteworthy reactions of the Superstars that survived the infamous plane ride from Saudi Arabia:
