5 top WWE stars who will not be traveling to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel

This year's WWE Crown Jewel PPV will be taking place on October 31st live from Saudi Arabia, and the event will feature the first combined RAW and SmackDown card since the WWE Draft took place earlier this month.

This year's event will feature Cain Velasquez making his WWE in-ring debut as he challenges Brock Lesnar for the WWE title, boxing Champion Tyson Fury will also make his in-ring debut against Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins will defend the WWE Universal title against The Fiend in a Falls Count Anywhere match, and more.

The WWE PPV events which take place in Saudi Arabia are always billed as major shows, with the first event in Saudi Arabia being billed as an event even more prestigious than WrestleMania itself.

However, despite the grand scale of the WWE events in Saudi Arabia, controversy surrounding the company's business dealings with Saudi Arabia have led to certain WWE stars refusing to make the trip to the country and will not be competing at Crown Jewel.

New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE

Given the above, let's take a look at five top WWE stars who will not be traveling to Saudi Arabia next week for Crown Jewel.

#5 Kevin Owens

For the past several months, WWE star Kevin Owens looked like he was on the fast track to becoming the top babyface on SmackDown, however, that push never quite materialized, despite Owens' top feud with Shane McMahon which culminated when Owens defeated McMahon in a Ladder Match on the SmackDown premiere on FOX.

Owens was then drafted to the Red Brand during this year's WWE draft, and despite KO making a surprise appearance in the main event of RAW this week to hit a stunner on AJ Styles, he has been mostly absent as WWE builds towards Crown Jewel.

Owens' lesser role on WWE TV since the draft is likely because Owens will not be traveling to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel, having informed WWE prior to the last trip to Saudi Arabia that he does not wish to travel to the country.

#4 Sami Zayn

WWE's first event in Saudi Arabia took place in 2018, and was called The Greatest Royal Rumble. The PPV featured the biggest Royal Rumble match in company history, which was won by Braun Strowman, but noticeably absent from the event was WWE star Sami Zayn.

Prior to The Greatest Royal Rumble PPV, Ryan Satin reported that WWE made the call to keep Zayn off the PPV in order to "respect the local culture in Saudi Arabia." Zayn has Syrian roots, and given the strained relationship between Saudi Arabia and Syria since the Syrian Civil War in 2012, WWE decided it would be better if Sami Zayn did not appear at the PPV.

"WWE is committed to embracing individuals from all backgrounds while respecting local customs and cultural differences around the world," WWE said in a statement released after the decision was made to keep Zayn off The Greatest Royal Rumble.

Since the first WWE event in Saudi Arabia, Sami Zayn has not appeared at any of the WWE shows in the country, and next week's Crown Jewel PPV will be no different. Recently, Zayn has been the mouthpiece for Shinsuke Nakamura, who will be part of Team Flair at the Crown Jewel PPV next week, but do not expect Zayn to be accompanying the Intercontinental Champion to the ring.

#3 John Cena

Admittedly, John Cena is no longer a member of the full-time WWE roster. However, Cena is usually reserved for appearances at major WWE events, example being his appearance at the big RAW Reunion special which aired this summer.

Cena also recently appeared on Ellen and told show host Ellen DeGeneres that he doesn't ever see himself retiring from WWE, as he loves the job too much and wants to remain with the company even though he can no longer compete on a full-time basis.

“I love what I do,” Cena told DeGeneres. “I just know that it’s going to end at some point, so I kind of want to enjoy it all. And I’ve spent a lot of time wanting to continue to work.”

John Cena appeared at the first WWE event in Saudi Arabia back in 2018, wrestling a match against Triple H, and following the event, Cena praised the opportunity he had to perform in Saudi Arabia.

"What an honor and a privilege it is to be allowed to be part of an event like today", said Cena. "Regardless of what is going on in my universe, I was not going to miss this event for anything in the world. I want to send a genuine thank you to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its unmatched hospitality that extends far beyond this evening. I also want to say once again thank all of you for allowing me to be part of something so special."

Following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, however, Cena decided against traveling to Saudi Arabia for WWE's second event in the country, and Cena will not be making the trip next week for the Crown Jewel PPV.

#2 Aleister Black

WWE RAW Superstar Aleister Black is another up-and-coming top star who will not be appearing at Crown Jewel next week as he will not be making the trip to Saudi Arabia with WWE.

Black was actually pulled from the last event WWE held in Saudi Arabia, which was the Super ShowDown PPV back in June of this year.

According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com, WWE officials made the decision to pull Aleister Black from the Super ShowDown PPV due to Black's tattoos, which contain religious symbolism which WWE feared might upset the people of Saudi Arabia.

Back in 2017, Black spoke The Daily Star about the nature of his tattoos, noting the symbolism found in much of the art he showcases on his body.

“I don’t really talk about the meaning of my tattoos, but I will give you that one. The being on my back is Lilith, in some folklore she is the first woman to ever rebel against paradise. The reason she is there for equality, equality for every man and woman – which is the most important thing there is."

Black will not be traveling to Saudi Arabia next week for Crown Jewel, and given his tattoos, it's unlikely he will ever travel to the country with WWE unless officials change their minds.

#1 Daniel Bryan

Perhaps one of the biggest stars who will not be traveling to Saudi Arabia next week for WWE Crown Jewel is Daniel Bryan, who is amidst a babyface turn in WWE and has been working a program with Roman Reigns.

At WWE's first Crown Jewel PPV, which took place in 2018 in Saudi Arabia, Daniel Bryan was supposed to challenge AJ Styles for the WWE title, however, the bout was scrapped when Bryan refused to travel to Saudi Arabia given the controversial climate at the time.

Bryan did compete at WWE's first event in Saudi Arabia, The Greatest Royal Rumble, which took place shortly after WrestleMania in 2018, however, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com noted that following The Greatest Royal Rumble, Bryan made the decision that he did not wish to return to Saudi Arabia for future WWE events.

Meltzer added that Bryan made the decision to refuse the Saudi Arabia trip after learning of the company's treatment of homosexuals, and because the company would not allow Sami Zayn, who is of Syrian descent, to perform on the show.

Bryan will once again miss a WWE event in Saudi Arabia, and will not be competing at Crown Jewel next week as he will not make the trip to the country along with the WWE crew.

What are your thoughts on WWE in Saudi Arabia? Let us know in the comment section and be sure to follow SK on Twitter and Facebook!

Edited by Sai Teja