It is a known fact that only two things are popular in Saudi Arabia, one being soccer and the other being WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr signed one of the world’s biggest soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo in a deal worth $200 million.
Saudi Arabia’s Partnership with WWE, therefore, was not much of a surprise to the sports fans. WWE signed a 10-year deal with the Kingdom back in 2018. Furthermore, the 10-year deal has a clause that sees WWE organizing two events in Arabia each year.
Reports from earlier this year claimed that Saudi Arabia was looking to buy the WWE. However, the deal never took place between the Kingdom and WWE as Vince McMahon sold WWE to Endeavour Group Holdings. Thus, merging UFC, which was owned by Endeavour Group Holdings, and WWE to form a $21 billion global sports company.
It is worth noting that Endeavour Group does not have a good relationship with Saudi Arabia. The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi led them to sever their ties with Saudi Arabia. It was even reported that Endeavour had returned Saudi Arabia’s $400 million investment in WWE.
Ari Emanuel however, will honor the current deal with Saudi Arabia. Thus, WWE continues to hold live events in Saudi Arabia. So far they have held eight premium live events in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the upcoming WWE Night of Champions would count as the ninth event in the deal.
According to some reports the government of Saudi pays WWE $50 Million for each event they do at Saudi
— The Wrestling Blog (@WrestlingBlog_) April 11, 2023
As per reports, the WWE earns $50 million per event held in Riyadh or Jeddah by the Saudi Arabian Government. Therefore, it is no surprise that the Kingdom does everything in its power to promote these live events.
Cristiano Ronaldo to attend WWE Night of Champions
It has been widely reported that Cristiano Ronaldo will be attending the WWE Night of Champions which is being held on the weekend in Riyadh.
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Cristiano Ronaldo will be present at the next WWE show in Riyadh.
[BWE] pic.twitter.com/LsrQWxAIJ1
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) May 25, 2023
Various reports suggest that the Kingdom wants to use Cristiano Ronaldo to promote the WWE Live Nights. The soccer player is one of the most influential people in the world. Therefore, it is no surprise that Saudi Arabia wants to use the player to promote their deal with WWE.
Although there is no confirmation as to whether or not the player will attend the Night of Champions. Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr is set to face Ettifaq over the weekend on the same day.
Cristiano Ronaldo looks to lead the Al-Nassr attack on Saturday against Ettifaq. Therefore, it is unlikely for the player to attend the WWE Night of Champions in Riyadh.