WWE's ongoing deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been a controversial subject ever since it was made in 2018. By the time the second Saudi Arabia event, Crown Jewel, made its way onto WWE's schedule late last year stories began popping up of wrestlers not being comfortable appearing in the country. John Cena and Daniel Bryan both reportedly refused to work that event, leading to WWE having to put out a statement regarding how they plan on handling wrestlers that don't want to be involved. With the next Saudi event Super ShowDown coming up in Jeddah on June 7, reports of wrestlers refusing to make the trip are once again popping up.
Fightful reported on Wednesday that Kevin Owens would not be attending the show. Three more names have since been added to that list, with Dave Meltzer reporting Bryan would not make the trip again this year, while POST Wrestling's John Pollock reported on Wednesday afternoon that Sami Zayn and Aleister Black won't be going either.
A reason was not specifically given for any of the four, though Zayn has not been used on any of the shows reportedly because of his Syrian descent and the contentions relationship between Syria and Saudi Arabia. WWE had to put out a statement regarding that as well.
"WWE is committed to embracing individuals from all backgrounds while respecting local customs and cultural differences around the world," the statement read.
Also due to the country's customs regarding women, none of the women's roster has been able to appear on any of the shows. The Saudi General Sports Authority even had to issue an apology after an ad that played during the Greatest Royal Rumble featured Carmella in her full ring gear.
