- Joined
- Oct 13, 2017
- Messages
- 4,132
- Reaction score
- 999
- Points
- 113
- Age
- 30
- Favorite Wrestler
-
- Favorite Wrestler
-
- Favorite Wrestler
-
- Favorite Wrestler
-
UPDATE - WWE expands on their deal with Saudi Arabia and superstars feel uneasy backstage according to the very reliable WrestleVotes.....but first AJ Styles has given us a ton fo insight as to what happened that night.
AJ Styles’ Instagram
In the most detailed first hand account of what happened with the WWE wrestlers and staff who were stuck in Saudi Arabia after Crown Jewel last week, AJ Styles jumped on his Mixer gaming stream last night (Nov. 3) and spoke on the situation.
The veteran both confirmed there was a mechanical problem with the plane, but also said there were other issues which haven’t been fully explained. He dismissed images conjured by the wildest conspiracy theories, and doesn’t know if there’s any truth to the talk of a disagreement between Vince McMahon & the Saudis being a factor. Styles does say he was very angry about the situation, and stated that if he eventually learns something about why they were delayed that angers him further, he’ll deal with it directly - intimating he wouldn’t air his grievances on social media.
Sounds like the “locker room leader” Karl Anderson was looking for has spoken.
Here’s what AJ said (transcription courtesy Fightful):
“We got to the airport, they weren’t letting us board.
What was the problem? Not real sure. I heard there was a fuel truck in the way and the guy who drove the fuel truck had left to go home. I know, this makes no sense. Why would he leave if he knows he has a plane that’s leaving? Then there were some paperwork issues. Finally, after 4-5 hours, we get on the plane. Then the ‘fuel something or another’ was broken.
People can say, ‘It wasn’t broken.’ But I talked to the pilot and he said, ‘Listen, there was a problem. That’s a real thing.’ The problem was, we spent all that time, from 1 o’clock to 6 or 8 in the morning, waiting to get on the plane and them telling us we can’t go anywhere because the pilots had timed out. The pilots can only go so long before they’re not able to fly because they’re not able to go 24 hours at a time. They had to go to a hotel, we had to find a hotel.
Were there guns and people like ‘EVERYBODY OFF THE PLANE!’ No, that never happened. Nobody threatened to kill us. Nobody was gonna get murdered.
I have no idea what happened between Vince [McMahon] and [Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman]. That’s not my job to say anything.
Was I pretty angry about not getting home because I missed my son’s wrestling match? You have no idea. This was out of our hands and out of the pilot’s hands. There’s no point in getting mad about something I have no control of.
We’ll find out as we go along why things happened. Or we won’t. 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."
...
Recent development, WWE have EXPANDED their deal with Saudi Arabia...
Here is what we know so far.
Fightful has been covering the event thus far, here is their reports below.
"Fightful Select learned early Friday morning that a charter plane containing the majority of the WWE roster and staff had never taken off. Those who were supposed to be aboard were told of "delays," and some have become suspicious of the delay.
Many of the people that are set to fly out have been awake all through the day and night already, with several scheduled to compete on WWE Smackdown Friday. All of those we spoke to still in Saudi Arabia said they don't expect to make it back to the States in time for Smackdown.
Vince McMahon, Brock Lesnar and Hulk Hogan are all already flying back, as they had their own flights. One talent said that Vince was out of there hours ago, while talent was still on the ground. Until about 2 AM EST, a lot of the staff and talent were still on the plane hanging out, and being fed. Some went to a hotel at that point.
There were rumors among talent that Vince McMahon got in some kind of disagreement in Saudi Arabia, though I haven't been able to fully confirm that.
Some that we've talked to on the flight are clearly annoyed and perturbed by the situation, while others aren't so concerned, even saying "they'll figure it out, because they always do." So there's hardly a unanimous temperature on the delays.
For those wondering, Smackdown already has promoted Nikki Cross, Carmella and Dana Brooke vs. Bayley, Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville. Daniel Bryan, The Miz and Charlotte Flair are also advertised for the show and not in Saudi Arabia. Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss haven't been wrestling of late. Drew Gulak, Sami Zayn, Tamina, Carmella are also on the roster and weren't on Crown Jewel.
Dave Meltzer provided and update: Saying "Some notes since nobody can say anything. WWE had a problem in Saudi Arabia. Talent was not allowed to leave on their flight and most are still there. 20 people, 12 of which were talent, have left but the rest are still there."
Dave continued in another tweet saying "It's a 14 hour flight, Smackdown starts in 17 hours. The last we heard the rest of the talent wasn't going to be able to leave for a lot longer than three hours."
Mike Johnson at PWInsider reports the hold up is being described as a "mechanical issue with the fuel line of the plane." Johnson backs up Meltzer's report that WWE was able to get some talent out of Saudi Arabia, but could not confirm who.
Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet adds a second charter took off, but other talent got a hotel and are still in Saudi Arabia. Fightful Select has learned that Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bray Wyatt, Big E, Kofi Kingston, Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder and a few others were on the charter that left Saudi Arabia.
We aren't sure if they've landed, when they will land, or what their status is for Smackdown. Revival vs. New Day had previously been advertised for tonight's Smackdown
WWE has reached out to names on the roster who weren't originally set for the show to see if they would be able to make it in for Smackdown if needed. At 2 PM we were given an obvious note that there's a big scramble to make a show, and that WWE was as of now operating on the assumption that the chartered flight wouldn't make it. Those that we've heard from seem to think the show that is coming together is very good.
Dave Meltzer would later indicate that NXT talent was being brought in for the show, which now advertises Nikki Cross vs. Bayley for the Smackdown Women's Title. As of now, this is the only WWE comment on the matter:
"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.
As always with WWE, the show must go on. Live at 8/7 CT on FOX, SmackDown will feature Superstars, such as Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Carmella, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke — plus, additional surprises."
AJ Styles’ Instagram
In the most detailed first hand account of what happened with the WWE wrestlers and staff who were stuck in Saudi Arabia after Crown Jewel last week, AJ Styles jumped on his Mixer gaming stream last night (Nov. 3) and spoke on the situation.
The veteran both confirmed there was a mechanical problem with the plane, but also said there were other issues which haven’t been fully explained. He dismissed images conjured by the wildest conspiracy theories, and doesn’t know if there’s any truth to the talk of a disagreement between Vince McMahon & the Saudis being a factor. Styles does say he was very angry about the situation, and stated that if he eventually learns something about why they were delayed that angers him further, he’ll deal with it directly - intimating he wouldn’t air his grievances on social media.
Sounds like the “locker room leader” Karl Anderson was looking for has spoken.
Here’s what AJ said (transcription courtesy Fightful):
“We got to the airport, they weren’t letting us board.
What was the problem? Not real sure. I heard there was a fuel truck in the way and the guy who drove the fuel truck had left to go home. I know, this makes no sense. Why would he leave if he knows he has a plane that’s leaving? Then there were some paperwork issues. Finally, after 4-5 hours, we get on the plane. Then the ‘fuel something or another’ was broken.
People can say, ‘It wasn’t broken.’ But I talked to the pilot and he said, ‘Listen, there was a problem. That’s a real thing.’ The problem was, we spent all that time, from 1 o’clock to 6 or 8 in the morning, waiting to get on the plane and them telling us we can’t go anywhere because the pilots had timed out. The pilots can only go so long before they’re not able to fly because they’re not able to go 24 hours at a time. They had to go to a hotel, we had to find a hotel.
Were there guns and people like ‘EVERYBODY OFF THE PLANE!’ No, that never happened. Nobody threatened to kill us. Nobody was gonna get murdered.
I have no idea what happened between Vince [McMahon] and [Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman]. That’s not my job to say anything.
Was I pretty angry about not getting home because I missed my son’s wrestling match? You have no idea. This was out of our hands and out of the pilot’s hands. There’s no point in getting mad about something I have no control of.
We’ll find out as we go along why things happened. Or we won’t. 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."
...
Recent development, WWE have EXPANDED their deal with Saudi Arabia...
Here is what we know so far.
Fightful has been covering the event thus far, here is their reports below.
"Fightful Select learned early Friday morning that a charter plane containing the majority of the WWE roster and staff had never taken off. Those who were supposed to be aboard were told of "delays," and some have become suspicious of the delay.
Many of the people that are set to fly out have been awake all through the day and night already, with several scheduled to compete on WWE Smackdown Friday. All of those we spoke to still in Saudi Arabia said they don't expect to make it back to the States in time for Smackdown.
Vince McMahon, Brock Lesnar and Hulk Hogan are all already flying back, as they had their own flights. One talent said that Vince was out of there hours ago, while talent was still on the ground. Until about 2 AM EST, a lot of the staff and talent were still on the plane hanging out, and being fed. Some went to a hotel at that point.
There were rumors among talent that Vince McMahon got in some kind of disagreement in Saudi Arabia, though I haven't been able to fully confirm that.
Some that we've talked to on the flight are clearly annoyed and perturbed by the situation, while others aren't so concerned, even saying "they'll figure it out, because they always do." So there's hardly a unanimous temperature on the delays.
For those wondering, Smackdown already has promoted Nikki Cross, Carmella and Dana Brooke vs. Bayley, Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville. Daniel Bryan, The Miz and Charlotte Flair are also advertised for the show and not in Saudi Arabia. Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss haven't been wrestling of late. Drew Gulak, Sami Zayn, Tamina, Carmella are also on the roster and weren't on Crown Jewel.
Dave Meltzer provided and update: Saying "Some notes since nobody can say anything. WWE had a problem in Saudi Arabia. Talent was not allowed to leave on their flight and most are still there. 20 people, 12 of which were talent, have left but the rest are still there."
Dave continued in another tweet saying "It's a 14 hour flight, Smackdown starts in 17 hours. The last we heard the rest of the talent wasn't going to be able to leave for a lot longer than three hours."
Mike Johnson at PWInsider reports the hold up is being described as a "mechanical issue with the fuel line of the plane." Johnson backs up Meltzer's report that WWE was able to get some talent out of Saudi Arabia, but could not confirm who.
Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet adds a second charter took off, but other talent got a hotel and are still in Saudi Arabia. Fightful Select has learned that Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bray Wyatt, Big E, Kofi Kingston, Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder and a few others were on the charter that left Saudi Arabia.
We aren't sure if they've landed, when they will land, or what their status is for Smackdown. Revival vs. New Day had previously been advertised for tonight's Smackdown
WWE has reached out to names on the roster who weren't originally set for the show to see if they would be able to make it in for Smackdown if needed. At 2 PM we were given an obvious note that there's a big scramble to make a show, and that WWE was as of now operating on the assumption that the chartered flight wouldn't make it. Those that we've heard from seem to think the show that is coming together is very good.
Dave Meltzer would later indicate that NXT talent was being brought in for the show, which now advertises Nikki Cross vs. Bayley for the Smackdown Women's Title. As of now, this is the only WWE comment on the matter:
"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.
As always with WWE, the show must go on. Live at 8/7 CT on FOX, SmackDown will feature Superstars, such as Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Carmella, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke — plus, additional surprises."
So as you all might know, many WWE staff and superstars are currently stuck in Saudi Arabia possibly due to mechanical issues, but im fraid to say things may have taken a turn for the worse if recent reports are true.
Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer has speculated that the so called Mechanical issues might be a cover up by WWE as they dont want word to spread of whatever the reall issue is. Alvarez noted on Wrestling Observer Live that there are several people in Saudi Arabia who do not believe that the plane didn’t take off due to mechanical issues.
"Basically what happened was yesterday everyone got on the plane and then they were told to get off the plane.
All I know is that there are people there who have insisted that there is no mechanical issue, that’s not why the flight did not take off. That fact that several people left that people left, they got off that and chartered a second flight and now that one is also not going to make it back in time. I mean we would have to believe that that flight also just happened to have mechanical issues.
I also know that the talent last night was told you’re probably not going to take off for another twelve to fourteen hours. Now I have been on flights before where there were mechanical issues and the issues weren’t going to be cleared up for several hours and we were just taken off the plane and put on another flight and we left so it’s a very strange story here. There is obviously more than we’ve been told and I presume that we are going to hear more of that over the next twenty four to forty eight hours.”
Rusev has said on twitter that him along with everyone else currently stuck in Saudi needs "All the prayers right now" which id say is a pretty solid indication things arent good over there.
i will keep you all up to date with the latest news from this as it develops.
Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer has speculated that the so called Mechanical issues might be a cover up by WWE as they dont want word to spread of whatever the reall issue is. Alvarez noted on Wrestling Observer Live that there are several people in Saudi Arabia who do not believe that the plane didn’t take off due to mechanical issues.
"Basically what happened was yesterday everyone got on the plane and then they were told to get off the plane.
All I know is that there are people there who have insisted that there is no mechanical issue, that’s not why the flight did not take off. That fact that several people left that people left, they got off that and chartered a second flight and now that one is also not going to make it back in time. I mean we would have to believe that that flight also just happened to have mechanical issues.
I also know that the talent last night was told you’re probably not going to take off for another twelve to fourteen hours. Now I have been on flights before where there were mechanical issues and the issues weren’t going to be cleared up for several hours and we were just taken off the plane and put on another flight and we left so it’s a very strange story here. There is obviously more than we’ve been told and I presume that we are going to hear more of that over the next twenty four to forty eight hours.”
Rusev has said on twitter that him along with everyone else currently stuck in Saudi needs "All the prayers right now" which id say is a pretty solid indication things arent good over there.
i will keep you all up to date with the latest news from this as it develops.
Last edited:
