The WWE has removed the Crown Jewel show scheduled for November 2 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from its calendar of events, according to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com. The WWE has not made a formal announcement or statement in regard to the event, however.
The news comes in the wake of the suspected murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, with mounting suspicions that Saudi Arabia was responsible. According to BBC News, “The authorities in Istanbul believe Mr Khashoggi was murdered in the consulate by Saudi agents—claims Riyadh has dismissed as ‘lies.'” A number of corporations are also considering their ties to the Saudis following Khashoggi’s disappearance. Per Julia MacFarlane of ABC News, “The billionaire founder of the Virgin empire, Sir Richard Branson, says he is halting talks over a $1 billion investment by Saudi Arabia in Virgin’s space firms as a result over the Khashoggi case.”